Prepping a Patient for Yes/No & Short Answer Questions

Purpose:  Getting your patient to respond to simple questions & avoid tangents

Target Audience:  ER or other clinicians

Video Version

First, I’ll walk you through the Spanish phrases for Prepping Patients for Yes/No & Short Answer Questions in video form. 

(PS: This video is also available as a podcast — see below.)

Written Version

If you prefer, here’s the written version of this dialogue.

Note: Parentheses mean the word(s) can be left out, and the phrase should still make sense.

EnglishSpanish
I only speak a little Spanish.Solo hablo poco español.
I don’t speak Spanish very well.No hablo español muy bien.  
I can’t understand very much Spanish.  No puedo entender mucho español.  
I will use some yes-or-no questions. Voy a usar unas preguntas de sí-o-no.
Some questions also ask for a number or time.Algunas preguntas también piden un número o tiempo.
[IF THE PATIENT GETS OFF TRACK]
Please respond only with yes or no, (or the shortest answer possible). Por favor, responda solo con sí o no, (o la respuesta más breve posible).
If you say more, I probably won’t understand.Si dice más cosas, es probable que yo no entienda.
I’m sorry, I can’t understand.Lo siento, no puedo entender.
I don’t understand very much Spanish. No entiendo mucho español. 

Wrapping Up

Thanks for checking out my dialogue about Prepabout a Patient for Yes/No & Short Answer Questions.   

For additional medical Spanish dialogues, check out my podcast!  Details below. 🙂

The "Learn Medical Spanish" Podcast

To hear these medical Spanish dialogues as a podcast, subscribe on your favorite platform!

(You can also find it by searching “Learn Medical Spanish” on just about any app.)

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Ben

Ben has been practicing as a physician assistant, or PA (similar to a doctor) in emergency medicine, family practice and urgent care since 2014. He became fluent in Spanish while living in Guatemala for 2 years, and now tries to help other healthcare professionals learn medical Spanish so they can care for their patients more effectively.