6 Essential Medical Spanish Verb Conjugations for Healthcare Workers in the USA

How to Manage the Most Frequently Used Verb Conjugations in Spanish for Healthcare Workers.

Verbs are are the glue that hold a language together and create meaning. A pure vocabulary-based subject/noun/adjective communication style is caveman speak, and you’re way too smart for that!

So, in this post we’re breaking down the 6 most common Spanish verb conjugations and verb tenses for everyday clinical settings. Of course there are more verb tenses in the Spanish language, but since your goal is not to be a Spanish linguist – you should probably focus on these first. Take a look below!

Get the full lesson notes here:

Spanish Verb Tense #1 – Present Tense:

Meaning: to describe everyday things that you are doing or do habitually.

Conjugations: stem of the verb + the conjugations below

Common Irregular verbs in the present tense:

Spanish Verb Tense #2 – Preterite Past Tense (simple past):

Meaning: this is the simple past tense used to describe completed actions in the past.

Uses: SPICY & SAFE Acronyms for Preterite Past tense

Irregular Preterite Past Tense Verbs in Spanish:

Spanish Verb Tense #3 – Imperfect Past Tense (continuous past):

Meaning: This is the past tense that often describes habitual actions in the past “used to” or an ongoing action in the past “was doing”.

Uses: See DUWIT Acronym here

Irregular Imperfect Past Tense Verbs in Spanish:

Ir = to go
Ser = to be (occupation, characteristics, origin/nationality, time)
Ver = to see

Spanish Verb Tense #4 – Present Perfect Tense:

Meaning: to “have done” something

Conjugation: Helping verb “haber” + the stem of the verb (everything but the ending) plus the conjugations below

Common Irregular Verbs in the Present Perfect Tense (same irregulars for Past Perfect Tense):

Spanish Verb Tense #5a – Imperative (Command) Tense for Usted:

Meaning: this is the command tense that you need to use with your adolescent and adult patients, used for quick instructions: “Do this”, “Don’t do that”, etc

Conjugation:

1. Go to the “yo” (of the present tense)
2. Drop the “o”
3. Add the opposite ending
   • AR > e
   • ER/IR > a

Common Irregular Verbs in the Usted Command Form:

Spanish Verb Tense #5b – Imperative (Command) Tense for Tú:

Meaning: this is the command tense that you need to use with your patients who are children (under 13 or 14 y/o), used for quick instructions: “Do this”, “Don’t do that”, etc

Conjugations: Tú commands are tricky because they use one form for the affirmative command, and a different form for the negative command.

Affirmative commands take the 3rd person singluar form of the present tense: ex. hablar > habla (él, ella, usted form of the verb). Negative commands take the tú form in the present subjunctive. Explained in different terms, it’s the usted command + “s”: ex. No Hablar > no hables

Common Irregular Verbs in the Tú Command Form:

Spanish Verb Tense #6 – Conditional Verbs (would):

Meaning: this is when you want to say you “would do” something in the moment. Ex. I would speak Spanish = Yo hablaría el español. 

Conjugations: This is verb tense conjugation is super easy; just keep the verb whole and add the conjugations at the end!

Common Irregular verbs in the Conditional Tense:

Keep up the good work speaking responsible Spanish to your patients! Check out our other books, classes & products to help you learn medical Spanish!

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