In this free Medical Spanish lesson, you will learn how to talk about smoking, vaping, and tobacco cessation in Spanish: Fumar, vapear y dejar de usar tabaco.
In this lesson you will learn:
- Tobacco-related vocabulary
- Tobacco risks for unborn babies
- Tobacco risks for babies and children
- Risk factors to start using tobacco
- Stop smoking / using tobacco
- Nicotine Replacement Therapies
- Other medications that do not use nicotine
- What are vaping and electronic cigarettes?
- Vaping risks in adolescents/young people
- The vaping attraction
If you have teens at home or work with teens, this is a topic that may interest you since vaping has become a really big deal in schools nowadays.
Vocabulario de tabaco
Fumar / To Smoke
- Cigarrillos – Cigarettes
- Cigarros – Cigars
- Cajetilla – Pack
Vapear / To Vape
- Cigarrillos electrónicos – E-cigarettes
- Bolígrafo / aparato – Vape pens / Vaping devices
- Depósito – Pod
- Líquido / “jugo” – Liquid / Juice
Mascar / To chew
- Tabaco de/para mascar – Tobacco for chewing
Otro Vocabulario / Another Vocabulary
- Humo – Smoke (the result of smoking)
- Humo de segunda mano – Secondhand smoke
- Humo ajeno – Other people’s smoke
- Nicotina – Nicotine
- Cancerígeno / Carcinógeno – Carcinogen
- Químicos – Chemicals
- Nocivo(s) – Harmful
- Antojos – Cravings
Riesgos del tabaco – Tobacco Risks
Riesgos de tabaco para bebés en útero – Risks of tobacco for babies in utero
Si una mamá usa tabaco o está expuesta al humo de tabaco ajeno puede causar:
If a mother uses tobacco or is exposed to secondhand smoke, it can cause:
| Spanish | English |
| Peso insuficiente (peso bajo) al nacer | Low birth weight |
| Restricción del crecimiento del bebé en útero | Restricted growth of the baby in the womb |
| Desprendimiento de la placenta | Placental abruption |
| Parto prematuro | Premature birth |
| Síndrome de muerte súbita del infante/lactante | Sudden Infant Death Syndrome |
| Daño neurocognitivo | Neurocognitive harm |
Note: despite the fact that it’s a long word, “desprendimiento” and the verb “desprender” is commonly used for Spanish speakers. It is good to use this word to talk about abruption.
Riesgos de tabaco para bebés y niños – Tobacco Risks for Babies and Children
El humo de tabaco ajeno (de segunda mano) en la casa también afecta a los bebés y niños. Puede causar:
Second-hand smoke (second-hand) at home also affects babies and children. It can cause:
| Spanish | English |
| Mayor riesgo de infecciones respiratorias | Greater risk of respiratory infections |
| Enfermedades de las vías respiratorias (asma) | Diseases of the airways (asthma) |
| Disminución permanente de la función pulmonar | Permanent decrease in lung function |
| Mayor probabilidad que su hijo(a) use tabaco en el futuro | Greater probability of your child using tobacco in the future |
Factores de riesgo para iniciar el uso de tabaco – Risk Factors to Start Tobacco Use
Las investigaciones dicen que es mas probable que su hijo(a) inicie usar tabaco si:
Studies say it is more probably your kids are going to start using tobacco if:
| Spanish | English |
| Sus padres, hermanos o amigos lo usan porque: | Their parents, siblings or friends use it because: |
| Pueden conseguir cigarrillos, etc fácilmente | They can get cigarettes, etc. easily |
| Se ha establecido el modelo de conducta | The behavior model has been established |
| El uso de tabaco se ve normal | The use of tobacco use seems normal |
| Ven muchas películas y programas de tele en que fumar es normal | They watch many movies and TV shows where smoking is normal |
| Padecen enfermedades mentales como: depresión, ansiedad y trastornos psiquiátricos | They suffer from mental illnesses such as: depression, anxiety, and psychiatric disorders |
Note: “Trastorno” is the proper word for any kind of disorder in the mental health context.
Dejar de fumar / usar tabaco – Stop Smoking / Using Tobacco
“Dejar de” is the proper verb for stop doing any vice (dejar de fumar, dejar de beber, etc.)
- ¿Le gustaría hablar más sobre cómo puede dejar de fumar? – Would you like to talk more about how you can stop smoking?
- ¿Le gustaría alguna ayuda con dejar de fumar? – Would you like some help with quitting smoking?
- ¿Cómo le puedo ayudar a dejar de usar tabaco? – How can I help you stop using tobacco?
Terapias de reemplazo de nicotina – Nicotine Replacement Therapies
Hay varias opciones para dejar de fumar / usar tabaco poco a poco – There is a lot of options for quitting smoking little by little
No hay que dejar de fumar “de golpe”. Puede dejar la nicotina poco a poco – Do not stop smoking “cold turkey”. You can leave nicotine little by little
Algunos métodos requieren receta médica, otros no. Unas opciones son:
Some methods require a prescription, others do not. Some options are:
De venta libre – Over the counter:
Any kind of medicine or therapy that do not need a prescription, is “de venta libre”
- Parches de nicotina (8 semanas de tratamiento) – Nicotine patches (8-week treatment)
- Chicle de nicotina (8-12 semanas de tratamiento) – Nicotine gum
- Pastillas de nicotina (12 semanas de tratamiento) – Nicotine lozenge
Con receta médica – With Prescription:
- Spray / aerosol nasal (3-6 meses de tratamiento) – Nasal spray
- Inhalador de nicotina (3-6 meses de tratamiento) – Nicotine inhaler
Otras medicaciones que no usan nicotina – Other Medications that Do Not Use Nicotine
Los medicamentos que no reemplazan la nicotina en su cuerpo trabajan para reducir los antojos que tiene para usar tabaco:
Medications that do not replace nicotine in your body work to reduce cravings for tobacco use:
- Tabletas Zyban: Tratamiento dura 7-1 semanas
- Tabletas Chantix: Tratamiento dura 12 semanas
Note: Anytime you are talking about “lasts” or “takes” as far as time, the Spanish word is “dura”: “El tratamiento dura 5 semanas” means “treatment lasts 5 weeks”.
¿Qué es vapear y cigarrillos electrónicos? – What is Vaping and E-Cigarettes?
Vapear y usar cigarrillos electrónicos es una tendencia creciente en los adolescentes.
Vaping and using e-cigarettes is a growing trend in teenagers.
Inicialmente los cigarrillos electrónicos servían para ayudar a adultos a dejar de fumar cigarrillos tradicionales.
Initially, e-cigarettes were to help adults stop smoking traditional cigarettes.
Ahora vemos una tendencia para adolescentes iniciar el uso de nicotina con cigarrillos electrónicos.
Now we see a tendency for teens to start using nicotine with e-cigarettes.
Los riesgos de vapear en adolescentes/jóvenes – The Risks of Vaping in Adolescents / Youth
Vapear es peligroso porque – Vaping is dangerous because:
| Spanish | English |
| Los niveles de nicotina son muy altos. (ej. un depósito de líquido “jugo” contiene la misma nicotina que una cajetilla de cigarrillos) | Nicotine levels are very high. (a pod of liquid “juice” contains the same amount of nicotine as a pack of cigarettes) |
| Los jóvenes son más susceptibles a adicciones porque sus cerebros todavía se están desarrollando | Young people are more susceptible to addictions because their brains are still developing |
| Afecta la habilidad de concentrarse | It affects the ability to concentrate |
| Los “jugos” contienen químicos cancerígenos | The “juices” contain carcinogenic chemicals |
| Causa enfermedad pulmonar | It causes lung disease |
| Cada vez es más común mezclar THC (marihuana) en los líquidos también | It is increasingly common to mix THC (marijuana) in liquids too |
La atracción de vapear – The Attraction of Vaping
Algunos están diciendo que vapear es menos nocivo que fumar cigarrillos, pero…
Some are saying that vaping is less harmful than smoking cigarettes, but …
- Unos estudios nuevos demuestran que vapear es una “droga de iniciación” / “una entrada” para fumar cigarrillos y posiblemente usar marihuana.
- New studies show that vaping is a getaway for smoking cigarettes and possibly using marijuana.
Todo el sistema de vapear es más atractivo (más aceptable socialmente) que cigarrillos porque:
The whole system of vaping is more attractive (more socially acceptable) than cigarettes because:
- Los aromas no son feos / son frutales – Vaping smoke is fruity
- Los sabores son dulces – The flavors are sweet
- Los aparatos parecen como tech actual – The devices themselves look like up-to-date tech
Su tarea – Your Homework 🙂
- Review the notes & vocabulary
- Identify additional points and topics to discuss with patients
- Remember to keep it simple
- Ask for help in the comments below
- Give it a try with your patients!
Now it’s your turn! I packaged all of this vocabulary in Spanish into some flashcards for you to study.
I packaged all of this into easily downloadable .pdf notes–Get your copy for free today!
Free Medical Spanish Terminology Test
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