Lesson

Over the past few weeks, we have found ourselves in the middle of a terrible situation that is threatening both the health and economic stability of the entire world, all due to a new coronavirus, known as COVID-19. This issue has taken over not only the news media, but also our daily conversations, including those in our Spanish classes.

Because of this, we have decided to create a list of vocabulary to help you speak competently with native Spanish speakers about this extremely important topic, whether you're currently living in a Spanish-speaking country, communicating with loved ones in Spanish about the crisis, or just talking about the topic with your Spanish teacher.

Basic terminology

El virus: virus Coronavirus gets its name from the word corona, which means "crown" in Spanish, due to its appearance under a microscope.

virus OMS (Organización Mundial de la Salud): WHO (World Health Organization) When speaking about these organizations in Spanish, we tend to use the full name rather than the acronym.

WHO (World Health Organization) La pandemia: pandemic

pandemic El brote: outbreak

outbreak Contagiar: to infect, to transmit

to infect, to transmit El contagio: infection

infection Propagar: to spread

to spread La población con mayor riesgo: high-risk population In the case of coronavirus, the elderly and those with preexisting conditions.

high-risk population Las medidas sanitarias: health measures

health measures El sistema de salud: health system

health system Período de incubación: incubation period

incubation period Hacerse un examen: to get tested

to get tested Las vías de transmisión: transmission routes

transmission routes Dar positivo / negativo: to test positive / negative

Let's see some examples of how these words are used:

La Organización Mundial de la Salud ha clasificado al Coronavirus Covid-19 como una pandemia debido a que se ha propagado rápidamente alrededor del mundo y recomienda tomar las medidas necesarias para evitar el contagio. The WHO has classified the coronavirus Covid-19 as a pandemic due to its rapid spread across the entire world and recommends taking the necessary measures to avoid infection.

En América Latina han aparecido los primeros brotes del virus. In Latin America the first outbreaks of the virus have appeared.

La población con mayor riesgo son las personas de la tercera edad. The most at-risk population is the elderly.

Las vías de transmisión son por contacto con las partículas que libera una persona cuando tose o estornuda. The transmission routes are respiratory droplets produced from coughing or sneezing.

Si tienes sospechas de que tienes el virus, debes hacerte un examen médico. If you suspect that you have the virus, you should get tested.

Symptoms

Los síntomas: symptoms Note that this word, like most that end in -ma, is masculine.

symptoms Presentar o tener síntomas: to have or show symptoms

to have or show symptoms El resfriado común: common cold

common cold La gripe / gripa: flu / influenza

flu / influenza La afección respiratoria: respiratory condition

respiratory condition La fiebre: fever

fever El cansancio: fatigue

fatigue La tos seca: dry cough

dry cough La congestión nasal: nasal congestion

nasal congestion Los mocos (científicamente "rinorrea"): runny nose

runny nose El dolor de garganta: sore throat

sore throat La diarrea: diarrhea

diarrhea La dificultad para respirar: shortness of breath / difficulty breathing

shortness of breath / difficulty breathing Toser: to cough

to cough Estornudar: to sneeze

Here are some examples:

Muchos casos de infección por Coronavirus no presentan síntomas. Many cases of coronavirus infection do not show symptoms.

Ella tiene fiebre alta, cansancio y tos seca. She has a high fever, fatigue and dry cough.

No todos los pacientes desarrollan una afección respiratoria grave. Not all patients develop a severe respiratory condition.

Es necesario ir al doctor si tienes dificultad para respirar. It is necessary to go to the doctor if you have difficulty breathing.

Items for treatment and prevention

El jabón: soap

soap Gel desinfectante / antibacterial (de manos): hand sanitizer

hand sanitizer La mascarilla / el tapabocas: face mask

face mask Los guantes: gloves

gloves La vacuna: vaccine

vaccine Los medicamentos: medications

medications El tratamiento: treatment

Some examples:

Es importante lavarse las manos con jabón y agua frecuentemente o usar gel desinfectante. It's important to wash your hands with soap and water frequently or use hand sanitizer.

Recomiendan el uso del tapabocas a las personas infectadas. It is recommended for infected people to wear a face mask.

Aún no existe una vacuna contra el Covid-19. There is still no vaccine against Covid-19.

Recommendations and preventative measures

Lavarse las manos: to wash your hands

to wash your hands Quedarse en casa: to stay home

to stay home Taparse / cubrirse la cara con el brazo cuando toses o estornudas: to cover your face with your arm when you cough or sneeze

to cover your face with your arm when you cough or sneeze No tocarse la cara: to not touch your face

to not touch your face Mantener distancia social: to keep social distance

to keep social distance La cuarentena: quarantine

And some examples:

Tenemos que lavarnos las manos muy bien. We have to wash our hands well.

Es mejor quedarse en casa y no salir hasta que termine esta crisis. It is best to stay at home and not go out until this crisis ends.

No te tapes la cara con la mano, sino con el brazo. Don't cover your face with your hand, rather with your arm.

Es difícil para mí no tocarme la cara porque siempre me pica. It's hard for me not to touch my face because it always itches.

Es recomendable mantener la distancia social para no contagiar a nadie o ser contagiados. It is best to keep social distance to not infect anyone or become infected.

If you're stuck at home in self-isolation or quarantine, why not take the opportunity to do something productive and work on improving your Spanish? You can check out our podcast for this week's post, where Michael and Merly have an informal conversation about the COVID-19 pandemic, or take a look at the rest of our posts, with more lessons, exercises and podcasts!

Want to really take your Spanish to the next level? Our teachers also offer private classes online, so if you're interested, be sure to take a look!