Pass away

Pass away

The expression we’re going to talk about today is “pass away.” And it has a very simple definition: to pass away is to die.

Talking about these things can be delicate, so today I’m going to tell you when it’s appropriate to say someone has “passed away,” because there are times to use it and times not to use it.

First, “pass away” is a gentle, polite, delicate way of saying a person has died. Talking about death can be uncomfortable; it can be uncomfortable to talk about it and uncomfortable to hear about it. So if you want to soften the impact of your words, if you want to be extra-sensitive to the other person, and to that person’s feelings, you can say “pass away” instead of “die.”

You might say to a friend, “I was so sorry to hear your aunt passed away.” This is a way of softening the impact, of being sensitive to the other person, who is grieving.

The words “pass away” evoke an image of someone peacefully, gently transitioning—depending on your beliefs, gently transitioning to the afterlife, or just gently transitioning out of the world of the living. And phrasing it that way just makes it easier on the speaker and the listener to imagine a relative or another person making a gentle, peaceful transition.

There are times when you might want to use “pass away” to soften the impact, even when you’re not talking directly to someone who’s grieving. For example, if someone is not at work, or someone is not at school, you might ask, “Where’s Maryam today?” And a co-worker might answer, “Her mom passed away over the weekend. She’ll be out this week.”

You could absolutely say, “her mom died over the weekend.” But to be sensitive, to soften the impact, since it’s a relative of someone you know, “pass away” is just a little more sensitive than “died.” Plus, it’s a workplace, you try to just be sensitive to how other people will react to the news…in those cases “pass away” is better.

But the more time that has passed, or the more distance between you and the person who has died, the less necessary it is to use the term “pass away.”

For example: Ludwig von Beethoven died in 1827. Queen Elizabeth II died in September 2022. These are famous people, these are well-known dates, it happened a while ago, these are historical facts. There is no real reason for me to soften the impact of my words when talking about Beethoven or Queen Elizabeth .

Sometimes your choice of “die” or “pass away” can communicate what you feel about someone’s death. If it’s just a fact to you, then use “die.” If there’s a little more feeling involved, use “pass away.”

For example, I didn’t know Daniel Kahneman , and I’m guessing you didn’t either. But he’s a famous author, an author I have read. I like and value his work. I could easily have said that he died in March 2024. That would have been totally fine and appropriate; there would have been nothing wrong with that. But when I talked about it in the lesson about him, I said he passed away. The fact that I chose “pass away” communicated that I felt a little sadness about his passing, especially since it happened recently.

So you can see that “pass away” carries emotion and empathy with it, whereas “die” is more direct, more factual. So anyone who describes a death in any type of professional capacity—a doctor, a police officer, a lawyer—they’re rarely going to use “pass away.” When reviewing case studies, doctors will frequently say, “the patient died.” Police investigators will say, “We think the victim died between noon and 2:00 p.m.”

Likewise, even if you are closely connected to a person, you should use “die” if you’re talking to a professional. Here’s an example. You might want to explain your family medical history to your doctor. This is a professional setting at the doctor’s office and it’s a time to use clear, more direct language. You would say: “my grandfather died of a heart attack” or “my aunt died of a stroke” or “my mom died of cancer.”

And then finally, you should always use “pass away” with a person. You would 100 percent never use “pass away” with a plant, a tree, or an animal. The only exception might be a cherished pet, but if you use “pass away,” you’re talking about that pet like a family member.

See you next time!

That’s all for us today at Plain English. I hope this was useful, even if it wasn’t cheerful at the end.

And remember if you have any questions about when you can use “pass away,” you can write your own sentences right below the transcript and I will read them and provide you with feedback on your writing.

I always say, make your mistakes with us, and then you’ll be ready to speak confidently and correctly in the real world. So write a few examples using “pass away” with us—if you get it wrong, don’t worry! I’ll show you what to do. Then you won’t make a mistake with “die” or “pass away” when it really counts, in the real world.

So that’s in the “Your Turn” section of each expression transcript. PlainEnglish.com/677 is where you find the transcript for today’s story and expression.

We’ll be back on Monday with a new lesson. See you then.