This Medical Spanish lesson focuses on learning how to use Medical Spanish conditional verbs during conversations with patients: Verbos condicionales en español médico para conversar con los pacientes. The conditional tense helps you sound more pleasant when giving instructions and making requests in Spanish.
In this medical Spanish lesson you will learn:
- When to use Medical Spanish conditional verbs in a clinical setting
- How to conjugate the conditional tense by starting with an infinitive verb and converting it into a conditional verb.
- Common uses of the Medical Spanish conditional verbs in the clinical setting
- Examples and practice of using conditional verbs with your patients
Here is the Medical Spanish lesson about Medical Spanish Conditional Verbs I taught to the Facebook group:
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During patient conversations, you may use conditional verbs to be a little more kind in your instructions or to offer a more relaxed way of communication.
Unos ejemplos de la condicional / Some Examples of Conditional Verbs
Here are some examples of Spanish conditional verbs used during patient conversations:
Spanish | English |
Esta fiebre podrÃa ser causada por un virus o una bacteria. | This fever could be caused by a virus or bacteria. |
Si la fiebre es causada por un virus, un antibiótico no ayudarÃa. | If the fever is caused by a virus, an antibiotic would not help. |
¿PodrÃa esperar aquà un momento, por favor? | Could you wait here for a moment, please? |
CirugÃa es una opción, pero me gustarÃa referirle al terapeuta fÃsico primero para ayudarle con unos ejercicios para fortalecer el hombro. | Surgery is an option, but I would like to refer you to the physical therapist first to help you with some exercises to strengthen the shoulder. |
Cuál preferirÃa usted, ¿la pastilla o un jarabe? | Which would you prefer, the pill or a syrup? |
Conjugación: 3 Tipos de verbos
In Spanish, infinitive verbs have three types of endings, it’s important for you to know how to conjugate them following the correct rule to get the proper tense verb you want to use:
Verbos -ar: | Verbos -er: | Verbos -ir: |
Examinar (To examine) Respirar (To breath) |
Comer (To eat) | Sufrir (To suffer) Vivir (To live) |
Note: I you might want to take a look to the following medical Spanish lessons in order to review present tense verb conjugations in Spanish:
- Regular Present Tense Verbs in Spanish For Healthcare Context
- Irregular Present Tense Verbs in Spanish for Healthcare Context
Likewise, if you want to master verb conjugations in past and present tenses, these online courses are made specifically for you:
El primer paso normal es… Quitar la terminación (-ar, -er, -ir)
By removing the verb ending, you obtain the stem of it and may add the right ending to get the tense you need to use:
Verbos -ar: | Verbos -er: | Verbos -ir: |
Examinar > Examin_ Respirar > Respir_ | Comer > Com_ Beber > Beb_ |
Sufrir > Sufr_ |
Pero la condicional no…
But, as you may know, Spanish is a little bit tricky so for using the conditional tense, you need to maintain the ending (-ar, -er, -ir) and adding a new one (-Ãa, -Ãas, -Ãamos, -Ãan)
Verbos -ar: | Verbos -er: | Verbos -ir: |
Examinar__ Respirar__ | Comer__ Beber__ | Sufrir__ Vivir__ |
Usamos la misma conjugación para todos los verbos / Use The Same Conjugation for All Verbs
- Yo…Ãa : Yo examinarÃa
- Tú…Ãas : Tú examinarÃas
- Él, Ella, Usted…Ãa : Él, Ella, Usted examinarÃa
- Nosotros…Ãamos : Nosotros examinarÃamos
Vosotros…Ãais : Vosotros examinarÃais- Ellos, Ellas, Ustedes…Ãan : Ellos, Ellas, Ustedes examinarÃan
Varios verbos irregulares / Irregular Verbs Using The Conditional
Irregular verbs also follow the -Ãa ending rule, but remember that their stem when conjugating are different from the original verb in infinitive.
If you’re familiar with the future tense in Spanish, you’ll recoginze these modified stems – they’re the same!
- Decir > dir__ : dirÃa / dirÃas /dirÃa / dirÃamos / dirÃan
- Hacer > har__ : harÃa / harÃas /harÃa/ harÃamos / harÃan
- Poder > podr__ : podrÃa / podrÃas /Â podrÃa / podrÃamos / podrÃan
- Poner > pondr__ : pondrÃa / pondrÃas /pondrÃa / pondrÃamos / pondrÃan
- Querer > querr__ : querrÃa / querrÃas /querrÃa / querrÃamos / querrÃan
- Saber > sabr__ : sabrÃa / sabrÃas /sabrÃa / sabrÃamos / sabrÃan
- Salir > saldr__ : saldrÃa / saldrÃas /saldrÃa / saldrÃamos / saldrÃan
- Tener > tendr__ : tendrÃa / tendrÃas /tendrÃa / tendrÃamos / tendrÃan
- Venir > vendr__ : vendrÃa / vendrÃas /vendrÃa / vendrÃamos / vendrÃan
Práctica / Time To Practice
- Usted ________ (poder) quitarse la ropa y ponerse esta bata.
- Usted podrÃa quitarse la ropa y ponerse esta bata.
- Yo ____________ (preferir) esperar una semana más antes de cambiar los medicamentos.
- Yo preferirÃa esperar una semana más antes de cambiar los medicamentos.
- ¿ __________ (tener) usted tiempo el lunes a las 9am?
- ¿ TendrÃa usted tiempo el lunes a las 9am?
- ¿ ___________ (gustar(le)) esperar aquà o regresar en 30 minutos?
- ¿Le gustarÃa esperar aquà o regresar en 30 minutos?
- Nosotros le ________ (dar) anestesia local, no general.
- Nosotros le darÃamos anestesia local, no general.
- Sin los medicamentos, la presión ___________ (estar) muy alta.
- Sin los medicamentos, la presión estarÃa muy alta.
Posibles usos comunes / Possible Common Uses
In the medical setting, when you patient is expected to follow your instructions, using the conditional may help you to transmit empathy and confidence, and also to create a relaxed environment to work with them.
1. I would prefer
- Yo preferirÃa ______ : Yo preferirÃa volver otro dÃa
2. Would you prefer?
- ¿PreferirÃa usted ______ ? : ¿PreferirÃa usted volver la próxima semana?
3. I would like
- Me gustarÃa ______ : Me gustarÃa seguir una dieta más sana
4. ¿Would you like…?
- ¿Le gustarÃa ______ ? : ¿Le gustarÃa comer carne o pollo?
5. I could…
- Yo podrÃa ______ : Yo podrÃa ir al doctor mañana
6. We could…
- Nosotros podrÃamos ______ :Â Nosotros podrÃamos cambiar nuestro estilo de vida
7. ¿Could you…?
- ¿PodrÃa usted ______ ? : ¿PodrÃa usted traer los resultados médicos el viernes?
Now it’s your turn! I packaged all of this vocabulary in Spanish into some flashcards for you to study.
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Keep up the good work speaking responsible Spanish to your patients!
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