Describing discomfort objectively | Learn Spanish in English

Sentence explanations

1. La molestia es leve, pero ha durado más de lo habitual.

   The discomfort is mild, but it has lasted longer than usual.

   La molestia

   the discomfort

   leve

   mild

   ha durado

   has lasted

   más de lo habitual

   longer than usual

   More detail

   La molestia means “the discomfort” here. molestia is a feminine singular noun, so the definite article is la. The noun can refer to an unpleasant physical sensation; its exact bodily location is not specified here. leve means “mild” in this sentence. It is a descriptive adjective agreeing with the feminine singular noun molestia; the same form is used with a masculine singular noun in many contexts, while leves is the plural form. Example: El dolor es leve. — “The pain is mild.” ha durado means “has lasted.” It is the present perfect of durar: ha is the third-person singular present form of haber, and durado is the past participle. This form presents the duration as relevant now. Example: La tos ha durado una semana. — “The cough has lasted a week.” más de lo habitual means “longer than usual” in this sentence. más marks a comparison, and lo habitual refers generally to what is usual or customary; lo is a neuter article here, not a masculine noun article. The comparison applies to the duration expressed by ha durado. Example: La espera fue más larga de lo habitual. — “The wait was longer than usual.” The connector pero means “but” and sets the second description against the first: the discomfort is mild, yet its duration exceeds what is usual. Together, La molestia es leve, pero ha durado más de lo habitual. means “The discomfort is mild, but it has lasted longer than usual.”

2. ¿Cambia con la actividad, el descanso o las comidas?

   Does it change with activity, rest, or meals?

   Cambia

   changes

   actividad

   activity

   descanso

   rest

   comidas

   meals

   More detail

   Cambia is the third-person singular present of cambiar (“to change”). Here the understood subject is “it,” referring to the discomfort mentioned in the preceding sentence; the fixed translation confirms that reading. The same form can mean “he/she changes” or “it changes,” depending on the subject. Example: La situación cambia. — “The situation changes.” Actividad means “activity.” It is a feminine singular noun, as shown by la actividad. The article agrees with the noun: la actividad, but las actividades for the plural. Example: La actividad aumenta el dolor. — “Activity increases the pain.” Descanso means “rest.” It is a masculine singular noun, as shown by el descanso. This noun can refer to a period or state of resting. Example: El descanso ayuda. — “Rest helps.” Comidas means “meals.” It is the plural of feminine comida (“meal” or “food,” depending on context), so it appears with las: las comidas. Example: Las comidas afectan a algunas personas. — “Meals affect some people.” The pattern cambiar con + noun asks whether something changes in relation to, or depending on, that factor. Here, con la actividad, el descanso, and las comidas are three coordinated factors: “with activity, rest, or meals.” The whole question therefore means, “Does it change with activity, rest, or meals?”

3. La noto más cuando estoy sentado durante mucho tiempo.

   I notice it more when I sit for a long time.

   La

   it

   noto

   I notice

   más

   more

   cuando

   when

   estoy

   I am

   sentado

   seated

   durante

   for; during

   mucho

   much

   tiempo

   time

   More detail

   La is a feminine singular direct-object clitic: here it means “it,” referring to the thing being noticed, without identifying that referent by itself. It appears before the conjugated verb. Compare lo for a masculine singular direct object and las/los for plural objects. noto is the first-person singular present form of notar, “to notice.” The subject is the implicit yo: “I notice.” The present can describe a current or recurring observation. Example: Noto la diferencia. — “I notice the difference.” más means “more” here and modifies how strongly or often the speaker notices the object. It is the comparative form used with an adverbial meaning; it does not modify tiempo. cuando introduces a time condition: “when.” It connects the noticing with the situation in the following clause. Example: Me concentro cuando estoy tranquilo. — “I concentrate when I am calm.” estoy is the first-person singular present form of estar, so it means “I am” in this clause. Estar is used for a state or situation, while ser is used for different kinds of identification or inherent description. sentado is a past participle used adjectivally with estar, meaning “seated” or “sitting.” Its masculine singular form agrees with the implied first-person speaker indicated by estoy; the feminine singular form would be sentada. With a plural subject, the form would be sentados or sentadas, according to the relevant gender pattern. durante introduces a period of time and means “during” or “for.” It is followed here by the duration expression mucho tiempo. mucho modifies the noun tiempo and means “much” in this uncounted duration expression. It is masculine singular because tiempo is masculine singular. With a feminine noun, the corresponding form is mucha; with plural nouns, muchos or muchas. tiempo means “time.” In mucho tiempo, it refers to a long duration rather than to a particular clock time. Example: Trabajo durante mucho tiempo. — “I work for a long time.” Together, La noto más means “I notice it more.” cuando estoy sentado adds the condition “when I am sitting,” and durante mucho tiempo specifies that this sitting lasts for a long period. The complete meaning is: “I notice it more when I sit for a long time.”

4. Conviene mencionar ese patrón, y el personal médico puede evaluarlo adecuadamente.

   That pattern is worth mentioning, and the clinician can assess it properly.

   Conviene

   it is advisable

   mencionar

   to mention

   ese

   that

   patrón

   pattern

   personal

   staff

   médico

   medical

   puede

   can

   evaluarlo

   assess it

   More detail

   Conviene means “it is advisable” or “it is worthwhile.” Spanish uses this impersonal verb when the sentence presents an action as advisable without naming a person who recommends it. For example, Conviene descansar means “It is advisable to rest.” Mencionar is the infinitive “to mention.” After conviene, the infinitive names the advisable action: Conviene mencionar... means “It is advisable to mention...” The related form menciono is a first-person present form, “I mention,” so it cannot replace the infinitive in this pattern. Ese is a masculine singular demonstrative meaning “that.” Its form agrees with the masculine singular noun it modifies here, patrón: ese patrón. The corresponding feminine singular form is esa, as in esa señal (“that sign”). Patrón is a masculine singular noun meaning “pattern” here. Its plural is patrones: un patrón / varios patrones (“one pattern” / “several patterns”). Personal means “staff” or “personnel” in this noun use. Here, the fixed translation presents it as the clinician who can assess the pattern. It is a collective noun: although it refers to people, it is grammatically singular in this sentence, which is why the verb is puede, not a plural form. Médico is the adjective “medical,” modifying personal: personal médico means “medical staff” or “medical personnel.” As an adjective, it can agree with a noun: personal médico is masculine singular, while atención médica is feminine singular. Puede is the third-person singular present form of poder, “can” or “is able to.” Here its subject is the singular noun phrase el personal médico; in the fixed translation, this is the clinician: “the clinician can...” The pattern poder + infinitive expresses ability or possibility, as in Puede ayudar (“He, she, or it can help”), with the subject determined by context. Evaluarlo combines the infinitive evaluar, “to assess/evaluate,” with the direct-object pronoun lo, “it.” The pronoun is masculine singular because it refers to ese patrón, the masculine singular pattern identified in the sentence and translation. Spanish commonly attaches lo to an infinitive: evaluarlo means “to assess it.” With a feminine singular object, the form would be evaluarla, as in evaluar la señal → evaluarla (“to assess it,” referring to the sign). The meaningful sequence is Conviene mencionar ese patrón (“It is advisable to mention that pattern”). Then el personal médico puede evaluarlo adecuadamente says that the clinician can assess that pattern properly. The reference to the pattern is carried by lo in evaluarlo; it does not introduce a new object. Together, the utterance means: “That pattern is worth mentioning, and the clinician can assess it properly.”

5. Estoy intentando describirla sin hacer que parezca más grave ni menos seria de lo que es.

   I am trying to describe it without making it sound worse or less serious than it is.

   Estoy intentando

   I am trying

   describirla

   to describe it

   sin hacer

   without making

   parezca

   seem or sound

   más grave

   more serious

   ni menos seria

   nor less serious

   de lo que es

   than it is

   More detail

   Estoy intentando combines estar with the gerund intentando from intentar. Here it presents an effort that is currently in progress: “I am trying.” The pattern estar + gerund is reusable for an ongoing activity, for example, Estoy leyendo = “I am reading.” describirla means “to describe it.” The base verb is describir; the final -la is a feminine singular direct-object clitic attached to the infinitive. The fixed translation identifies the object only as “it,” not as a specific noun, so its exact referent is not established here. Compare describirlo for a masculine singular direct object and describirlas for feminine plural objects. sin hacer uses sin followed by an infinitive, a common way to express “without doing.” hacer is the base form “to make/do”; in this construction it introduces the result that the speaker wants to avoid causing. For example, Lo explicó sin simplificarlo means “He or she explained it without simplifying it.” parezca is from parecer, “to seem” or “to appear.” Its present subjunctive form is required after hacer que: hacer que + subjunctive means “to make something seem/do something.” Thus hacer que parezca means “make it seem.” The form itself does not identify the exact referent of the implied subject; the translation supports the reading “it.” más grave means “more serious” in this context. grave is the adjective’s base form, and más grave is its comparative form. Grave has the same form for masculine and feminine singular nouns, so its visible form does not itself show gender. The comparison pattern is más + adjective, as in más claro = “clearer/more clear.” ni menos seria adds the second alternative: “nor less serious.” Ni coordinates an excluded alternative, while menos seria means “less serious.” Seria is the feminine singular form of serio, agreeing with the feminine singular subject understood in this description; menos marks the lower degree. The adjective’s forms include serio (masculine singular), seria (feminine singular), serios, and serias. Here, ni does not replace the first comparison; it joins más grave and menos seria as two results to avoid. de lo que es completes the comparison with “than it is.” Es is the third-person singular present form of ser, whose base form is ser. The pattern más/menos ... de lo que es compares an appearance or description with the thing’s actual state. In this sentence, it keeps the description from making the subject seem more serious or less serious than its actual seriousness. As a whole, Estoy intentando describirla says that the speaker is making an effort to describe the feminine singular direct object. sin hacer que parezca más grave ni menos seria de lo que es specifies the constraint: the description should not make it seem either more serious or less serious than it actually is. The full meaning is therefore: “I am trying to describe it without making it sound worse or less serious than it is.”

6. Concéntrese en la frecuencia con que ocurre y en cómo le afecta.

   Focus on how often it happens and how it affects you.

   Concéntrese

   focus

   la frecuencia

   the frequency; how often

   ocurre

   happens; occurs

   le afecta

   affects you

   More detail

   Concéntrese is the affirmative command form of concentrarse for one usted listener: “focus.” The ending -se is the reflexive pronoun attached to the command. Compare concéntrate for one tú listener and concéntrense for several ustedes listeners; these are different forms, not interchangeable politeness variants. la frecuencia is the feminine noun “frequency,” and here it means how often something happens. The useful pattern is la frecuencia con que + verb: “the frequency with which …” or, more naturally in English, “how often …”. Frecuencia is a noun; do not treat frecuente (“frequent”) as its inflected form. ocurre is the third-person singular present form of ocurrir, “to happen” or “to occur.” In con que ocurre, the subject is the unspecified event or situation being discussed: “with which it happens.” Other useful forms include ocurrió (“it happened”) and ocurrirá (“it will happen”). le afecta means “affects you” here. Afecta is the third-person singular present form of afectar; le is the singular indirect-object clitic referring here to the addressee. Le does not show the addressee’s gender. A useful contrast is les afecta when addressing or referring to several people. In Spanish, afectar commonly appears with this clitic pattern: La situación le afecta (“The situation affects you/him/her,” depending on context). The remaining linking words assemble the structure: en ... y en ... gives two areas of focus, while cómo introduces the way or degree of an effect. Thus Concéntrese en la frecuencia con que ocurre y en cómo le afecta means “Focus on how often it happens and how it affects you.”

7. Puedo explicar que hace que me resulte más difícil concentrarme en el trabajo.

   I can explain that it makes it harder to concentrate at work.

   Puedo

   I can

   explicar

   explain

   que hace que

   that makes

   me resulte

   for me, it turns out

   más difícil

   harder

   concentrarme

   to concentrate

   trabajo

   work

   More detail

   Puedo is the first-person singular present form of poder: “I can” or “I am able to.” The following infinitive completes this ability: puedo explicar = “I can explain.” Compare puedes explicar (“you can explain”) for a different subject. explicar is an infinitive meaning “to explain.” After a conjugated form of poder, Spanish uses the infinitive: puedo explicar, not a second present-tense form. Example: Puedo describir el problema. — “I can describe the problem.” The first que introduces the content being explained, while hace que expresses a cause-and-result relation: “makes.” Here, hace is the third-person singular present form of hacer, “makes/causes.” The pattern hacer que + subjunctive means “to make or cause something to happen.” The que forms here are conjunctions, not the accented question word qué. me resulte contains resultar in the present subjunctive, with me marking the person for whom the result is experienced. In this sentence, resulte is singular because the following infinitive phrase, concentrarme en el trabajo, functions as the singular subject of resulte; me is not the subject. The subjunctive appears after hace que. In this construction, me resulte más difícil means “it turns out harder for me” or, more naturally in the full sentence, “it is harder for me.” Example: Eso hace que me resulte más fácil. — “That makes it easier for me.” más difícil is a comparative phrase meaning “harder” or “more difficult.” Difícil is the adjective being compared, and más marks a higher degree; más is not modifying the noun trabajo. The adjective difícil keeps the same form for masculine and feminine singular nouns. Its opposite is fácil, “easy,” and más fácil means “easier.” concentrarme is the infinitive concentrar with the attached pronoun me; together they correspond here to the reflexive verb concentrarse, “to concentrate.” The attached me identifies the speaker as the person concentrating. The pronoun can attach to an infinitive, as in Necesito concentrarme. — “I need to concentrate.” trabajo is the noun “work” in this context. With en, the phrase en el trabajo means “at work” or “in the workplace.” The article el marks a masculine singular noun phrase; it does not assert a numerical quantity. Together, Puedo explicar que hace que me resulte más difícil concentrarme en el trabajo means “I can explain that it makes it harder for me to concentrate at work.” The structure is: puedo explicar (I can explain) + que hace que (that it makes) + me resulte más difícil (it is harder for me) + concentrarme en el trabajo (to concentrate at work).

8. Incluya ese detalle, ya que el impacto diario suele orientar el seguimiento.

   Include that detail, since daily impact often guides follow-up.

   Incluya

   include

   ese

   that

   detalle

   detail

   ya que

   since; because

   impacto

   impact

   diario

   daily

   suele

   usually tends to

   orientar

   guide

   seguimiento

   follow-up

   More detail

   Incluya is the affirmative command form for usted singular of incluir (“to include”). It addresses one person formally; it is not the tú form (incluye) or the ustedes form (incluyan). Example: Incluya su nombre. — “Include your name.” ese is a masculine singular demonstrative meaning “that.” Here it agrees with the masculine singular noun detalle: ese detalle. Demonstratives can also refer to something already identifiable in the situation or discussion; the sentence itself does not specify exactly what the detail is. detalle means “detail” and is a masculine singular noun. Its plural is detalles. Example: El detalle es importante. — “The detail is important.” ya que introduces the reason for what comes before it: “since” or “because.” It connects the request with its stated reason without replacing the first part. impacto means “impact” or “effect.” It is a masculine singular noun; impactos is its plural. Example: El impacto es notable. — “The impact is noticeable.” diario is an adjective meaning “daily” here. It modifies impacto, so it is masculine singular: el impacto diario. The feminine singular form is diaria, as in la actividad diaria; plural forms are diarios and diarias. suele is the third-person singular present form of soler, followed by an infinitive. The pattern suele + infinitive expresses what someone or something usually tends to do. Example: El informe suele ayudar. — “The report usually helps.” orientar is the infinitive “to guide,” “to direct,” or “to orient.” After suele, it remains in the infinitive: suele orientar. Example: La información puede orientar la decisión. — “The information can guide the decision.” seguimiento means “follow-up” or “monitoring.” It is a masculine singular noun; seguimientos is its plural. In orientar el seguimiento, it is the direct object of orientar: the daily impact guides the follow-up. Taken together, Incluya ese detalle means “Include that detail.” ya que then introduces the reason: el impacto diario suele orientar el seguimiento means “daily impact often guides follow-up.” The complete utterance is therefore: “Include that detail, since daily impact often guides follow-up.”