Reading medicine label instructions | Learn Spanish in English

Sentence explanations

1. Recogí este medicamento en la farmacia.

   I picked up this medicine at the pharmacy.

   Recogí

   picked up

   este

   this

   medicamento

   medicine

   farmacia

   pharmacy

   More detail

   Recogí is the first-person singular preterite of recoger, meaning “I picked up” here. The preterite presents the pickup as a completed past event. Compare recojo (“I pick up / I am picking up”) for the present and recogí for a completed event. Example: Recogí el paquete. — “I picked up the package.” este means “this” and points to one nearby or contextually identified masculine noun. It agrees with medicamento in masculine singular form. The feminine singular counterpart is esta, as in esta receta (“this prescription”). medicamento is a masculine noun meaning “medicine” or “medication.” Its plural is medicamentos. In this sentence, the singular form refers to one medicine or medication, without specifying its exact type. farmacia is a feminine noun meaning “pharmacy.” Its usual singular noun phrase here is la farmacia (“the pharmacy”); its plural is las farmacias (“the pharmacies”). The article la marks the singular feminine noun phrase, while farmacia supplies the noun’s meaning. Together, este medicamento means “this medicine,” and en la farmacia means “at the pharmacy.” The completed action recogí is performed by the speaker, and the full utterance means: “I picked up this medicine at the pharmacy.”

2. ¿El farmacéutico explicó las instrucciones?

   Did the pharmacist explain the instructions?

   farmacéutico

   pharmacist

   explicó

   explained

   instrucciones

   instructions

   More detail

   farmacéutico means “pharmacist” here. The form is masculine singular, matching el; the feminine counterpart is farmacéutica. Example: La farmacéutica trabaja aquí. — “The pharmacist works here.” explicó is the preterite form of explicar for a third-person singular subject: “explained.” The ending -ó places the completed action in the past. Example: El médico explicó el tratamiento. — “The doctor explained the treatment.” instrucciones is the plural noun “instructions.” Its singular form is instrucción; the plural ending is -es. With las, it refers to plural feminine instructions. Example: Lee las instrucciones. — “Read the instructions.” Together, ¿El farmacéutico explicó las instrucciones? forms a yes-or-no question: “Did the pharmacist explain the instructions?” The pharmacist is the subject, explicó expresses the completed explaining, and las instrucciones is what was explained. The question marks signal the interrogative form.

3. La etiqueta dice que hay que tomarlo después de las comidas.

   The label says to take it after meals.

   La etiqueta

   the label

   dice

   says

   hay que

   one has to

   tomarlo

   to take it

   después de

   after

   las comidas

   meals

   More detail

   La etiqueta means “the label.” La is the feminine singular definite article, and etiqueta is a feminine singular noun. The phrase identifies the label as the source of the information. dice means “says” here. It is the present-tense form of decir for a third-person singular subject such as la etiqueta: la etiqueta dice. The same verb can introduce reported information, as in El aviso dice que está cerrado — “The notice says that it is closed.” hay que expresses impersonal necessity: “one has to” or “it is necessary to.” It does not identify a particular person who must act. This construction is followed by an infinitive: hay que + infinitive. Example: Hay que esperar — “One has to wait.” tomarlo means “to take it.” It consists of the infinitive tomar (“to take”) plus the attached direct-object clitic lo (“it”): tomar → tomarlo. The clitic is masculine singular in form; the fixed translation supports the intended object as “it,” without identifying that object by name. With a different object, the clitic can change: tomarla means “to take it” when the object is grammatically feminine singular. In Hay que tomarlo, the infinitive follows the impersonal necessity construction. después de means “after” and introduces the event or time that comes later. It is followed here by a noun phrase, las comidas. Example: Después de trabajar, descanso — “After working, I rest.” las comidas means “the meals.” Comidas is the plural of the feminine noun comida; las is its matching feminine plural definite article. The plural presents meals as a recurring or multiple time reference rather than naming one meal. Together, La etiqueta dice que introduces the information reported by the label. Inside that reported clause, hay que tomarlo states an impersonal requirement to take the intended object, and después de las comidas specifies that this should happen after meals. The whole utterance means: “The label says to take it after meals.”

4. Entonces, no lo tomes antes del desayuno.

   Then do not take it before breakfast.

   Entonces

   Then

   no

   not

   lo

   it

   tomes

   take

   antes

   before

   desayuno

   breakfast

   More detail

   Entonces means “then” here, linking this instruction to what has just been said. It can also introduce a conclusion: Entonces, esperamos. — “Then, we’ll wait.” no placed before the verb makes the instruction negative. In Spanish, negative commands use the present-subjunctive form: no + .... lo is a masculine-singular direct-object clitic. Here it means “it,” the thing that should be taken; the supplied sentence does not identify that thing with a specific noun. The same object form appears attached to the infinitive in the preceding context: tomarlo — “to take it.” tomes is the second-person singular (tú) form used in this negative command. Its base verb is tomar, “to take.” The complete command pattern is no tomes — “don’t take.” For example, No lo abras. means “Don’t open it.” antes means “before” and introduces the time that sets the limit for the action. A useful contrast is después — “after”: Tómalo después. means “Take it afterward.” desayuno means “breakfast.” In the sentence, del is the contraction of de + el, so antes del desayuno literally expresses “before the breakfast,” idiomatically “before breakfast.” Together, no lo tomes gives the negative tú command “don’t take it,” and antes del desayuno specifies the time that must not precede the taking. The complete utterance therefore means: “Then do not take it before breakfast.”

5. No tengo clara la dosis.

   I am not sure about the dose.

   tengo … clara

   have ... clear

   dosis

   dose

   More detail

   tengo ... clara is part of the reusable pattern tener algo claro, meaning that something is clear or certain to the speaker. tengo is the first-person singular present form of tener (“to have”). Here, clara agrees with the feminine singular noun dosis. The object can come after the adjective, as in tengo clara la dosis. Example: No tengo claro el horario. — “I’m not sure about the schedule.” In this example, claro agrees with the masculine singular noun horario. The adjective agrees with the thing being considered clear, not with the speaker. dosis means “dose.” It is a feminine noun, used here with the singular article la: la dosis. The singular and plural forms are both dosis; number is shown by the article or another determiner, as in la dosis (“the dose”) and las dosis (“the doses”). Together, no negates tengo ... clara, and la dosis identifies what is not clear to the speaker. The whole utterance means “I am not sure about the dose.”

6. Llama a la farmacia si la etiqueta no está clara.

   Call the pharmacy if the label is unclear.

   Llama

   call

   farmacia

   pharmacy

   si

   if

   etiqueta

   label

   está

   is

   clara

   clear

   More detail

   Llama is the affirmative command form of llamar for tú singular: “call.” The subject is understood as the person being addressed. Compare llama (tú, singular) with llame (usted, singular) and llamen (ustedes, plural). Example: Llama a Ana. — “Call Ana.” farmacia is a feminine noun meaning “pharmacy.” In a la farmacia, a marks the destination, while la agrees with this feminine singular noun. si introduces a condition: “if.” Example: Si llueve, llama. — “If it rains, call.” etiqueta is a feminine noun meaning “label.” In la etiqueta, the article la marks feminine singular agreement with this noun. Here, la etiqueta is the subject of the conditional clause. está is the third-person singular present form of estar, “to be,” with a written accent. It agrees with la etiqueta in person and number; estar itself does not mark gender. Here it describes the label’s state. Example: La puerta está abierta. — “The door is open.” clara is the feminine singular form of the adjective claro, agreeing with etiqueta. Here it means “clear” or “easy to understand.” The useful form chain is claro, clara, claros, claras. In the previous sentence, No tengo clara la dosis, the same feminine singular form agrees with la dosis; under no tengo clara, the meaning is that the dose is not clear to the speaker, or that the speaker is not sure about it. The surrounding construction determines the intended sense. Together, Llama a la farmacia means “Call the pharmacy,” and si la etiqueta no está clara means “if the label is unclear.” The complete utterance is: “Call the pharmacy if the label is unclear.” The no makes the state negative; it does not change the command form Llama.

7. Eso es más seguro que adivinar.

   That is safer than guessing.

   Eso

   that

   más seguro

   safer

   adivinar

   guessing; to guess

   More detail

   Eso means “that” and is a neuter demonstrative pronoun. It points to an already understood thing, fact, or situation without marking it as masculine or feminine. Its form does not identify the specific referent here. más seguro means “safer.” Seguro is the adjective in its comparative pattern: más seguro que... = “safer than...” The adjective agrees with the thing described when needed, while más marks the higher degree. For example, Esta opción es más segura que la otra means “This option is safer than the other one.” adivinar is the infinitive “to guess.” After que in this comparison, Spanish uses the infinitive to name the activity being compared; English commonly uses “guessing.” The infinitive remains adivinar rather than changing for person or tense. For example, Es mejor preguntar que adivinar means “It is better to ask than to guess.” The linking form es is a form of ser, “to be.” Together, Eso es más seguro says “That is safer,” and que adivinar supplies the comparison: “than guessing.” The complete utterance is therefore “That is safer than guessing.”

8. El farmacéutico puede decirte cuál es la dosis correcta antes de que lo tomes.

   The pharmacist can tell you the correct dose before you take it.

   farmacéutico

   pharmacist

   puede

   can

   decirte

   tell you

   cuál

   what / which

   dosis

   dose

   correcta

   correct

   antes de que

   before

   lo tomes

   you take it

   More detail

   farmacéutico means “pharmacist” here. It is a masculine singular noun; farmacéutica is the feminine form. The accent mark is part of the spelling. puede is the third-person singular present form of poder, “to be able to” or “can.” With an infinitive, puede decirte expresses ability: “can tell you.” The subject is El farmacéutico, so the singular form is used; pueden is used with a plural subject. decirte combines the infinitive decir, “to tell/say,” with the attached pronoun te, “you” as the person receiving the information. te is a second-person singular pronoun; it can be used with tú and, in varieties that use it, with singular vos. Another possible placement is te puede decir, with the same basic meaning. cuál is the accented question word “what/which,” used here inside an indirect question: decirte cuál es..., “tell you what ... is.” The accent distinguishes this interrogative use from unaccented cual in other grammatical uses. dosis means “dose.” It has the same written form in singular and plural; an article or surrounding agreement shows the number. Here la dosis is singular. correcta means “correct” here. It is the feminine singular form of correcto, agreeing with feminine singular dosis. The masculine singular form is correcto; the plural forms are correctos and correctas. antes de que means “before” and introduces a subordinate clause. This expression is followed here by the subjunctive: antes de que lo tomes. lo tomes contains tomes, the second-person singular present subjunctive form of tomar, “to take,” and lo, a masculine singular direct-object pronoun. The fixed translation supports “you take it,” but does not identify the specific referent of lo; its grammatical form is masculine singular. Antes de que selects the subjunctive, and the taking is presented as a later event relative to the pharmacist’s telling. In Tomas la dosis, tomas is present indicative instead. Together, El farmacéutico puede decirte means “The pharmacist can tell you,” cuál es la dosis correcta means “what the correct dose is,” and antes de que lo tomes means “before you take it.” The complete utterance is: “The pharmacist can tell you the correct dose before you take it.”