El concursante puede rectificar y pasar palabra.

Because after poder (can / to be able to), the next verb stays in the infinitive.

• puede = he/she can
• rectificar = to correct / to change one’s answer
• pasar = to pass

So:

• puede rectificar = can correct
• puede pasar palabra = can pass

This is the same pattern as:

• puede hablar = can speak
• puede entrar = can come in

Only poder is conjugated here; the following verbs are not.

Spanish often leaves out subject pronouns when they are not needed.

In puede, the verb ending already tells us it is he/she/it or you (formal singular). Since the sentence has El concursante, we already know who the subject is, so Spanish does not need él.

• El concursante puede rectificar... = The contestant can correct...

Adding él would usually be unnecessary unless you want emphasis or contrast.

Concursante means contestant, especially in a contest, competition, or game show.

It is a common word in Spanish for someone taking part in a contest. In a TV quiz-show context, el concursante is the participant answering questions.

It comes from concurso = contest / competition.

Not exactly. Although rectificar is related to English rectify, in everyday Spanish it often means:

• to correct
• to amend
• to change what you said after realizing it was wrong

In this sentence, it most likely means the contestant can correct their answer or change it.

So while rectify exists in English, a more natural translation here is often:

• can correct themselves
• can change their answer

Pasar palabra is a set expression, especially associated with quiz or word games in Spain. It means the contestant chooses to skip the word/question for now and move on.

It is not a literal everyday phrase like pass word. In this context, it is an idiomatic game-show expression.

A natural English idea would be:

• to pass
• to skip it
• to pass on the word/question

In Spain, many learners encounter this phrase because of the TV show Pasapalabra.

In this expression, pasar palabra works as a fixed idiomatic phrase. It does not usually take the article la in this game-show meaning.

So:

• pasar palabra = to pass / skip the word

But in other contexts, pasar la palabra could mean something different, more like to give someone the floor or to pass the turn to speak.

So the version without the article is the one tied to the quiz/game meaning.

Because the sentence is listing two possible actions the contestant can do:

• rectificar
• pasar palabra

So y simply means and:

• The contestant can correct their answer and pass

Depending on context, English might interpret this as can either correct their answer or pass, but Spanish here just joins the two available actions.

If the speaker wanted to stress a choice more clearly, they might use a different structure, but y is very natural in this type of rule/instruction sentence.

It can suggest permission or allowed options, depending on context.

In a game-show or rules context, puede often means:

• is allowed to
• may
• has the option to

So here, El concursante puede rectificar y pasar palabra probably means:

• The contestant may correct their answer and pass
• The contestant is allowed to correct it and pass

Spanish poder often covers ideas that English separates into can, may, or be allowed to.

Yes. Concursante is commonly used for both masculine and feminine referents.

You can say:

• el concursante = the male contestant
• la concursante = the female contestant

The word form usually stays the same; the article changes.

A broad Spain pronunciation would be roughly:

el kon-kur-SAN-teh PWEH-deh rek-tee-fee-KAR ee pah-SAR pah-LAH-brah

A few points:

• c before u in concursante sounds like k
• puede is two syllables: pue-de
• rectificar has the stress on the last syllable: -car
• y before a consonant is pronounced like ee
• palabra is stressed on la: pa-LA-bra

In much of Spain, the c before e/i is pronounced with a th sound, but there is no such case here affecting these particular words except in rectificar, where the c is before a, so it stays a k sound.

Yes, that is possible depending on context, but pass here specifically refers to pasar palabra, which is more than just a general pass in the abstract. It usually means:

• skip the current word/question
• leave it for later
• move on

So The contestant can correct themselves and pass is not wrong, but in a quiz-show context a fuller translation is often clearer, such as:

• The contestant can correct their answer or pass on the word
• The contestant can change their answer and skip the word

The best translation depends on how much of the game context you want to show.

Yes, corregir is possible, but it is not exactly the same in tone.

• corregir = to correct
• rectificar = to correct / revise / withdraw or amend what was said

In a context where someone changes an answer they already gave, rectificar can sound especially suitable. It suggests modifying what was said before.

So both may work in some situations, but rectificar has a nuance of revising or amending a previous response.