Portuguese Phrase
O tempo passa voando quando você relaxa.
Meaning
Literally, “Time passes flying when you relax.” The expression conveys that moments seem to go by very quickly when you are in a relaxed, enjoyable state.
When to use
Use this phrase to comment on how pleasant moments feel short, especially after a vacation, a spa day, or any activity that puts you at ease.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Otempopassavoandoquandovocêrelaxa
Definite article (O)
The masculine singular article 'o' agrees with the noun 'tempo' and marks it as a specific thing.
Verb ‘passar’ (present 3ª pessoa)
‘passa’ is the third‑person singular present of ‘passar’, meaning ‘to pass’ or ‘to go by’.
Gerund ‘voando’
The gerund form of ‘voar’ (to fly) works like an adverbial phrase, conveying the idea of something happening quickly.
Conjunction ‘quando’
‘quando’ introduces a temporal clause, equivalent to ‘when’ in English.
Pronoun ‘você’
‘você’ is the informal second‑person singular pronoun used in most of Brazil; in Portugal, ‘tu’ is more common.
Verb ‘relaxar’ (present 3ª pessoa)
‘relaxa’ is the third‑person singular present of ‘relaxar’, meaning ‘to relax’. It can also appear as ‘está a relaxar’ in European Portuguese.
🗨In Conversation
Acabei de ler um livro incrível e não percebi o tempo passar.
I just finished reading an amazing book and didn’t notice the time passing.
É verdade, o tempo passa voando quando você relaxa.
That’s true, time flies when you’re relaxed.
✕Common Mistakes
O tempo passa voa quando você relaxa.
‘Voa’ is the simple present of ‘voar’ (to fly). The gerund ‘voando’ is needed to convey the idea of ‘passing quickly’.
O tempo passa voando quando você relaxar.
Using the infinitive ‘relaxar’ after ‘quando’ is ungrammatical; you need a conjugated verb.
O tempo passa voando quando tu relaxas.
In European Portuguese the natural phrasing would be ‘estás a relaxar’ or ‘está a relaxar’. Using ‘você relaxa’ sounds Brazilian.
↔Alternatives
O tempo voa quando você está relaxado.
Time flies when you’re relaxed.
Quando estamos tranquilos, o tempo passa rápido.
When we’re calm, time passes quickly.
Aproveite, porque o tempo passa voando ao relaxar.
Enjoy it, because time flies when you relax.
Cultural Tip
In Brazil, ‘você’ is the default informal pronoun, so the sentence sounds natural in everyday conversation. In Portugal, speakers might prefer ‘tu’ (O tempo passa voando quando tu relaxas) or the progressive form ‘estás a relaxar’. The gerund ‘voando’ adds a vivid, almost visual metaphor, common in Brazilian Portuguese to describe speed.