14 Explaining Procedures to Patients
Chapter Objectives
In this chapter you will learn how to:
- Explain procedures using the ir + infinitive construction.
- Talk about obligations with the expression tener que
I’m going to… / We’re going to…
One important aspect of communicating with patients is to be able to confidently explain the procedures you are doing with them. You can use Voy a… (I’m going to…) or Vamos a… (We’re going to…) plus an infinitive verb to do so:
- ¡Hola! Hoy vamos a tomar algunas radiografías.
Hello! Today we’re going to take some X-Rays.
- Ahora le voy a revisar los dientes.
Now I’m going to check out your teeth.
Tarea Oral 14.1
Review the list of expressions in the Helpful Phrases page of this book. Find 5 phrases with “Voy a…” and record yourself saying them outloud.
TENER QUE: I have to… / You have to… / We have to…
A common expression for obligations is tener que (to have to). This expression can come in handy when telling pateints what you have to do during a proceedure, or what they need to do to have good oral hygiene.
- Tengo que tomarle algunas radiografías de su dentadura.
I need to take some X-Rays of your teeth. - Usted tiene que lavarse los dientes después de cada comida.
You need to brush your teeth after each meal.
There are other similar verbs you can use before infinitive verbs to the same end:
necesitar (to need to):
- Necesita lavarse los dientes después de cada comida.
You need to brush after each meal.
poder (to be able to)
- Puede hablar con la recepcionista para sacar una cita.
You can talk to the receptionist to make an appointment.
Tarea Escrita 14.2
Use the following elements to form setnences telling patients what you’re going to do. You can choose to use the Voy a… or Vamos a… form. Then translate your completed sentence to English. Follow the example:
MODELO: aplicarle flúor a los dientes → Voy a aplicarle flúor a los dientes. (I’m going to apply flouride to your teeth.)
- hacerle la limpieza dental
- tomar algunas radiografías
- hacer un raspado y limpieza profunda
- hablar con mi supervisora
- tomarle la presión