Episode 124: Medical Spanish for Beginners.
Drs. Axelsson, Kooner, and Arreaza explain the basics of medical Spanish.
Hi! Thank you for joining us for this episode of Rio Bravo qWeek. This is a bonus episode on medical Spanish for beginners. We will teach you the most basic Spanish words you can use during interactions with Spanish-only speakers. Grab your notepad and follow along phonetically! We will also post a transcript of this episode so that you can see the words if you’re a visual learner.
Introductions of participants:
Fiona: Hi, my name is Fiona and I am a 3rd-year resident here at Rio Bravo Family Medicine. I’m also Canadian, so my Spanish was not good when I came to this program. I’m hoping this episode will help me brush up on my Spanish and that it will also help you! Whether you’re a medical student or resident, we could all use a refresher on basic medical Spanish. With me today I have Dr. Hector Arreaza and Dr. Gagan Kooner.
Arreaza: Hi, I’m Hector Arreaza, and I’m a frequent host for this podcast. You may be used to my soft and somewhat unintelligible voice [humor]. I’m from Venezuela, I know some Spanish.
Kooner: Hi, I’m Dr. Gagan Kooner. I am a PGY1 at Rio Bravo family medicine. I am Punjabi. grew up in Bakersfield. So, when I heard about this episode of the qWeek podcast, I knew I wanted to be a part of it.
Fiona: He’s been modest, his wife is Hispanic.
Preliminary information:
Arreaza: Not everyone who looks “Hispanic” speaks Spanish. We have people in our community from different indigenous groups, mostly from Mexico, and Central America who speak Spanish as a second language. Hispanics have different levels of English proficiency.
Fiona: Hispanic is not a race–it is a culture. Hispanics can be of different races, ranging from White Europeans, Black, Indigenous, and even of Asian descent.
Kooner: Not all Hispanics are Mexicans: Mexico is the country with the highest number of Spanish speakers, but there are 20 Spanish-speaking countries in the world. Spanish has many variations in some countries.
Basic pronunciation:
Fiona: Thank you Dr. Arreaza and Dr. Kooner. Just to set the agenda, as all good clinicians do, let’s lay out what we will discuss. First, we’ll start with Greetings and Common Courtesies. Once we’ve mastered that, we will move on to body parts and family members. Is anyone feeling like they’re back in kindergarten? Next, we will focus on Critical Questions and a brief ROS. This will be helpful in your emergency medicine and hospital medicine rotations. We will then learn how to master a physical exam in Spanish and will end with Good-bye’s and a few miscellaneous items like “Más o Menos”.
Dr. Arreaza, why don’t you give us a quick intro into Spanish vowels!
Dr. Arreaza: Thank you Fiona, I think that’s a great idea. In Spanish, all of our vowels are pronounced exactly like they sound. A-E-I-O-U
Introduce yourself:
Fiona: Alright, so let’s say I knock on my patient’s door and want to introduce myself by saying, “Good morning, my name is Dr. Axelsson.”
Kooner: And as a side note: we will repeat the phrases a couple of times so that we can all master the language.
Arreaza:
—[good morning] Buenos días
—[buenas tardes] Good afternoon
—[buenas noches] Good evening
—“Hola, Me llamo Fiona, estoy esperando al intérprete” [Hi, my name is Dr. Axelsson, I‘m waiting for the interpreter]
—Kooner: Note that doctor is for male and doctora is for female.
—Estoy aprendiendo español [I’m learning Spanish].
—Por favor, hable despacio [please speak slowly]
—¿Cómo se llama? [what is your name?]
Common courtesy words:
Fiona: Okay, now that we can say hello and let them know who we are and what we’re doing, can we go over a few pleasantries?
Gracias [thanks]
Por favor [please]
Mucho gusto [nice to meet you]
Igualmente [same to you]
Muy bien [okay]
Bueno [good]
Lo siento [excuse me, sorry] - Disculpe
Espere un momento [one moment]
Body parts:
Fiona: Alright, now let’s throw it back to grade school and go over body parts from head to toe, or in medical lingo, craniocaudal!
cabeza [head]
ojos [eyes]
nariz [nose]
boca [mouth]
oídos [ears]
pecho [chest]
corazón [heart] Spain
pulmones [lungs]
hombros [shoulders]
brazos [arms]
manos [hands]
dedos de las manos [fingers]
espalda [back]
estómago [abdomen]
pene [penis]
vagina [vagina]
ano or cola [anus]
caderas [hips]
piernas [legs]
rodillas [knees]-Argentina
dedos de los pies [toes].
People:
Kooner: Amazing! We are doing really well with this. I think I’ll be fluent by Friday.
Fiona: Speak for yourself, Dr., Kooner.
Kooner: Since we’re on a winning streak, let’s keep going and describe relationships in our lives.
Familia [family]
Yo soy [I am]
mamá [mom]
papá [dad]
hermano [brother]
hermana [sister]
hijo [son] – Mijo - niño
hija [daughter] – Mija - niña
niño [boy]
niña [girl]
esposo [husband]
esposa [wife]
abuelo [grandfather]
abuela [grandmother]
tío [uncle]
tía [aunt].
Kooner: ROS:
Fiona: So let’s run through a Review Of Systems, so that in an emergency, I can try to get as much information from my patient as I can, while waiting for the interpreter.
Dr. Arreaza: Have you read The Onion article about a medical student who obtains an entire history with just one Spanish word?
Fiona and Kooner: No, please tell us!
Dr. Arreaza: Dolor! [pain]
dolor de cabeza [headache]
sangrado [bleeding]
fiebre or calentura [fever]
escalofríos [chills]
ardor al orinar [burning with urination]
dolor de estómago [abdominal pain] – Kooner: Dolor de panza
hinchazón [swelling]
comezón [itching]
palpitaciones [palpitations]
mareos [dizziness or lightheadedness]
tos [cough]
sangre [blood]
Physical exam:
Kooner: Okay, so let’s say I want to examine a patient. How do I ask them to “please sit here.” Por favor, siéntese aquí.
respire profundo [take a deep breath]
respire normal [breath normally]
abra la boca [open your mouth]
saque la lengua [stick out your tongue]
¿puedo tocarle el estómago? [can I touch your abdomen]
¿duele? [does it hurt?]
Kooner: Miscellaneous:
pastillas [pills]
medicamentos [medications]
más o menos [more or less, so-so]
mejor [better]
peor [worse]
más [more]
menos [less]
un poquito [a little bit].
hasta luego [see you later]
adiós [bye]
¿tiene preguntas? [do you have any questions?]
salida [exit]
salud-dinero-amor [when you sneeze, health-money-love]
Position:
Fiona: Okay, so I think there’s an elephant in the room. And if there are any radiologists or surgeons listening, you probably think we forgot about these crucial words! Can you think of what it is?
Arreaza: Derecha, izquierda.
Yes! We saved the best for last. Left and right! So how do I say right?
Dr. Arreaza: Derecha.
Fiona: Okay and how do I say left?
Dr. Arreaza: Izquierda
Fiona: Oh geez, that’s a mouth full. Izzquierrrrda.
Other words:
aquí [here]
arriba [up]
abajo [down]
delante [front]
detrás [back]
Dr. Kooner: Well, that is a wrap on our Basic Medical Spanish Podcast, I hope you all enjoyed it.
Fiona: Well, I don’t know about our listeners, but I know I will listen to it on repeat until I am speaking Spanish in my sleep. Thank you for having me, Dr. Arreaza.
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Adrianne: Now you are ready to start practicing these few words. We hope this episode was helpful and enjoyable for you. This week we thank Fiona Axelsson, Gagan Kooner, and Hector Arreaza. Audio editing by Adrianne Silva… and during this special season, we wish you a FELIZ NAVIDAD!
Even without trying, every night you go to bed a little wiser. Thanks for listening to Rio Bravo qWeek Podcast. We want to hear from you, send us an email at RioBravoqWeek@clinicasierravista.org, or visit our website riobravofmrp.org/qweek. See you next week!
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- Royalty-free music used for this episode: The Wassail Song by Videvo, downloaded on December 17, 2022, from https://www.videvo.net/royalty-free-music-track/the-wassail-song/232491/.
