There will be times when you will need to advise patients on additional directions, beyond those you learned in the previous lesson. The following sections will teach you the expressions you need to know in order to do this successfully.
1a. Omitir Las Dosis (Skipping Doses)
When informing patients on what to do if they skip a dose, you can use the following expressions.
| English | Spanish | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| If you skip a dose... | Si usted omite una dosis... | see oo-staid oh-mee-tay oo-nah doe-sees… |
| ...take it as soon as you remember. | ...tómela en cuanto se acuerde. | …toe-may-lo ain k'wann-toe say ah-k'wair-day |
| ...wait until the next dose. | ...espere hasta la siguiente dosis. | …ace-pair-ay ah-stah la see-gain-tay doe-sees |
| …don't take an extra dose. | …no tome una dosis extra. | …no toe-may oo-nah doe-sees ace-trah |
1b. Almacenamiento (Storage)
When informing patients on how to properly store their medication, you can use the following expressions.
| English | Spanish | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Store this medicine... | Almacene (used) esta medicina.... | all-ma-say-nay (oo-staid) ace-tah may-dee-see-nah |
| ...at room temperature | ...al tiempo | …all tee-aim-poe |
| ...in the refrigerator | ...en el refrigerador | …ain ale ray-free-hair-ah-door |
| ...out of direct sunlight | ...fuera de la luz del sol | …f'wair-ah day la loose dale soul |
| ...out of the reach of children | ...fuera del alcance de los niños | …f'wair-ah dale all-kahn-say day lohs neen-yohs |
| ...away from heat | ...lejos de altas temperaturas | …lay-hohs day all-tahs tame-pair-ah-too-rahs |
| ...in a dry place | ...en un sitio seco | …ain oon see-tee-oh say-koh |
| …in a cool place | …en un sitio fresco | …ain oon see-tee-oh frace-koh |
| Keep in original container… | Conserve en su envase original… | cone-s'air-bay ain sue ain-bah-say oh-ree-he-nall |
| …to prevent loss of… | …para evitar que pierda su... | …pa-rah ay-bee-tar kay pee-air-dah sue… |
| ...potency | ...potencia | ... poe-tain-see-ya |
1c. Otras Direcciones (Other Directions)
The following chart presents vocabulary for some additional instructions that you may need to give patients relating to their medication.
| English | Spanish | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Apply | Aplique | ah-plee-kay |
| Apply externally. | Aplique externamente. | ah-plee-kay ace-tair-nah-main-tay |
| Apply to affected areas. | Aplique en las areas afectadas. | ah-plee-kay ain lahs ah-ray-ahs ah-fake-tah-dahs |
| Apply to skin. | Aplique sobre la piel. | ah-plee-kay so-bray la pee-ale |
| Apply to wound. | Aplique a la herida. | ah-plee-kay ah la ay-ree-dah |
| Insert | Inserte | een-sair-tay |
| Instill | Échese | ay-chay-say |
| Inject (#) subcutaneously. | Inyecte (#)unidades debajo de la piel. | een-yake-tay (#) oo-nee-dah-dace day-bah-ho day la pee-ale |
| Put | Póngase | poan-gah-say |
| Place (locate) | Coloque | ko-low-kay |
| Chew | Mastique | mahs-tee-kay |
| Massage into… | Aplique con masaje... | ah-plee-kay cone mah-sah-hay |
| Rub into… | Friccione… | freak-see-own-ay |
| Take two puffs. | Inspire dos aires. | een-spee-raydohs eye-race |
| Spray… | Rocie… | row-see-ay |
| Sprinkle powder… | Rocie el polvo… | row-see-ay ale pole-bow |
| Swallow | Trague | trah-gay |
| Swallow it (them) whole. | Tráguela(s) entera(s). | trah-gay-lah(s) ain-tay-rah(s) |
| Gargle | Haga gárgaras | ah-gah garr-gah-rahs |
| Swish | Agite | ah-he-tay |
| Spit | Escupa | ay-scoop-ah |
| Expectorate | Expectore | ace-pake-toe-ray |
| Put it under your tongue. | Póngala debajo de la lengua. | poan-gah-la day-ba-ho day la lane-goo-ah |
| Start | Empiece | aim-pee-ay-say |
| Dilute in water. | Diluya en agua. | dee-loo-yah ain ah-g'wah |
| Dissolve | Disuelva | dee-swell-bah |
| Discontinue use. | Pare de tomar. | pa-ray day toe-marr |
| Shake well before using. | Agite bien antes de usar. | ah-he-tay bee-ain ahn-tace day oo-sahr |
| Close tightly after each use. | Cierre bien después de cada uso. | see-air-ay bee-ain dace-p'wace day kah-dah oo-so |
| Clean | Límpiese | leem-pee-ay-say |
| Dry | Séquese | say-kay-say |
| Cover | Cubra | koo-brah |
| Tilt your head to the side. | Incline la cabeza al lado. | een-klee-nay lah kah-bay-sah ahl lah-doe |
| Apply as necessary for skin irritation. | Aplique como sea necesario para tratar el irritamiento de la piel. | ah-plee-kay koh-moh say-ah nay-say-sah-ree-oh pah-rah trah-tar ale ee-ree-tah-mee-ain-toe day la pee-ale |
| Apply after showering to clean skin. | Aplique en la piel limpia después de ducharse. | ah-plee-kay ain la pee-ale leem-pee-ah dace-p’wayce day doo-char-say |
| Apply to bottom of foot and between toes. | Aplique a la planta del pie y entre los dedos del pie. | ah-plee-kay ah la plahn-tah dale pee-ay ee ain-tray lohs day-dohs dale pee-ay |
| Not to exceed six tablets in 24 hours. | No exceda de seis tabletas en veinticuatro horas. | no ay-say-dah day sace tah-blay-tahs ain bain-tee-k’wah-troh oh-rahs |
1d. Otras Descripciones (Other Descriptions)
The following chart presents some language for additional descriptions that you may need to give.
| English | Spanish | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| left | izquierdo/a | ee-ski-air-doe / ah |
| right | derecho/a | day-ray-choe / ah |
| both | ambos(as) / los(as) dos | ahm-bohs / lohs dohs |
| each | cada | kah-dah |
| liberally | libremente | lee-bray-main-tay |
| sparingly | una pequeña cantidad | oo-nah pay-cane-yah kahn-tee-dod |
| lightly | ligeramente | lee-hair-ah-main-tay |
1e. Other Warnings (Otras Advertencias)
The following table presents some additional warnings you may need to give patients about certain medications.
| English | Spanish | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Avoid alcohol while taking this medicine. | Evite usted el alcohol mientras que toma esta medicina. | ay-bee-tay oo-staid ale all-koh-ole me-ain-trahs kay toe-ma ace-tah may-dee-see-nah |
| Don’t drive while taking this medicine. | No conduzca mientras que toma esta medicina. | no cone-doose-kah me-ain-trahs kay toe-ma ace-tah may-dee-see-nah |
| Don’t take aspirin without your doctor knowing it. | No tome aspirina sin saberlo su doctor. | no toe-may ahs-pee-ree-nah seen sah-bare-lo su doke-tore |
| Avoid milk, antacids, and iron one hour before taking this medicine. | No tome leche, antiácido, o hierro dentro de una hora de tomar esta medicina. | no toe-may lay-chay, ahn-tee-ah-see-doe oh yair-oh dane-troh day oo-nah oh-rah day toe-marace-tah may-dee-see-nah |
| Avoid the sun while taking this medicine. | Evite usted el sol mientras que está tomando esta medicina. | ay-bee-tay oo-staid ale soul me-ain-trahs kay ace-tah toe-mahn-doe ace-tah may-dee-see-nah |
| Do not take this medicine if you are pregnant. | No tome esta medicina si está embarazada. | no toe-may ace-tah may-dee-see-nah see ace-tah aim-bar-ah-sah-dah |
| External use only. | Sólo para uso externo. | so-lo pah-rah oo-so ace-tair-no. |
| Stop taking the medicine if… | Deje de tomar el medicamento si… | day-hay day toe-mar ale may-dee-kah-main-toe see… |
| Don’t use after this date: ____ | No use después de esta fecha: ____ | no oo-say dace-p'wace day ace-tah fay-chah: ____ |
| Don’t take this medicine at the same time as other medicines. | No tome este medicamento al mismo tiempo con otros medicamentos. | no toe-may ace-tay may-dee-kah-main-toe…all mees-mo tee-aim-poe cone oh-trohs…may-dee-kah-main-tohs |
| Do not take this medication if you cannot afford to take the other medication. Inform your doctor. | No tome esta medicina si no puede comprar la otra. Consulte con su doctor. | no toe-may ay-stah may-dee-see-nah see no p’way-day comb-prar la oh-trah. cone-sool-tay cone sue doak-tore |
| It is important to take this medication everyday even if you do not feel that you need it. | Es muy importante tomar esta medicina todos los días aún si se siente que no la necesite. | ace moo-ee eem-pour-tahn-tay toe-mar ace-tah may-dee-see-nah toe-dohs lohs dee-ahs ah-oon see say see-ain-tay kay no la nay-say-see-tay |
| Do not take acetaminophen while taking this medication. | No tome el acetaminofén mientras que toma esta medicina. | no toe-may ale ah-say-tah-me-no-fane me-ain-trahs que toe-mah ace-tah may-dee-see-nah |
| Do not drink grapefruit juice with this medication. | No tome jugo de toronja con esta medicina. | no toe-may who-go day toe-roan-ha cone ace-tah may-dee-see-nah |
| It is very dangerous to consume alcohol while taking acetaminophen / Tylenol. | Es muy peligroso tomar el alcohol mientras que toma el acetaminofén / el Tylenol. | ace moo-ee pay-lee-gro-so toe-mar ale all-ko-ole me-ain-trahs que toe-mah ale ah-say-tah-me-no-fane / ale tee-lay-nole |
| If you are taking or plan to take any herb, discuss this first with your pharmacist in order to avoid any drug interaction. | Si está tomando o tiene planes de tomar alguna hierba, consulte de antemano con su farmacéutico para evitar interacciones adversas con su medicina. | see ace-tah toe-mahn-doe oh tee-ay-nay plah-nace day toe-mar all-goo-nah yair-bah, cone-sool-tay day ahn-tay-ma-no cone sue far-ma-say-oo-tee-koh pah-rah ay-be-tar een-tare-ahk-see-own-ace ahd-bare-sahs cone sue may-dee-see-nah |
| Do not share prescription medications with anyone. | No comparte medicinas que requieren una receta con nadie. | no comb-par-tay may-dee-see-nahs kay ray-key-air-ane oo-nah ray-say-tah cone nah-dee-ay |
| Consult with your physician if you have any outbreak of the skin. | Consulte con su doctor si tenga una erupción de la piel. | cone-sool-tay- cone su doak-tore see tain-gah oo-nah ay-roop-see-own day la pee-ale |
| Do not give cold medications / decongestants to infants. | No les dé medicamentos para resfriados / descongestionantes a los infantes / a los bebés. | no lace day may-dee-kah-main-tohs pah-rah race-free-ah-dohs / dace-cone-hay-stee-oh-nahn-tace a lohs een-fahn-tace / a lohs bay-bace |
| Test your blood sugar multiple times per day. | Analice el nivel de azúcar en su sangre varias veces por día. | ah-nah-lee-say ale nee-bale day ah-soo-car ain sue sahn-gray bah-ree-ahs bay-sace pour dee-ah |
The following chart presents an example of what a medication's instructions for use might say, and how you can communicate those to a patient in Spanish.
| English | Spanish | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Take one tablet | Tome una tableta | toe-may oo-nah tah-blay-tah |
| …three times a day | …tres veces al día | …trace base-ace all dee-ah |
| …for seven days | …por siete días | …pour see-ay-tay dee-ahs |
| …until gone. | …hasta que no hay más. | …ah-stah kay no eye mahs |
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| Take two tablets | Tome dos tabletas | toe-may dohs tah-blay-tahs |
| …two times a day | …dos veces al día | …dohs base-ace all dee-ah |
| …with food | …con alimento | …cone ah-lee-main-toe |
| …for seven days | …por siete días | …pour see-ay-tay dee-ahs |
| …in each month. | …de cada mes. | …day kah-dah mace |
| …Skip three months. | …No las tome por tres meses. | …no lahs toe-may pour trace mace-ace |
| …Repeat. | …Repita. | …ray-pee-tah |
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| Apply to the affected area | Aplique en el área afectada | ah-plee-kay ain ale ah-ray-ah ah-fake-tah-dah |
| …leave on for 10 minutes, | …deje por diez minutos, | …day-hay pour dee-ace mee-noo-tohs |
| …then wash off with water. | …y luego lave con agua. | …ee loo-ay-go la-bay cone ah-g’wah |
| …Repeat every day for seven days. | …Repita el proceso cada día, por siete días. | …ray-pee-tah ale pro-say-so kah-dah dee-ah, pour see-ay-tay dee-ahs |
The following videos provide examples of conversations you may have with patients regarding additional instructions for and information about their prescriptions.
If you are struggling with a concept or terminology in the course, you may contact PharmacySpanishSupport@capella.edu for assistance.
If you are having technical issues, please contact learningcoach@sophia.org.
Source: This content has been adapted from "Pharmacy Spanish" by Stephanie Langston.
