Spanish
Grade 9
15 min
En la Consulta del Médico (At the Doctor's Office): Doctor-Patient Dialogue
Learn vocabulary related to visiting the doctor and practice role-playing a doctor-patient dialogue.
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Introduction & Learning Objectives
Learning Objectives
Describe common symptoms and pains using phrases like 'tener + síntoma' and the verb 'doler'.
Understand and respond to a doctor's questions about their health and medical history.
Correctly apply the present subjunctive mood to comprehend and formulate medical recommendations (e.g., 'El doctor recomienda que...').
Recognize and use formal 'usted' commands for giving and receiving instructions in a clinical setting.
Ask clarifying questions about a diagnosis, treatment, or prescription.
Construct and perform a basic doctor-patient dialogue from greeting to farewell.
Feeling under the weather? 🤧 Imagine you're traveling in a Spanish-speaking country and need to see a doctor. Could you explain your symptoms...
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Key Concepts & Vocabulary
TermDefinitionExample
Los SíntomasThe physical or mental signs that indicate a possible illness or injury. These are what the patient describes to the doctor.Tengo fiebre, tos y dolor de garganta. (I have a fever, a cough, and a sore throat.)
El Verbo 'Doler' (o:ue)A verb used to express aches and pains. It functions like 'gustar', where the body part that hurts is the subject of the verb.Me duele la cabeza. (My head hurts.) / A Juan le duelen los pies. (Juan's feet hurt.)
El DiagnósticoThe identification of an illness or medical condition made by a doctor after an examination.El diagnóstico es una gripe. (The diagnosis is the flu.)
La RecetaA prescription; the doctor's written order for medicine or treatment.Aquí tiene la receta para los antibióticos. (Here...
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Grammar Rules & Patterns
Using 'Doler' for Aches and Pains
Indirect Object Pronoun (me, te, le, nos, os, les) + duele/duelen + [body part]
Use 'duele' for a single body part and 'duelen' for multiple body parts. The person experiencing the pain is indicated by the indirect object pronoun. This structure is essential for accurately describing where you feel pain.
Forming Formal (Usted/Ustedes) Commands
1. Start with the 'yo' form of the present indicative. 2. Drop the '-o'. 3. Add the opposite vowel ending: '-e(n)' for -ar verbs, '-a(n)' for -er/-ir verbs.
Doctors use formal commands to give patients instructions during an exam or for treatment. For example, 'hablar' -> 'hablo' -> 'habl-' -> &...
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Challenging
A patient has a bacterial infection. Which option best synthesizes a doctor's complete instruction, using a formal command for an immediate action and a subjunctive recommendation for the full course of treatment?
A.Tome esta primera pastilla ahora, y es vital que terminas todos los antibióticos.
B.Tome esta primera pastilla ahora, y es vital que termine todos los antibióticos.
C.Toma esta primera pastilla ahora, y es vital que termine todos los antibióticos.
D.Tomes esta primera pastilla ahora, y es vital que termina todos los antibióticos.
Challenging
Evaluate this dialogue and identify the primary grammatical error based on the tutorial's rules for a formal clinical setting: Doctor: '¿Qué le pasa?' Paciente: 'Me duelen la cabeza.' Doctor: 'Entiendo. Abre la boca. Recomiendo que descansas.'
A.The doctor's question '¿Qué le pasa?' is incorrect.
B.The patient's phrase 'Me duelen la cabeza' has a subject-verb agreement error.
C.The doctor's recommendation 'Recomiendo que descansas' uses the indicative instead of the subjunctive.
D.The doctor's command 'Abre la boca' and subjunctive recommendation 'descansas' are informal 'tú' forms, which is inappropriate.
Challenging
The doctor has prescribed a medication that might cause drowsiness. The patient wants to express a hope that it doesn't affect their ability to work. Which response correctly uses the subjunctive to express this hope?
A.Espero que la medicina no me afecte en el trabajo.
B.Espero que la medicina no me afecta en el trabajo.
C.Yo espero y la medicina no me afecta en el trabajo.
D.La medicina, espero, no me afectará en el trabajo.
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