A
man who knows two languages is worth two men.—French proverb
In keeping with my high school Spanish teacher’s,
Mr. Jondee’s, advice, I continue to write down Spanish words or phrases I come across in conversation, books, TV, etc,
that I don’t know or understand. Then I look up their meaning and every now and
again, I try to peruse the list to remind myself and remember. As the years grow longer, so do the lists! Of
course, as an ophthalmologist, I make sure to write down any medical expression
in Spanish I’m not familiar with, but during this process I don’t limit myself
to medical terms. You may be asking yourself, particularly if you are a health
care provider with Spanish-speaking patients: Why should I bother learning vocabulary beyond medical terminology?
What does, for example, the word columpio
– a playground swing – have anything to do with heath care? Well, it doesn’t. But it may be important to know that word
if a child is brought into the ophthalmologist’s office with a gash on her
brow. When you ask how she got it, her mother may tell you, “Ella estaba
jugando y la golpeó el columpio”. If you
have dedicated yourself to learning a language or expanding knowledge of a
language due to patients you work with, don’t limit yourself to memorizing only
specialty-based vocabulary. You need to
know words of expression. You need to know words of the objects in your
environment. Particularly as a doctor,
you need to move beyond the basic, “¿Qué le duele?” or “Tome dos tabletas y llámame por la mañana.” Although
this list (and it is only a fraction of the words I have written down over the
years!) may seem overwhelming at first glance, don’t subscribe to the “I’ll
memorize only what I need to know” mentality. Never stop learning – your patients
will appreciate your efforts toward better communication.
I made a Spanish language folder on my hard drive
dedicated to this vocabulary. I made a page in my iPhone notepad. Sometimes,
when I don’t have access to my phone or my computer, I just scribble the words
on little pieces of paper- whatever I can get my hands on at the time- so I don’t
forget the word! So, my house, desk, and car all have a light layer of this “Spanish
confetti” at any given time. Sometimes I
look upon this confetti as a sign of progress and think to myself: look at how much vocabulary I know!
Sometimes it frustrates me: I’ve studied
Spanish for 30 years and LOOK how much I don’t know! But moving forward is all we can
do. In keeping with that philosophy, I’m dedicating today’s blog entry to vocabulary
lists. Occasionally over the course of the blog, I will introduce new lists. I’m thinking it may give you a head start on
yours, or at least help you tackle some of your Spanish confetti.
Me atendió la última vez. You helped (attended to) me the last time.
Está
relacionado con... It is
related to... (as in linked to or connected to)
¿Qué
parentesco hay con-? What is the
relationship-? (ie blood line, genetic/family background)?
Los conservadores conservatives;
(I have seen used for condoms, too)
Los
preservativos preservatives,
(I have seen this used for condoms as well)
El encargo assignment, job
(alt. por encargo de – at the request of)
El expediente record, file (ie el expediente
administrativo – administrative record)
Se le
enganchó he was
hooked (as in, captivated, interested)
*don’t confuse enganchar (to hook) with engañar (to deceive)
Deberían haberlo hecho they should have done it
Aprobar to
approve
Hay que ver must
see, should see , lit. there is to see
El
tiroteo gunfire;
shooting
El tropiezo stumble; stumbling
block; trip
Albergar to shelter,
to refuge
Los vejetales
salteados stir-fry vegetables
El jengibre ginger
Un
ingreso fijo fixed
income
Hablantes speakers
Los
encargados the
managers
El concejo council
El consejo advice
Actuar to perform
Cautela caution
Los emprendedores the entrepreneurs
Un hallazgo a finding
Ronquido snore (noun)
Cifra number,
figure
Vincular to link (ie
link stories or ideas)
El
peor de los casos worse comes
to worse
Tacón heel (of a
shoe) tacones altos-high heels
Con
el dedo de pie destapado open toe (use
with zapato)
Suplicar to appeal to
Aplacar to
appease
Tener
ganas de to have a
yearning for, desire to...
Calzado
con tirantes footwear with
straps
Silvestres wild
Ahondar to delve
(deeper)
Desdicha misfortune;
misery
Aplastar to crush
Eje axis,like
visual axis
Sanidad health
Vinculado linked
Difundir to spread; disseminate
Brindar to
offer; provide
Encajar to
fit
Encajar
con perfección to
fit perfectly
Zarpar to set sail
Un naúfrago a castaway
Rehusarse to refuse
Desgaste wear and tear
Demacración emaciation
Abejorro bumblebee
Delito crime
Conseguir to get, obtain
Soler to usually
do
Agredir to
insult, to attack
Entramado
de alambres mesh of
wires
Prometadora promising
Se ha
convertido has become
Verja gate
Ordenador computer
Resbalar
to slip;
to slide off
una
pista a
clue, a track
La procedencia origin
Un tiro shot (from
a bullet)
Un
balazo gunshot
Cefalea headache
Cuando
menos lo esperamos when we
least expect it
Al
pasar por un período difícil when
going through a difficult period
El
meollo del asunto es... the
bottom line is...
Lo
que mal empieza, mala acaba What
begins badly ends badly (Euripídes)
¡Ni a
palos! No
way!
Rejilla
de amsler Amsler
grid
Perjudicado injured;
handicapped
Holgada loose
Nueces
(nueces picadas) nuts
(chopped nuts)
Historial
clínico; registro médico medical record
Hoja clínica;
récord médico;
Expediente
médico medical
chart
Calzar/calzando to
wear (shoes); wearing
Obrar
recíprocamente to
interact
Entreacto intermission;
interval
La
carpeta a
folder
El
lista a
list
Juntar to
piece together
Pegar to glue; to paste
Conocimiento-
familiaridad knowledge- familiarity
Esperar;
suponer; aguardar to
expect
Exhaustivo;
a fondo exhaustive;
in-depth
Frustrada frustrated
Sonidos;
ruidos sounds;
noises
Significación;
sentido meaning
Nunca
me los han de vuelto they
never returned it to me
Cobrar to
charge; to recover it
Ingresar
universidad to
matriculate in university
Conseguir
un trabajo to
get a job
El
primer puesto first
prize
Logro achievement
Tiza chalk
A
ahora nos toca a nosotros Now
it’s our turn
Costearse to
afford
Labor
social social
work
Troglodita cave
dweller
Un
nudo en la garganta lump
in the throat
Al
borde de la muerte at
the brink of death
Garrote a
club; a stick
Una
bola de.... a
bunch of...
Piscinazo to
take a dive (fake hurt in game)
Comprobar
(compruebas) to check
(ie. checking the eye pressure)
Comprometidos committed
(to)...
Apuntarse to
sign up (me apunto: I’m in!)
Dar
de baja unsubsribe
Montura
de gafas eyeglass
frame
Ventas sales
(ie. increase sales)
Remos oars
Balseros rafters
(people who ride a raft)
Multas fines; tickets
(ie traffic ticket)
Ganga bargain
Planta
cara confronts
Plato;
platillo dish(as
in, a food specialty)
Sampedrana St. Peter (from San
Pedro)
Hacerse to
gain; to become
Tiene
que ver has to
do with
Becas scholarship
Pasantías internship
Destacar to stand out;
to distinguish
Lanzar to
spearhead; to start
Apretar
(aprieta) to tighten
(tight)
Realizar to
accomplish; to perform
Alcanzar to reach; to attain
Medioambiente environment
No
obstante however
Sin
embargo however
De
ninguna manera no way; by
no means
Ceñida tight;
girded; clining
Hay
que mirarla to
have a look at
Volcar(se) to overthrow,
fall over oneself
Los colirios eyedrops
Sobresalir to excel; to
shine
Pulgada
de altura an inch high
El
grosor del trazo stroke
(as in brush stroke)
Administrar to manage
Creador(a) creator
Acobardar(se) to be daunted by
Borrador draft
Modismo idiom
Caracol snail
Penumbra semi-darkness
Delito crime
Soez filthiness;
badness
Abordaje an approach; a
collision
Te
escuecen they
sting you (eyes)
El
foro the
forum
El
liguero the
garter belt
desamparados helpless; homeless
caseta
de billete(de metro) ticket-booth
taquilla ticket-booth
que
hacer que that
make; cause that
emocionante exciting
entregar to submit;
to hand in
pulir to
polish (as in polish up a draft)
esmerar(se) to strive; to do
your best
notar to
notice; to note
el
reto the
challenge
destrezas skills;
dexterity
empeño determination
predicar to preach
predecir to predict
notablemente noticeably; greatly; sharply
facilidades ability to learn
to do something; facilities; aptitude
propiedades properties
la
policía the
police
sugerencia suggestion
impulsar to drive (as
in, push something/idea forward)
espesor thick
llevarse
a cabo carry out
tratar(se) to try (to
treat)
¿por
qué hay que operar? why operate?
constatar to confirm; to verify; to prove
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| Courtesy: Inside-CRM Death of the Sticky Note |
