Comments on: Spanish illness and doctor phrases and vocabulary

By: Ben

Ben — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 08:12:34 +0000

Re baby photos, he’s a bit shy

@Michael in Granada, I agree with Min Jose, ‘culete’ is a bit like ‘bum’ or ‘backside’ – friendly and not too rude.

@Julia – Tener dolor de… is just as common, you are right, either will do.

@Sarah, thanks for the very important addition, and thanks again for your grear original list!

By: Sarah

Sarah — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 06:08:58 +0000

Fantastic! I particularly loved the story about the not-so-catholic chicken… (I may even have guffawed!).

However, as I was listening, I realised that I left a really, really important one off the list: “estar constipado/a”.

I’ll never forget when I first arrived in Spain and one of my new Spanish colleagues told me that she was a bit “constipada”. Assuming that the translation would be literal, I was really quite horrified at the level of “sharing” and told the folks back home that Spanish people were really a bit too open about medical matters.

It wasn’t until a few weeks later that I discovered that “estar constipado/a” has the same meaning as “estar resfriado/a” (i.e. to have a cold) and realised my mistake!

Thanks again for the podcast!

Sarah x

P.S. In case anyone is interested, to be “constipated” in Spanish is “estar estreñido/a” or “tener estreñimiento”.

By: lynn

lynn — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 03:18:28 +0000

muchas gracias, ben y marina; me encantan mucho sus podcasts! hace 3 meses que yo estudie espanol y sus lecciones son mis favoritas.

By: Maryse

Maryse — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 02:39:17 +0000

¡Muchas gracias! Siempre es un placer tener noticias tuyos y aprendar nuevas expresiones como “no estar muy católico”… Hasta pronto…

By: Min José, from Southport, UK

Min José, from Southport, UK — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 00:23:54 +0000

Felicidades por el nacimiento de vuestro hijo/a.
Remarking on Michael’s mention of “culete”, well, to a Spaniard the word ‘culo’ is still taken as the word ‘arse’ would in English.
Yet the word ‘culete’ sounds like ‘bum’, less embarrassing; so, she used the ‘correct’ appoach.

By: Nesta Rovina

Nesta Rovina — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 20:33:06 +0000

Love this conversation, and the baby notes. I work with little babies and really need Spanish, but there are a few differences between the Spanish Spanish and that from Central and South America, pero no son muy importantes! Gracias

By: Amibelle

Amibelle — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 19:13:05 +0000

Ben & Maria,

I agree that a pho of you baby girl/boy? would be nice but again thinking of the dangers although I would like to see this on second thought it wouldn’t be a good idea.

Thanks for the vocab on illness

Amibelle

By: Julia Burkett

Julia Burkett — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 15:05:50 +0000

Hi – glad to hear you have survived ‘new baby syndrome’ well enough to send out your fun and informative e-mails once more! (boy? girl? – I’m sure when fast asleep with an angelic expression he/she is ‘good enough to eat!).

The first ‘illness expressions’ I learned from a BBC tape were all based around: Tener dolor de…. e.g. tengo dolor de la cabeza. Is this less commonly used than say me duele la cabeza?

By: Michael in Granada (Provincia)

Michael in Granada (Provincia) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 14:59:44 +0000

I agree the doctor´s surgery is a good place to expand your vocabulary. I had to have an injection a few weeks ago. The enfermera got the syringe prepared and I asked “¿En el brazo?” and she replied “No, en tu culete.” I knew exactlly where she meant but this was a new variation for me of “culo:” Was it a polite one…or a bit cheeky ?(oops no pun intended).

By: joyce

joyce — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 09:08:32 +0000

After the discussion of “Eating Babies” it made me think, “When do we get to see a picture of your baby on the website?”