… I’m scared. Or perhaps you might
be mareado - dizzy.
It’s summer, & there are lots flying
bugs around – if you get a mozzie
bite, or are stung by something else,
you might say me pica, which could
mean that it itches….and you might
also say it if you eat something spicy
(think picante).
Something you won’t be saying at
this time of year is tengo frío - I’m
cold, though you’ll hear a lot of people
saying tengo calor – I’m hot!
He’d probably be saying tengo mucho
sed – I’m very thirsty! If he was hungry
it would be tengo hambre!
So what might you be given for your
ailments? For a sore throat you’ll
probably have some kind of pastilla yes that’s pastille, if you’re constipada
you might be asked if you would like
tabletas, comprimidos, or ‘espray’
- that’s tablets….and they really do
say ‘espray’ for ‘spray’…… although
they spell it as we do.
For bites or a rash you’ll be given a
crema - cream – but don’t ask for
crema in your coffee …… that’s nata
For a headache you might take
paracetamol – however if you say
it the English way they might not
know what you want – you need
to pronounce it the Spanish way paracetamol
For anyone coming to Spain for
a long holiday & needing regular
medication it’s now possible to get a
special prescription for use in other
EU countries. As of October 2013,
you have been able to ask your
usual doctor for a cross-border
prescription which can be presented
at a farmacia in Spain. They will ask
for ID so make sure that you have
your EHIC & passport with you.
For a bit of fun I thought you might like
to label this body! All of the names
of various body parts are below…but
in no particular order - some might
seem obvious – but some are nothing
like you’d expect!
el talón
la espalda el pie
la pierna la cabeza
la nariz
la boca
los dedos
la rodilla
el hombro el codo
la espinilla
el tobillo el ojo
el muslo
el cuello el pecho
el brazo
la mano la cadera
la muñeca
el estómago la oreja/el oído
el ombligo la barbilla
los dedos de pie
The Grapevine Issue 171 2014| 33 |