Pasar de tener

Question

I wonder if it means "happen to have" or "pass on having".

Las empresas deben pasar de tener “clientes” a tener “amigos ...

Companies should pass on having clientes in favor of having friends.

¿como pasar de tener cara angelical a cara de niña mala?

How to happen to have an angelical face with a bad kid?

I'm not sure which it means.

Gracias

Answer 1

From the English dictionary:

to pass

to go beyond (a point, degree, stage, etc.); transcend; exceed; surpass.

Now let's try a literal translation:

Las empresas deben pasar de tener “clientes” a tener “amigos ...

Enterprises should go beyond from having clients to having friends.

"Pasar" (and pass) come from Latin passus, step. Here it means to take a step in one particular direction, i.e. to change from one thing to another.

Answer 2

Pasar de algo o de alguien, not to pay attention or to just go without.

Paso de enfadarme. I will just pass, I am not going to get angry

Paso de hablar contigo, eres un cretino. I can't be bothered to talk to you.

B U T:

Pasar de tener una cosa a tener otra....

Pasó de tener un piso a tener un chalet muy grande.

Your sentence:

Las empresas deben pasar de tener “clientes” a tener “amigos ...

They should tend towards gaining friends rather then only clients.

Pass onto having friends rather than only clients, I think you interpreted that exactly the other way round.

Paso de los hombre, mi mejor amigo es un perro. I just can't be bothered with men, I prefer dogs........omg Heidita!!!!!!! Depending on the context, you may get some very disgusting looks if you actually said this lol ;-) - billygoat, May 11, 2011

tienes razon billy, realmente suena fatal, jejejeje, lo he cambiado - 00494d19, May 11, 2011

Answer 3

The tener is a red herring here: it's just the usual "pasar de X a Y".

Answer 4

Ok so it's not to have, because of "pass on having" and definitely not "happen to have". Gracias.

:) - Sabor, May 11, 2011

well, no, not really, read my post - 00494d19, May 11, 2011

Answer 5

link text

"Como pasar de tener moto" = how not to have. Definitely.