Adelante, puede pasar.

Adelante is a very common Spanish word used to invite someone to move forward, come in, or go ahead. In this sentence, it works almost like a standalone invitation.

Depending on the situation, adelante can mean things like:

• come in
• go ahead
• step forward

So in Adelante, puede pasar, it helps create the polite feeling of inviting someone to enter or proceed.

Puede is the usted form of the verb poder. That makes the sentence polite or formal.

• usted puede pasar = you can come in (formal)
• tú puedes pasar = you can come in (informal)

In many real-life situations—talking to a customer, patient, visitor, stranger, or older person—Spanish speakers often choose usted. That is why puede pasar sounds natural here.

Spanish often leaves out subject pronouns when they are clear from the verb form.

So instead of saying:

• Usted puede pasar

people often just say:

• Puede pasar

The verb puede already tells you the speaker is using usted (or possibly él/ella in another context, but here it clearly means you).

Pasar has several meanings in Spanish, and that can confuse learners. In this context, it means something like:

• come in
• go through
• enter
• step inside

So puede pasar is not about passing in the English sense of handing something over. It is about moving into a space or proceeding forward.

Yes, it is generally polite and somewhat formal because of puede (usted form). It sounds natural in situations like:

• at a doctor’s office
• at a reception desk
• when opening the door to a visitor
• when calling the next person into a room

It is friendly, but not casual in the tú sense.

Yes. Very often, Adelante alone is enough.

For example, if someone knocks on the door, a person inside may simply say:

• Adelante

That already means come in / go ahead. Adding puede pasar makes the invitation a little fuller or more explicit.

Yes. Pase is very common and often even more direct and natural in these situations.

Compare:

• Adelante, puede pasar.
• Adelante, pase.

Both are polite.
Pase is the usted command of pasar, so it means come in / go ahead / step in.

In many contexts, Adelante, pase may sound slightly more standard than Adelante, puede pasar, but both are correct and natural.

The comma marks a pause between two parts:

• Adelante
• puede pasar

This pause sounds natural in speech, almost like:

• Go ahead — you may come in.

It separates the invitation word adelante from the fuller statement puede pasar.

A simple Latin American-style pronunciation guide would be:

• ah-deh-LAHN-teh, PWEH-deh pah-SAHR

A few helpful notes:

• d in Spanish is softer than English d
• ll is not involved here, so nothing unusual there
• r in pasar is a light tap, not a strong English r
• stress falls on:
  • -lan- in adelante
  • pue- in puede
  • -sar in pasar

Common situations include:

• inviting someone into an office
• letting a customer or patient enter
• allowing someone to pass through a doorway
• responding when someone asks for permission to come in

For example:

• Someone knocks.
• You open the door or answer from inside.
• You say Adelante, puede pasar.

It is a very practical, everyday phrase.

It is perfectly understandable in both, but the exact preferences can vary by region.

In Latin America, polite usted forms are widely used, so puede pasar sounds very natural. In many places, you may also hear:

• Adelante
• Pase
• Pásele (in some regions, especially Mexico)
• Siga

So the sentence fits Latin American Spanish well, especially in polite service or professional settings.

They are similar, but not always identical in nuance.

• Puede pasar = you may come in / go ahead / pass through
• Puede entrar = you may enter

Entrar focuses more specifically on entering.
Pasar can feel a little broader, like moving ahead into the next space.

In many real situations, they are interchangeable:

• Adelante, puede pasar.
• Adelante, puede entrar.

But pasar is especially common when inviting someone from one area into another, such as from a waiting room into an office.

Yes, depending on the relationship.

If you are speaking to a friend, family member, or child, a more informal version might be more natural, such as:

• Adelante, puedes pasar.
• Pasa.
• Pásale (regional)
• Entra.

So Adelante, puede pasar is polite and correct, but with close friends it may sound more formal than necessary.