Talking about a sore throat | Learn Spanish in English

Spanish lesson set in a contemporary Madrid everyday setting: At home, one adult has a sore throat while another makes warm tea and suggests resting the voice..

EN → ES / Level: A1

About This Lesson

Use Talking about a sore throat to practice Spanish conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

Me duele un poco la garganta.

meh DWEH-leh oon POH-koh lah gar-GAHN-tah My throat feels a little sore.
B

Intenta beber algo caliente.

een-TEHN-tah beh-BEHR AHL-goh kah-lee-EN-teh Try drinking something warm.
A

¿Podrías prepararme un té?

poh-DREE-ahs preh-pah-RAHR-meh oon TEH Could you make me some tea?
B

Prepararé un poco de té ahora.

preh-pah-rah-REH oon POH-koh deh TEH ah-OH-rah I'll make some now.
A

Hoy mi voz suena extraña.

oy mee bohss SWEH-nah eks-TRAH-nyah My voice sounds strange today.
B

Intenta hablar menos por ahora.

een-TEHN-tah ah-BLAR MEH-nohs por ah-OH-rah Try to speak less for now.
A

Descansaré después de beberlo.

deh-skan-sah-REH deh-SPWEHS deh beh-BEHR-loh I'll rest after I drink it.
B

Eso debería ayudar a tu garganta.

EH-soh deh-beh-REE-ah ah-yoo-DAR ah too gar-GAHN-tah That should help your throat.

Word by Word

Me In “Me duele un poco la garganta.”, “Me” marks the person who feels the pain: the pain affects me. A common reuse pattern is “Me duele” plus a body part.
duele “Duele” says that something hurts or causes pain, here in “Me duele un poco la garganta.” The form is used with the person affected and the body part that hurts.
un In “un poco”, “un” introduces the small quantity expressed by “poco”, giving the meaning “a little”. Reuse it in quantity expressions such as “un poco de” plus a noun.
poco “Poco” indicates a small amount in “un poco la garganta”, with the complete pain expression meaning that the throat hurts a little. A reliable reuse pattern is “un poco de” plus something that is present in a small amount.
la In “la garganta”, “la” introduces the specific body part being discussed: the throat. It is placed directly before the noun.
garganta “Garganta” means “throat”, the body part mentioned in “Me duele un poco la garganta.” You can use it after a body-related expression such as “Me duele” when describing throat pain.
Intenta “Intenta” gives the direct suggestion “Try” in “Intenta beber algo caliente.” A useful pattern is “Intenta” followed by an infinitive to suggest an action.
beber “Beber” means “to drink” and names the action suggested in “Intenta beber algo caliente.” After “Intenta”, it remains in the infinitive form.
algo “Algo” means “something” in “algo caliente”, referring to an unspecified thing to drink. A common pattern is “algo” followed by a description of the thing.
caliente “Caliente” describes “algo” as warm or hot in “algo caliente.” It is placed after the word it describes here, and the phrase is used for a drink or other thing with heat.
Podrías “Podrías” makes a polite request equivalent to “Could you” in “¿Podrías prepararme un té?” A useful request pattern is “Podrías” followed by an infinitive.
prepararme “Prepararme” means “prepare for me” in “prepararme un té”; the ending “me” shows that the preparation is for the speaker. A reusable pattern is “prepararme” followed by the thing to be prepared.
té “Té” means “tea” in “prepararme un té.” It names the drink being requested and is used after “un” when referring to one tea.
Prepararé “Prepararé” says “I will prepare” in “Prepararé un poco de té ahora.” It presents the speaker’s future action, and it can be followed by the thing that will be prepared.
de In “un poco de té”, “de” connects the quantity “un poco” with what it contains, “té”. A reliable reuse pattern is “un poco de” followed by a noun.
ahora “Ahora” means “now” in “Prepararé un poco de té ahora”, locating the preparation in the present time. It can be placed at the end to specify when an action happens.
Hoy “Hoy” means “today” in “Hoy mi voz suena extraña.” It sets the time for the statement and can appear at the beginning of a sentence.
mi “Mi” means “my” and identifies the voice as belonging to the speaker in “mi voz.” It is placed before the noun it describes.
voz “Voz” means “voice” in “mi voz suena extraña.” It is the thing whose sound is being described in the sentence.
suena “Suena” describes how something sounds, here in “mi voz suena extraña.” A useful pattern is a thing or person followed by “suena” and a description of the sound.
extraña “Extraña” describes the voice as strange or unusual in “mi voz suena extraña.” It follows the description verb “suena” to say how the voice sounds.
hablar “Hablar” means “to speak” in “Intenta hablar menos por ahora.” It is an infinitive after “Intenta”, naming the action that should be tried.
menos “Menos” means “less” in “hablar menos”, so the person is advised to speak a smaller amount. It can follow an action to reduce its amount or frequency.
por In “por ahora”, “por” helps express the temporary period “for now.” This expression is used when advice or a situation applies only at the present time.
Descansaré “Descansaré” means “I will rest” in “Descansaré después de beberlo.” It states the speaker’s planned future action and can be followed by when that action will happen.
después “Después” means “after” in “después de beberlo”, placing resting later than drinking. A reliable pattern is “después de” followed by an infinitive or noun.
beberlo “Beberlo” means “drink it” in “después de beberlo”; the final “lo” refers to the thing being drunk, here the tea. An object pronoun can attach directly to an infinitive in this way.
Eso “Eso” means “that” in “Eso debería ayudar a tu garganta.” It points back to something already mentioned in the conversation, such as the suggested drink or action.
debería “Debería” expresses what is expected or advisable with the meaning “should” in “Eso debería ayudar a tu garganta.” A useful pattern is “debería” followed by an infinitive.
ayudar “Ayudar” means “to help” in “debería ayudar a tu garganta.” It follows “debería” in the infinitive form and names the expected helpful effect.
a In “ayudar a tu garganta”, “a” introduces what receives the help: the throat. With “ayudar”, a useful pattern is “ayudar a” followed by a person or body part.
tu “Tu” means “your” and identifies the throat as belonging to the person being addressed in “tu garganta.” It is placed before the noun it describes.

Grammar Points

doler + pronombre de objeto indirecto + parte del cuerpo

Me duele la garganta.

meh DWEH-leh lah gar-GAHN-tah

My throat hurts.

With doler, the person who feels pain uses an indirect object (me); the body part is the grammatical subject.

¿Podrías + infinitivo…?

¿Podrías prepararme algo caliente?

poh-DREE-ahs preh-pah-RAHR-meh AHL-goh kah-lee-EN-teh

Could you prepare something warm for me?

Use podrías + infinitive to make a polite request. The pronoun me can attach to the infinitive: prepararme.

Spanish Vocabulary

ahora adv
ah-OH-rah now
algo pron
AHL-goh something
beber verb
beh-BEHR to drink
caliente adj
kah-lee-EN-teh warm; hot
doler verb
doh-LEHR to hurt; to ache duele
garganta noun
gar-GAHN-tah throat
intentar verb
een-tehn-TAR to try intenta
poder verb
poh-DEHR could; to be able to podrías
preparar verb
preh-pah-RAR to prepare; to make prepararme
té noun
TEH tea
un poco adv
oon POH-koh a little
voz noun
bohss voice

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

My throat feels a little sore.

Show AnswerMe duele un poco la garganta.

Try drinking something warm.

Show AnswerIntenta beber algo caliente.

Could you make me some tea?

Show Answer¿Podrías prepararme un té?

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

throat

Show Answergarganta

to prepare; to make

Show Answerprepararme

to hurt; to ache

Show Answerduele

could; to be able to

Show Answerpodrías