Key points about describing illnesses
Imperatives are used to give commands, orders and instructions and can be used when discussing medical advice.
The Word used to describe an action, state of being or an occurrence.tener (to have) is used to describe health complaints and injuries.
This guide contains a reading activity.
Vocabulary – Describing health problems
Useful nouns include:
| Spanish | English | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| el accidente | accident | el/la enfermero/a | nurse |
| el cerebro | brain | la farmacia | pharmacy |
| el dentista | dentist | el hospital | hospital |
| el corazón | heart | la medicina | medicine |
| el cuerpo | body | el médico/la médica | doctor |
| la enfermedad | illness, disease | el pie | foot |
For example:
Necesito ver al médico. – I need to see the doctor.
Tiene un problema con su corazón. – He has a problem with his heart.
Hay la posibilidad de muchas enfermedades diferentes. – There’s the possibility of lots of different illnesses.
El enfermero me ayudó mucho y me cuidó. – The (male) nurse helped me a lot and looked after me.
Tuve mucho miedo después del accidente. – I was very scared after the accident.
Grammar – How to use imperatives
Imperatives are used to give commands, orders and instructions. Examples of the imperative in English include:
'Eat healthily!'
'Calm down!'
Forming the positive imperative in the ‘tú’ form of regular verbs
Use the tú form of the imperative when talking to one person informally.
To form the positive (affirmative) imperative for the tú form of regular verbs, take the s off the tú form of the present tense.
For example:
hablas (you speak) → ¡Habla! (Speak!)
tratas (you try) → ¡Trata! (Try!)
comes (you eat) → ¡Come! (Eat!)
Forming the positive imperative in the ‘tú’ form of irregular verbs
Many high frequency verbs have irregular imperatives in the tú form:
| Infinitive | Imperative |
|---|---|
| decir (to say) | ¡Di! (say) |
| hacer (to make/do) | ¡Haz! (do, make) |
| ser (to be) | ¡Sé! (be) |
| tener (to have) | ¡Ten! (have) |
| ir (to go) | ¡Ve! (go) |
| poner (to put) | ¡Pon! (put) |
For example:
¡Haz más ejercicio! - Do more exercise!
¡Sé sano! - Be healthy!
¡Ten cuidado! - Be careful!
¡Ven aquí! - Come here!
Remember
Add an upside-down exclamation mark at the beginning of the command and another regular exclamation mark at the end. For example:
¡Pon el cuchillo en la mesa! - Put the knife on the table!
Imperatives – Mini quiz
Complete the following sentences in Spanish using the tú (you singular informal) form.
¡ _____ sano!
Eat healthily!
comer = to eat
¡Come sano!
Comer is a regular er verb.
To form the imperative, take off the s of the tú form of the verb.
¡ _____ de descansar!
Try to rest!
tratar = to try
¡Trata de descansar!
Tratar is a regular ar verb.
To form the imperative, take off the s of the tú form of the verb.
¡ _____ más ejercicio!
Do more exercise!
hacer = to do
¡Haz más ejercicio!
Hacer is an irregular verb.
The imperative, is ‘haz’ in the tú form.
Find out more about using the imperative in the Imperatives in Spanish guide
Reading practice
Read the about preventing illnesses and answer the questions below.
Muchos médicos dicen que la gente pide cita para verlos porque les duele la cabeza, pero el consejo de los médicos es que, si tienes dolor de cabeza, vayas primero a la farmacia.
Se puede obtener consejos en la red, pero es importante utilizar páginas web oficiales.
Hay muchas enfermedades que podemos prevenir* ahora.
Si te duele un diente, debes pedir cita para ver al dentista, pero recuerda también, ¡deja de comer tanto azúcar! Así evitarás el dolor de dientes.
Si tienes un accidente grave y tienes una herida de la cabeza, lo mejor es que vayas al hospital en seguida, por si hay algún problema en tu cerebro.
*prevenir = to prevent
- Lots of doctors say that before people make appointments for a headache they should…
| A. | take medication. |
| B. | go to the pharmacy. |
| C. | get advice online. |
The answer is B.
The article says - …el consejo de los médicos es que si tienes dolor de cabeza, vayas primero a la farmacia - …the advice from doctors is that you should go to the pharmacy first if you have a headache.
- The article says that…
| A. | you won’t need to see a dentist if you reduce the amount of sugar you eat. |
| B. | you can avoid toothache if you brush your teeth. |
| C. | you can avoid toothache if you eat less sugar. |
The answer is C.
The article says - …¡deja de comer tanto azúcar! Así evitarás el dolor de diente. - …stop eating so much sugar! This will prevent toothache.
- The article says that if you have a serious accident…
| A. | you should go to the hospital straight away. |
| B. | you should call an ambulance. |
| C. | you might have a brain injury. |
The answer is A.
The article says - Si tienes un accidente grave y tienes una herida de la cabeza, lo mejor es que vayas al hospital en seguida… - If you have a serious accident and you have a head injury, the best thing to do is to go to the hospital straight away…
Click or tap on Show more to read a translation.
Many doctors say that people are making appointments to see them because they have a headache, but the advice from doctors is that you should go to the pharmacy first if you have a headache.
It's also possible to get advice online but it's important to use official web pages.
There are lots of illnesses that we can prevent now. If you have toothache, you should make an appointment to see the dentist, but also, remember, stop eating so much sugar! This will prevent toothache.
If you have a serious accident and you have a head injury, the best thing to do is to go to the hospital straight away, in case there is a problem with your brain.
Vocabulary - Talking about illness
Useful verbs for talking about illness include:
| Spanish | English | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | to go to bed | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | to sleep |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | to drink | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | to last |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | to fall, fall over | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | to avoid |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | to eat | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | to ask, ask for |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | to stop doing something | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | to worry, be a worry |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | to rest, relax | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | to recommend |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | to wake up | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | to breathe |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | to hurt, be painful | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | to feel |
For example:
No me siento muy bien. - I don’t feel well.
Me duele la cabeza. - My head hurts.
Me duelen los pies. - My feet hurt.
Debes beber más agua. - You must drink more water.
All Foundation Tier vocabulary listed in this guide can be found on the vocabulary sheet below.
Grammar – Expressions with tener
Tener is an irregular verb and is A verb that is not in the infinitive form but has been changed to match the subject of the verb, for example I go, he goes. as follows:
| tener | to have |
|---|---|
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | I have |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | you (singular informal) have |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | he/she/you (singular formal) has |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | we have |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | you (plural informal) have |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | they/you (plural formal) have |
Here are some common phrases in Spanish that use the verb tener, where in English they would be formed with the verb ‘to be.’
| tener | to have |
|---|---|
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | to be sleepy |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | to be right |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | to be thirsty |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | to be hungry |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | to be hot |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | to be cold |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | to be scared |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | to be successful |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | to be lucky |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | to be careful |
For example:
Tengo mucho calor. - I’m very hot.
¿Tienes hambre? - Are you hungry?
No, no tengo hambre, pero tengo sed. - No, I am not hungry, but I am thirsty.
Mi hermana tiene frío. - My sister is cold.
Expressions with ‘tener’ – Mini quiz
Translate the following sentences into Spanish.
I’m hungry.
Tengo hambre.
‘To be hungry’ is a phrase that is formed with tener (to have).
Tener hambre = to be hungry.
I’m sleepy.
Tengo sueño.
‘To be sleepy’ is a phrase that is formed with tener (to have).
Tener sueño = to be sleepy.
She is thirsty.
Tiene sed.
‘To be thirsty’ is a phrase that is formed with tener (to have).
Tener sed = to be thirsty.
Are you hot?
¿Tienes calor?
‘To be hot’ is a phrase that is formed with tener (to have).
Tener calor = to be hot.
Find out more about using the verb tener in the Expressions with the verb ‘tener’ in Spanish guide.
Vocabulary sheet
Click or tap on the image below for a list of useful vocabulary to use when describing illnesses.
Higher Tier – Vocabulary – Illnesses
Useful nouns for talking about illnesses include:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| una cita | appointment |
| el consejo | (piece of) advice |
| el dolor de cabeza | headache |
| el dolor de dientes | toothache |
| la herida | wound, injury |
| la sangre | blood |
For example:
Tengo dolor de cabeza. – I have a headache.
Tuve una herida grave con mucha sangre y fue al hospital. – He had a serious injury with lots of blood and he went to the hospital.
All vocabulary listed in this guide can be found on the vocabulary sheet below.
Higher Tier - Grammar – The imperative
Use the vosotros form of the imperative when talking to more than one person informally. To form positive commands for the vosotros form, change the r at the end of the infinitive to a d.
hablar (to speak) → hablad (speak)
correr (to run) → corred (run)
dormir (to sleep) → dormid (sleep)
For example:
¡Cambiad vuestras dietas! – Change your diets!
¡Comed todas las verduras! - Eat all the vegetables!
¡Dormid por lo menos ocho horas! - Sleep for at least eight hours!
Find out more about using the imperative at Higher Tier in the Imperatives in Spanish guide
Higher Tier - Vocabulary sheet
Click or tap on the image below for a list of Higher Tier useful vocabulary to use when describing illnesses.
Now you have revised the important vocabulary and key grammar points for talking about illnesses, why not have a look at the Talking about family and friends in Spanish guide?
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