Pasamos palabra en la pregunta relámpago.

In Spain, pasar palabra is a set phrase used in quiz or game-show contexts to mean to pass, to skip, or not answer for now.

So pasamos palabra does not literally mean we pass a word here. It means something like:

• We pass
• We skip this one
• We’ll pass on that question

This use is strongly associated with Spanish TV quiz shows, especially Pasapalabra.

Pasamos is the 1st person plural present form of pasar:

• yo paso = I pass
• tú pasas = you pass
• él/ella pasa = he/she passes
• nosotros/nosotras pasamos = we pass

So pasamos palabra means we pass/skip.

Spanish often leaves out the subject pronoun, so nosotros is not written because pasamos already tells you the subject is we.

Because pasar palabra is treated as an idiomatic expression.

• pasamos palabra = we pass / we skip
• pasamos la palabra usually means something different, more like we pass the floor, we give someone else the turn to speak, or literally we pass the word along

So the version without the article is the special quiz-show expression.

En here means in, on, or during, depending on how naturally you translate it in English.

So:

• en la pregunta relámpago = in the lightning question
• more naturally in English: on the lightning round question or during the quick-fire question

It gives the context in which the action happens: the passing happens during / on that particular question.

Pregunta relámpago means a rapid-fire question, quick-fire question, or lightning question.

• pregunta = question
• relámpago = lightning

In Spanish, a noun can sometimes be used after another noun almost like an adjective. Here relámpago describes the type of question: one that must be answered very quickly.

Because relámpago is being used as a noun modifier, not as a regular adjective that changes form.

So:

• pregunta relámpago
• ronda relámpago
• entrevista relámpago

In these cases, relámpago stays the same. It does not change for gender or number like a normal adjective would.

For example:

• preguntas relámpago = lightning questions

Even in the plural, relámpago often stays unchanged in this use.

Yes, very much so.

The expression pasar palabra is especially familiar in Spain, largely because of the famous TV show Pasapalabra. A learner of Peninsular Spanish is likely to hear it or recognize it from that context.

In other Spanish-speaking regions, people may still understand it, but a different expression might be more common depending on the context.

Spanish often uses the present tense for actions happening right now or for immediate decisions in conversation.

So Pasamos palabra can sound like:

• We pass
• We’re passing on this one
• Let’s skip it

It is very natural in spoken interaction, especially in a game, quiz, or fast back-and-forth exchange.

Normally, no. In this exact form, especially in a quiz context, it is understood as the idiom to pass / skip.

If you wanted to say we pass the word to someone else or we give someone else the floor, Spanish would more naturally use something like:

• le pasamos la palabra a Ana = we give the floor to Ana

So the presence or absence of la changes the meaning a lot:

• pasamos palabra = we pass / skip
• pasamos la palabra = we pass the floor / pass the word along

Yes, it can be.

It sounds like something said in a quiz, contest, or playful setting. It is short and context-dependent, which is normal in spoken Spanish.

Depending on the situation, a speaker might also say:

• Pasamos palabra. = We pass.
• En la pregunta relámpago, pasamos palabra. = In the lightning question, we pass.
• Pasamos palabra en la ronda relámpago. = We pass in the lightning round.

So the sentence is compact, but perfectly plausible in the right context.