Telling doctor stomach hurts: Understanding your treatment and how to take your medicine

💬 Al is a + el squeezed together, and the squeeze is required. Same pattern: dos veces a la semana "twice a week" keeps a la, since only a el merges.

💬 After antes de and después de, Spanish uses the basic verb form, where English uses "-ing". So it's después de cenar "after having dinner".

🇪🇸 In Spain comer often means lunch specifically, the main meal around 2–3pm. If unsure, ask whether it means every meal: ¿antes de cada comida? "before every meal?"

💬 Agua is feminine but takes el in the singular, as in el agua, because it starts with a stressed a sound. It still says agua fría "cold water".

💬 Durante is how Spanish says "for" with a stretch of time. Same pattern: durante dos semanas "for two weeks".

💬 Nada de plus a noun is a quick, firm way to say "no" to something. Same pattern: nada de picante "nothing spicy", nada de deporte "no exercise".

💬 Ni means "nor" and continues a negative list, so English "or" becomes ni here. Same pattern: ni vino ni cerveza "neither wine nor beer".

🇪🇸 A crisp, polite way to confirm instructions with a doctor or official. Among friends, vale "OK" is far more common in Spain.

💬 Mejoro comes from mejorar "to get better", so one word covers the whole idea. After si "if", use the plain present: ¿y si me duele más? "and if it hurts more?"

💬 Vuelva is the polite way to tell someone to come back, from volver. Same polite pattern: venga "come", tome "take".

💬 Literally "the week that comes", this is the everyday way to say "next week". Same pattern: el mes que viene "next month", el año que viene "next year".

🇪🇸 La consulta is the doctor's office at your local health centre. Coming back usually means booking a new appointment, often by phone or through your region's health app.

🇪🇸 Patients in Spain commonly address doctors directly as doctor or doctora, with no surname needed. Use the -a ending for a woman.

🇪🇸 This is the standard send-off from doctors, pharmacists and neighbours when you're ill. Just answer gracias.