16 I have a headache

Question 1

Me duele…

It hurts…

Me duele mucho la espalda.

My back really hurts.

Me siento…

I feel…

Me siento muy cansado.

I feel very tired.

Me pica…

It’s itchy…

Me pica la garganta.

My throat is itchy.

Me ha salido / Me han salido…

I’ve come out in…

Me ha salido un sarpullido.

I’ve come out in a rash.

No puedo…

I can’t…

No puedo doblar la pierna.

I can’t bend my leg.

pastillas

tablets

Tengo que tomar las pastillas dos veces al día.

I have to take tablets twice a day.

crema

cream

Tengo que ponerme la crema en la herida.

I have to apply cream on the wound.

Here’s a tip
In this unit we are back to the doctor’s surgery! This time we’ll focus on reviewing vocabulary to help you describe your symptoms and understand the doctor’s diagnosis.

Sometimes we want to emphasise that the pain is very intense, so we use the word “mucho” which means “a lot”. “Mucho” can go on its own or before a phrase. In the grammar unit of this lesson we will explain in detail how to use the word “mucho”.

Me duele mucho. (It hurts a lot.)
Me duele mucho la cabeza. (My head really hurts.)
“Muy” is another word that we use to emphasise a big quantity. We always put “muy” in front of an adjective, so for instance, if we are describing how we feel we can say “muy” in front of the adjective we’re feeling.

Estoy muy preocupada. (I am very worried.)
Me siento muy cansada. (I am very tired.)
When we have an allergic reaction, we say “me ha salido” if the word that follows is singular, like a bump: “un bulto”. If the word or words that follow is / are plural, we say “me han salido”. Let’s see some other phrases you might say:

Me han salido granos. (I’ve come out in spots.)
Me ha salido un bulto. (I’ve got a bump.)
Me han salido llagas. (I’ve got ulcers.)
When the doctor diagnoses the problem, they will often “recetar” (prescribe) a “tratamiento” (treatment). Treatments can either be oral like “pastillas” (tablets), “jarabes” (syrups) or local like “cremas” (creams). The verb we use for oral treatments is “tomar” (to take) and for local treatments we use “poner” (to put / apply). Lastly, the doctor will also recommend how often you should follow the treatment.

Le voy a recetar antibióticos, se tiene que tomar una pastilla dos veces al día cada doce horas y después de comer. (I am going to prescribe you some antibiotics. You need to take one tablet twice a day, every twelve hours and after meals.)
Le voy a recetar una crema, se la tiene que poner una vez al día. (I am going to prescribe you a cream which you need to apply once a day.)
Dialogue
doctora: ¿Qué le pasa?

doctora: What’s wrong with you?

Miguel: Me duele mucho la garganta, no puedo tragar y tengo fiebre.

Miguel: I have a very sore throat, I can’t swallow and I’ve got a temperature.

doctora: Abra la boca y diga “ahhh”.
doctora: Open your mouth and say “ahhh”.

Miguel: Ahhh.

doctora: Tiene la garganta muy inflamada y una infección.
doctora: You’ve got a very inflamed throat and an infection.

Miguel: ¿Es grave?

Miguel: Is it serious?

doctora: No, no se preocupe. Le voy a recetar antibióticos, se tiene que tomar una pastilla dos veces al día cada doce horas y después de comer. Sobre todo, es muy importante que termine el tratamiento.
doctora: No, don’t worry. I’m going to prescribe you antibiotics. You have to take one tablet twice a day, every twelve hours and after meals. It is very important that you finish the treatment.

Miguel: Muchas gracias, doctora.

Miguel: Thank you very much, doctor.

Answer 1

Me duele…