Describing cough symptoms before calling a clinic | Learn Spanish in English

Sentence explanations

1. Tengo que llamar a la clínica porque mi tos no mejora.

   I need to call the clinic because my cough is not getting better.

   Tengo que

   I need to / I have to

   llamar

   call

   clínica

   clinic

   tos

   cough

   porque

   because

   no

   not

   mejora

   gets better / improves

   More detail

   Tengo que uses the first-person singular present form tengo of tener plus que and an infinitive to express personal necessity or obligation: “I need to” or “I have to.” The infinitive that follows is llamar, so the reusable pattern is Tengo que + infinitive: Tengo que descansar. — “I need to rest.” llamar is the infinitive “to call.” After tengo que, Spanish uses the infinitive rather than a conjugated verb: Tengo que llamar, not a second first-person present form. In this sentence, llamar a la clínica means “call the clinic”; a introduces the person or entity being called. clínica is the feminine noun “clinic.” The article la agrees with this noun in gender and number: la clínica. The accent mark in clínica is part of its spelling. A useful contrast is el hospital, where the masculine article is used with hospital. porque introduces the reason for the call and means “because.” It connects the need to call with the reason that follows: Llamo porque necesito ayuda. — “I am calling because I need help.” no is the negation word “not.” Here it comes immediately before mejora and negates that verb, producing “does not improve” or “is not getting better.” mejora is the third-person singular present form of mejorar, “to improve” or “to get better.” Its subject here is mi tos (“my cough”), so the singular form agrees with that singular noun. The useful present-tense contrast is mejora — “it gets better” versus no mejora — “it does not get better.” For example, La herida mejora. — “The wound is getting better.” Together, Tengo que llamar a la clínica says “I need to call the clinic.” porque mi tos no mejora gives the reason: “because my cough is not getting better.” The complete utterance is therefore: “I need to call the clinic because my cough is not getting better.”

2. Diles qué ha cambiado y qué te preocupa más.

   Tell them what has changed and what worries you most.

   Diles

   tell them

   qué

   what

   ha cambiado

   has changed

   te preocupa

   worries you

   más

   most

   More detail

   Diles is a compact command meaning “tell them.” It combines the affirmative tú imperative di of decir (“to tell/say”) with the indirect-object pronoun les (“to them”). The pronoun identifies the recipients, while the command form addresses one listener informally. Example: Diles la verdad. — “Tell them the truth.” qué means “what” here and introduces the content of the telling. Its accent mark distinguishes this question word from the conjunction que (“that”). The same form appears again later in the sentence to introduce a second piece of information. ha cambiado means “has changed.” It is the present perfect: ha, the third-person singular present form of haber, plus the past participle cambiado of cambiar. The changed subject is not named in this sentence; the phrase asks what change has occurred. Example: La situación ha cambiado. — “The situation has changed.” te preocupa means “worries you.” Spanish uses preocupar in a structure where the thing causing concern is the grammatical subject and te marks the person affected: literally, “to you, it causes concern.” Here the later qué supplies that thing: “what worries you.” The te form addresses one person informally; le preocupa can be used for one person addressed formally or referred to in the third person. Example: Me preocupa el resultado. — “The result worries me.” más means “most” in this context, adding the highest degree to te preocupa: “worries you most.” It is the adverbial comparative form of mucho; its opposite in this comparison is menos (“less/least”). Example: ¿Qué te preocupa más? — “What worries you most?” The sentence has two parallel content clauses joined by y (“and”): qué ha cambiado (“what has changed”) and qué te preocupa más (“what worries you most”). The command Diles tells one listener to communicate both pieces of information to the recipients marked by les. Together: “Tell them what has changed and what worries you most.”

3. Ha empeorado y me siento afiebrado y cansado.

   It has gotten worse, and I feel feverish and tired.

   Ha empeorado

   has gotten worse

   me siento

   I feel

   afiebrado

   feverish

   cansado

   tired

   More detail

   Ha empeorado means that the condition has become worse. Ha is the third-person singular present form of haber used as an auxiliary, and empeorado is the past participle of empeorar (“to worsen”). Together they form the present perfect: a past change viewed as relevant now. The sentence does not state who or what the subject is; the fixed translation identifies it as “it.” Example: La situación ha empeorado. — “The situation has gotten worse.” me siento is the first-person singular present form of sentirse, used for “I feel.” The pronoun me marks the speaker as the person experiencing the state, while siento agrees with the first-person singular subject yo; the reflexive verb is not the same as simply using sentir with an object. Example: Me siento mejor. — “I feel better.” afiebrado is a masculine singular adjective meaning “feverish” here. Its form agrees with the person described by the speaker; the feminine singular form is afiebrada, and plural forms are afiebrados and afiebradas when the agreement requires them. This adjective is one of the states linked to me siento. cansado is a masculine singular adjective meaning “tired.” It also describes the speaker and matches the same masculine singular agreement shown in afiebrado; the feminine singular form is cansada. Example: Me siento cansado después del viaje. — “I feel tired after the trip.” The conjunction y connects the two states: the speaker feels feverish and tired. Thus me siento afiebrado y cansado says “I feel feverish and tired,” while Ha empeorado supplies the separate statement that the unspecified condition has gotten worse. The complete utterance is: “It has gotten worse, and I feel feverish and tired.”

4. Menciona cuándo empezó y si algo te ha ayudado.

   Mention when it started and whether anything has helped.

   Menciona

   mention

   cuándo

   when

   empezó

   started

   si

   whether

   algo

   anything

   te

   you

   ha ayudado

   has helped

   More detail

   Menciona is an affirmative command to one listener using the tú form: “mention.” It comes from mencionar; the present-tense tú command is menciona. This is different from the formal singular command mencione and the plural command mencionen. Example: Menciona tu nombre. — “Mention your name.” cuándo means “when” and introduces an indirect question about time. Its accent mark distinguishes it from the unaccented conjunction cuando, used in statements such as Cuando llegue, te llamo (“When I arrive, I’ll call you”). Here, cuándo begins the embedded question that is the content of what the listener should mention. empezó is the third-person singular preterite of empezar, “to start” or “to begin.” The preterite presents the starting event as completed in the past. In this sentence, the intended subject is the “it” identified by the fixed translation, although Spanish leaves that subject unspoken. Example: La fiebre empezó ayer. — “The fever started yesterday.” si means “whether” here and introduces the second embedded question. It is not the conditional conjunction “if” in this context. The two questions are coordinated: the listener should mention both when it started and whether anything has helped. algo is an indefinite pronoun meaning “anything” in this question. It refers to an unspecified thing or measure that may have helped; it does not identify what that thing is. In an affirmative statement it commonly means “something,” as in Algo ha cambiado. — “Something has changed.” te is the unstressed second-person singular object pronoun, referring to the person addressed as tú. With ayudar, it marks the person who benefits: literally, “has helped you.” It is not the grammatical subject of ha ayudado; algo is the subject here. Example: Este consejo te ayuda. — “This advice helps you.” ha ayudado comes from ayudar and uses ha, the third-person singular present form of haber, plus the past participle ayudado: ha ayudado, “has helped.” The present perfect connects a past or earlier action with the present situation. Because algo is singular, the auxiliary is ha; the participle remains ayudado rather than changing to agree with algo or te. Example: El descanso me ha ayudado. — “Rest has helped me.” Together, Menciona makes a direct request. Its two coordinated contents are cuándo empezó (“when it started”) and si algo te ha ayudado (“whether anything has helped you”). The complete meaning is: “Mention when it started and whether anything has helped.”

5. También necesito saber qué hacer si empeora esta noche.

   I also need to know what to do if it gets worse tonight.

   También

   also

   necesito

   I need

   saber

   to know

   qué hacer

   what to do

   si

   if

   empeora

   gets worse

   esta

   this

   noche

   night

   More detail

   También means “also” and adds this need to something already mentioned; it does not replace the earlier information. It commonly appears before the verb: También necesito.... necesito is the first-person singular present form of necesitar (“to need”): necesito, “I need”; necesitas, “you need.” The subject is included in the verb ending, so Spanish does not require a separate yo here. saber is the infinitive “to know.” After a conjugated form of necesitar, the infinitive expresses the action that is needed: Necesito saber... means “I need to know...” qué hacer is an indirect question meaning “what to do.” qué has an accent because it is an interrogative word, even though this question is embedded rather than asked directly. The infinitive hacer (“to do” or “to make”) has an irregular first-person present form, hago, but that irregularity does not affect this infinitive construction. Example: No sé qué hacer. — “I don’t know what to do.” si introduces the condition “if” here. It is unaccented in this conditional use; the accented form sí means “yes” or “oneself” in other uses. empeora is the third-person singular present form of empeorar, “to get worse” or “to worsen.” In this sentence, the thing that may get worse is left implicit, matching the translation “it gets worse”; the form itself does not identify a particular noun. Compare empeora (“it gets worse”) with empeoran (“they get worse”). esta is the feminine singular form of the demonstrative adjective este, used with a feminine singular noun. Here it agrees with noche; the accented pronoun ésta is an older spelling and is not needed in this phrase. The expression esta noche means “tonight,” not merely an arbitrary night. noche is the feminine noun “night.” A useful contrast is día (“day”), which is masculine: este día — “this day.” Together, También necesito saber gives “I also need to know,” and qué hacer specifies the information needed: “what to do.” The conditional clause si empeora esta noche adds the condition “if it gets worse tonight.” The whole utterance therefore means: “I also need to know what to do if it gets worse tonight.”

6. Pregunta adónde debes ir si necesitas ayuda enseguida.

   Ask where you should go if you need help quickly.

   Pregunta

   Ask

   adónde

   where to

   debes

   should

   ir

   go

   si

   if

   necesitas

   you need

   ayuda

   help

   enseguida

   right away

   More detail

   Pregunta is the affirmative command form of preguntar for tú singular: “Ask.” The understood listener is one person addressed informally; the form is not the usted command. Example: Pregunta la dirección. — “Ask for the address.” adónde means “where to” and introduces a destination, especially with a verb of movement. Its written accent distinguishes it from the relative conjunction adonde in uses without this interrogative force. Example: ¿Adónde vas? — “Where are you going?” debes is the tú singular present form of deber. With an infinitive, deber + infinitive expresses what someone ought to or is expected to do; here, debes ir means “you should go.” Example: Debes esperar. — “You should wait.” ir is the infinitive “to go.” After deber, it stays in the infinitive: debes ir, not a second conjugated verb. Example: Debo ir ahora. — “I have to go now.” si introduces a condition: “if.” It is written without an accent here because it is not the accented pronoun sí (“yes” or “oneself”). Example: Llámame si necesitas ayuda. — “Call me if you need help.” necesitas is the tú singular present form of necesitar, “to need.” The ending identifies the person addressed; the subject pronoun tú is normally omitted because the verb already shows it. Example: ¿Necesitas tiempo? — “Do you need time?” ayuda is the noun “help.” In this sentence it refers generally to assistance, without asserting a particular amount or a countable item. Example: Necesito ayuda. — “I need help.” enseguida is an adverb meaning “right away” or “immediately.” It modifies the need for help in the condition: the help is needed promptly. Example: Ven enseguida. — “Come right away.” Together, Pregunta adónde debes ir means “Ask where you should go,” and si necesitas ayuda enseguida adds the condition “if you need help right away.” The complete utterance is: “Ask where you should go if you need help quickly.”

7. Anotaré los puntos principales antes de llamar.

   I will write the main points down before I call.

   Anotaré

   I will write down

   puntos

   points

   principales

   main

   antes de

   before

   llamar

   to call

   More detail

   Anotaré means “I will write down” here. Its base form is anotar (“to write down”); the ending -é marks the simple future for the first person singular: anotaré = “I will write down.” The accent is part of the written form. Example: Anotaré la dirección. — “I will write down the address.” puntos is the plural of punto, “point.” In this sentence, it refers to points or items of information to be recorded. Example: Anoto los puntos importantes. — “I write down the important points.” principales means “main” or “principal.” It is the plural form of principal and agrees with puntos in number; this adjective has the same form for masculine and feminine nouns in the plural. Example: las ideas principales — “the main ideas.” antes de introduces something that happens earlier. Before a verb, it is followed by the infinitive: antes de llamar = “before calling.” With a noun, the same pattern can be followed by a noun phrase: antes de la reunión — “before the meeting.” llamar is the infinitive “to call.” After antes de, the infinitive presents the action without adding a separate subject form. Here it means making the call referred to by the translation. Example: Necesito llamar. — “I need to call.” Together, anotaré los puntos principales means “I will write down the main points,” and antes de llamar specifies that this will happen earlier than the call. The complete utterance means: “I will write the main points down before I call.”

8. Eso debería hacer más clara la llamada para los dos.

   That should make the call clearer for both of you.

   Eso

   that

   debería

   should

   hacer

   make; do

   más clara

   clearer

   la llamada

   the call

   los dos

   both of you

   More detail

   Eso is a neuter demonstrative pronoun meaning “that” here. It refers to the content or action understood from the preceding context, rather than identifying a specific masculine or feminine noun. Demonstratives include esto “this,” eso “that,” and aquello “that over there”; their choice expresses distance or discourse reference, not the gender of a noun. debería is the third-person singular conditional form of deber. Here deber + infinitive expresses an expected or likely result: “should.” The infinitive after it is hacer, not a second conjugated verb. Compare debe hacer “must/has to make or do” with debería hacer “should make or do”; the conditional makes the expectation less direct. hacer means “to make” in this construction. The pattern hacer + adjective + noun describes causing the noun to have the stated quality: hacer clara la llamada means “make the call clear.” As an independent verb, hacer can also mean “do” in contexts such as hacer una tarea “do an assignment.” más clara is the comparative adjective phrase “clearer.” Clara is the feminine singular form of claro, agreeing with the feminine singular noun llamada; más marks the comparison. The useful pattern is más + adjective: más claro for a masculine singular noun, más clara for a feminine singular noun, and más claros/más claras for plural nouns. The comparison can be completed with que, as in La llamada es más clara que antes — “The call is clearer than before.” la llamada means “the call” here. Llamada is a feminine singular noun, so it takes the article la; it is also related to the verb llamar “to call,” but the noun itself names the call or phone conversation. The adjective clara agrees with this noun, while más does not change for gender or number. los dos means “both of you” in the fixed sentence. Dos identifies the pair, and los is the masculine plural form used for this group as expressed by the fixed translation. The phrase can also refer to two males or to a mixed-gender pair when the context supports that reading; the translation here specifically establishes the addressees as two people. Together, Eso debería hacer más clara la llamada means “That should make the call clearer.” The structure is demonstrative + conditional modal + infinitive + comparative adjective + noun: the understood preceding content is expected to cause the call to become clearer. Para los dos adds that this result is for both addressees, giving the complete meaning: “That should make the call clearer for both of you.”