SSppeeaakk SSppaanniisshh aatt WWoorrkk...Tip #3 - Reverse engineer difficult-to-pronounce words and phrases 9 Tip #4 - Use associations and humor to remember words and phrases 10

SSSpppeeeaaakkk SSSpppaaannniiissshhh

aaattt WWWooorrrkkk

30 Tips and Strategies

for Speaking and

Understanding Spanish

on the Job,

Starting NOW

by Lily Ann Fouts, M.S.

©Lily Fouts 2013 www.SwiftSpanish.com Page 2

Table of Contents

Introduction 4

Tip #1 - Know how to pronounce the Spanish letters 5

Tip #2 - Know what the accent marks are all about 7

Tip #3 - Reverse engineer difficult-to-pronounce words and phrases 9

Tip #4 - Use associations and humor to remember words and phrases 10

Tip #5 - Know the basic greetings 11

Tip #6 - Learn the basic expressions of politeness 13

Tip #7 - Know your numbers 13

Tip #8 - Combine gestures with simple phrases 16

Tip #9 - Have a clear idea of what you need to communicate 17

Tip #10 - Prioritize your communication needs 18

Tip #11 - Find versatile phrases you can use in many different situations 19

Tip #12 - Be a control freak 20

Tip #13 - Ask yes/no questions 21

Tip #14 - If a yes/no question isn't possible, be sure you'll still be able to understand the answer 22

Tip #15 - Use "esto" a lot 22

Tip #16 - Find "fill-in-the-blank" sentence patterns 23

Tip #17 - Practice new phrases in the exact physical position you'll be in while using them in real life 24

Tip #18 - Make flash cards for anytime review 25

Tip #19 - Record the phrases with your phone or MP3 player's voice recorder and listen to them over and over 26

Tip #20 - Vividly visualize yourself speaking Spanish 26


Tip #21 - Say something in Spanish every chance you can 27

Tip #22 - Use your learning style to your advantage 28

Tip #23 - Enlist the help of Spanish speakers around you 28

Tip #24 - Use cheat sheets for all routine tasks and procedures 29

Tip #25 - Repetition, repetition, repetition 30

Tip #26 - Stick to the relevant stuff 30

Tip #27 - Keep a pen and paper handy for writing/drawing 31

Tip #28 - Use technology to your advantage 32

Tip #29 - Find a study partner 33

Tip #30 - Be consistent, pace yourself, and never give up 34

Appendix A - "Esto" Cheat Sheet 35

Appendix B - DINA Cheat Sheet 37

Appendix C - Sample Workplace Cheat Sheet 39

References 41


Introduction

Welcome to a new and effective approach to learning Spanish for work! I'm glad you've chosen to start this journey. My name is Lily Ann Fouts. In Mexico they often called me Lilí or Liliana. I moved down there at the age of 8 with my single mom and younger sister. It's a long story, but basically Mom "kidnapped" us from our biological dad--who had obtained legal custody of us--to protect us from his abuse.

Mexico was the best thing that ever happened to me! While we hid out from my father, the police, and the FBI, I learned to speak fluent Spanish and became immersed in the culture of Latin America. We developed friendships in Mexico which have lasted to this day. After five years in Mexico, we returned to the U.S. and a few years later I studied Education and Spanish in college, graduating with honors.

I love to teach and over the years have taught in bilingual elementary classrooms, college Spanish classrooms, and--most enjoyably--many different workplaces. My clients have included educational institutions, libraries, hospitals, dental offices, a manufacturing plant, and more!

After getting married to an adventurous world traveler a couple of years back, teaching classes on-site has become impractical for me, but I haven't lost my love of teaching Spanish. During the 2012-2013 summer season in Antarctica, my husband and I worked at the South Pole Station. Although I now have a Master's degree, I felt so excited at the opportunity to live and work at the South Pole that I took a position as a dishwasher just to get down there. One of my co-workers in the galley turned out to be a radiology technician in the "real world" up north, and when she learned I spoke Spanish she told me she wished she could speak some Spanish for work. I decided to teach her a little bit, and made a cheat sheet for her to use when she returned to work in the medical field. She was thrilled!

My experience at the South Pole motivated me to pursue my passion for teaching Spanish again--but now I do it all online, since we're always on the move! I hope you find a lot of value in the free materials I put together for you here in this e-book as well as on my website, www.SwiftSpanish.com. What you'll learn in this booklet is the result of many years of teaching, training, trial and error, and refinement. You can learn the basics of Spanish for the workplace in just weeks. Use the tips and strategies in this eBook to get started NOW!


Tip #1 - Know How to Pronounce the Spanish Letters

Your Spanish won't do much good if nobody can understand you! Almost

everyone who learns Spanish as an adult will have an accent, but proper

pronunciation (accent aside) is achievable by anyone. Luckily, most Spanish

letters are pronounced pretty much the way English letters are. Here are the

ones that are different:

The Spanish vowels--A, E, I, O, and U--are pronounced

“ah,” “eh,” “ee,” “oh,” and “oo” respectively.

Always pronounce the A like the A in salsa or arch (ah).

Always pronounce the E like the E in egg or exit (eh).

Always pronounce the I like the I in gila monster or

tortilla (ee).

Always pronounce the O like the O in taco or nachos (oh).

Always pronounce the U like the U in flute or tune (oo).

The important thing to remember is that each vowel only has one sound (unlike

some of our English vowels, which can start out with one sound and “glide” into

another sound. The long "A" for example starts out saying "eh" and then glides

into "ee"). Spanish vowels are always pronounced the same way–there are no

“long” and “short” vowels like we have in English. A is always “ah,” E is always

“eh,” and so on.

The letter G has hard and soft sounds. The hard G is like

our English hard G in the word “garden,” but the soft G

is pronounced like an H, much like in the word "gila

monster." Don’t pronounce it like a J like we do in

English. The G is soft when it is followed be E and I. It

sounds like “hay,” and “he.”

To make a hard “gay/ghee” sound, you spell it like this:


GUE/GUI. This is one instance where the U is silent. The sounds “gway” and

“gwee” are pretty rare in Spanish, but you distinguish them with the special u

with dots over it: Ü. Using this special U (güe/güi) tells the reader that the U is

not silent.

The letter H is silent in Spanish, like it is in our English

words "hour" and "honor." You pronounce the word

as though the letter were not even there. For

example, the word hora (hour) is pronounced “ora.”

The letter J sounds like our English H. You’ve probably

heard of jalapeños, or maybe San José, California…

The double LL. Although the single L is pretty much the

same as in English, the double L is pronounced like our English Y. Most of us are

familiar with tortillas and quesadillas. Maybe some of us have even vacationed in

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The LL used to actually be considered a separate letter in

the Spanish alphabet, with its own section in the dictionary and everything. That

changed quite a few years ago, however.

The letter Ñ is the only letter in the Spanish alphabet

which does not exist in the English alphabet. It sounds

like the “ny” in canyon or the “ni” in onion and union.

Maybe you’ve seen it in Cañon City–a town in Colorado,

or La Niña–one of Christopher Columbus’s three ships, or

the el Niño climatic phenomenon that happens every few

years.

QUE and QUI are used in Spanish to make the sounds "kay" and "key." It's

pronounced like in our words “bouquet,” and “quiche.” The U is silent Like the U

in "gue" and "gui" (see above), though many Americans may be tempted to say

“kway” or “kwee.” If you need to say “kway” or “kwee,” spell it CUE and

CUI. (The letter K is rarely used in Spanish.)

The letter R seems to be the most dreaded of the Spanish consonants. The rolled

R, which you often hear when a word begins with R or when there is a double “rr”


inside the word, is very difficult for most Americans to

pronounce. Although your inability to properly

pronounce the R will instantly give you away as an

American, you’ll still be understood, which is the most

important thing to keep in mind. Don’t worry too much

if you can’t get it just right. The R is not always

rolled. Sometimes it is “flapped,” similar to the way we

Americans flap our tongue against the ridge inside our

mouth when we say the “tt” in the words “letter,” and “butter,” or the “dd” in

“ladder.” Generally you roll the R when it appears at the beginning of a word, and

“flap” it when it appears in the middle of a word.

The letter X usually sounds just like our X in English, but once in awhile they

pronounce it like an H. For example, México is pronounced “MEH-hee-co.” This is

uncommon, but something to be aware of. Occasionally there are other ways to

pronounce the X, too, but they are so uncommon that we won’t worry about

those here.

The letter Z sounds like an S in Latin America. In Spain it

is pronounced differently, but we’ll focus on Latin

American pronunciation here because that is what we’ll

be more likely to encounter in the workplace here in the

U.S. Perhaps you have heard of pozole, a popular soup

in Mexico. It is pronounced ‘posole’ (and often spelled

that way in the States).

Tip #2 - Know What the Accent Marks Are All

About

Another key to proper Spanish pronunciation is knowing where to put the

emphasis when you're saying a word. In Spanish, emphasizing the wrong syllable


of a word could actually change its meaning! There are some general methods

for pronouncing Spanish words with and without accent marks–knowing which

part of the word to place the emphasis on (in other words, which part of the word

to say the loudest). The basic rules are:

1. If a Spanish word ends in a vowel, N, or S, emphasis is placed on the second-to-

last syllable in the word, regardless of how long the word is.

2. If a Spanish word ends with any other consonant besides N or S, emphasis is

placed on the final syllable, regardless of the length of the word.

3. Accent marks override the first two rules. Emphasis should always be placed on

the syllable that has the accent mark. Also, if the emphasis is placed anywhere

but the last or second-to-last syllable in any word, that word should have an

accent mark in it.

Placing the emphasis on the proper part of the word is important, because

sometimes emphasizing a different part of the word can change the meaning

entirely.

If you’re in the healthcare or child care field, you may encounter the word

“vomit” from time to time. In Spanish, the word is vómito. However, if you spell

it vomito it means “I vomit,” and if you spell it vomitó it means “you/he/she

vomited.” Two other common words that change meaning with an accent mark

are el papa/el papá (the pope or the dad) and mama/mamá (he/she/it suckles,

or mom). There are also some single-syllable words whose meaning changes

depending on whether or not they have accent marks, for example "si" means if,

while "sí" means yes; and "el" means the, while "él" means he or him.

Rule 1 (vowel/N/S) Rule 2 (other consonants) Rule 3 (accent marks)

vomito (I vomit) vomitar (to vomit) vómito (vomit)

trabajan (they work) trabajad (work [command]) trabajó (he/she worked)

limpio (clean) limpiar (to clean) limpió (he/she cleaned)

grapas (staples) veloz (fast) lápiz (pencil)

persistentemente (persistently)

telefonear (to phone) teléfono (telephone)


Tip #3 - Reverse Engineer Difficult-to-

Pronounce Words

and Phrases

If you encounter a long or

difficult-to-pronounce Spanish word, don't panic! Many people try to pronounce

the word by starting at the beginning of the word and slowly working their way

through it. This process takes longer than necessary. Instead, do this: write

down the word and then put slash marks through the word to mark off the

separate syllables. Then, just pronounce the last syllable, all by itself. Once

you're comfortable saying the last syllable, say the last two syllables. Repeat

them until you have them down. Then say the last three syllables, and so on, until

finally you are saying the whole word. Since you've become comfortable saying

the end of the word, it will roll off your tongue much more easily than when you

try to pronounce the word starting from the beginning! As an example, let's look

at the phrase "fecha de nacimiento" (date of birth).

fe/cha de na/ci/mien/to

Pronounced: FAY-chah day nah-see-mee+EN-toe

Say "toe."

Say "me+EN-toe" (run the "me" and the "EN" together in a single syllable)

Say "see-me+EN-toe" (Hey, that almost sounds like "See me IN tow"--see Tip #4

on humor and association.) Say this as many times as you need to until it just

flows off your tongue, then...

Say "nah-see-me+EN-toe" a few times.

Keep adding syllables one-by-one until you're saying the entire phrase with ease!


Tip #4 - Use Associations and Humor to

Remember Words and Phrases

With a little imagination, many Spanish words or parts of words sound like certain

English words. One effective way to remember words and phrases might be to

listen to the sound of the Spanish word, think of what it sounds like in English,

and then make vivid mental images of those things--preferably involving as many

of your senses as possible--to help you remember the Spanish words. Create a

short story in your mind to help you visualize the words and associate them to the

Spanish word you are trying to memorize.

For example, imagine you are trying to memorize the word muéstreme (show

me). It sounds a little like the words "moist-tray-may" in English. In your mind's

eye, visualize a moist tray. I see a brown plastic cafeteria style tray covered in

water droplets.

For the "may," I imagine that it is the month of May, and that the brown cafeteria

tray got left out in the middle of a flower garden and the sprinklers are on and it is

getting very moist!


To connect it to its meaning (show me), I imagine I need to get somebody to show

me where this tray goes, since it is obviously not in its place! Moist-tray-may.

Muéstreme. Show me.

Try it next time you're having trouble remembering a particular word or phrase!

Tip #5 - Know the Basic Greetings

Almost every single interaction begins with the same basic greetings. It's

important to learn these to break the ice and establish initial trust with the people

we talk to. Here are the most important ones to learn:

English Spanish Pronunciation

Hello Hola OH-lah

Goodbye Adiós ah-DYOSE

Good morning Buenos días bway-noce DEE-ahs

Good afternoon Buenas tardes bway-nahs TAR-dess

Good evening/night Buenas noches bway-nahs NO-chase

See you later Hasta luego ah-stah LWAY-go

See you tomorrow Hasta mañana ah-stah mah-NYAH-nah

Until next time Hasta la próxima ah-stah la PROKE-see-mah

Have a good day Que le vaya bien kay lay vah-yah bee+EN

How are you? ¿Cómo está? CO-mo ess-TAH?

Very well, thank you Muy bien, gracias MOO+ee bee+EN, GRAW-see-ahs

Fine, thank you Bien, gracias bee+EN, GRAW-see+ahs

So-so (more or less) Más o menos MOSS oh may-noce



Not very well No muy bien No moo+ee bee+EN

Very bad Muy mal moo+ee MALL

That's great! ¡Qué bien! KAY bee+EN!

I'm sorry Lo siento Lo see+EN-toe

And you? ¿Y usted? ee oo-STEAD?

What's your name? ¿Cómo se llama? CO-mo say YAW-mah?

My name is... Me llamo... may YAW-moe...

Nice to meet you Mucho gusto MOO-cho GOOSE-toe

Likewise Igualmente ee-gwall-MEN-tay


Tip #6 - Learn Basic Expressions of Politeness

Politeness is important all over the world, and the Spanish-

speaking world is no exception. If you come across as rude and

distant, you won't win the trust or admiration of the people

you're trying to work with. A little "please," "thank you," "excuse

me," and "I'm sorry" can go a long way. Here are the most

important expressions of politeness to learn:


Please Por favor pour fa-VORE

Thank you Gracias GRAW-see+ahs

Thank you very much Muchas gracias MOO-chahs GRAW-see+ahs

You're welcome De nada day NAH-dah

It's not a problem No es problema NO ess pro-BLEH-mah

Just a moment. Un momento oon mo-MEN-toe

Excuse me (coming through). Con permiso cone pair-ME-so

Pardon me (interrupting, etc). Perdón pair-DOAN

Tip #7 - Know Your Numbers

There's hardly an aspect of life where numbers don't come up. You'll need to use

them for telling time, the days of the month, doing financial transactions, getting

ages and dates of birth, identification numbers, addresses, and so much more.

Here are the numbers, followed by six ideas for learning them.


Numerals and Spanish Pronunciation

1. uno OO-no

2. dos dose

3. tres trace

4. cuatro QUA-trow

5. cinco SINK-oh

6. seis sase

7. siete see+EH-tay

8. ocho OH-cho

9. nueve NWAY-vay

10. diez dee+ESS

11. once OWN-say

12. doce DOE-say

13. trece TRAY-say

14. catorce caw-TORE-say

15. quince KEEN-say

16. dieciséis dee+ess-ee-SASE

17. diecisiete dee+ess-ee-see+EH-tay

18. dieciocho dee+ess-ee-OH-cho

19. diecinueve dee+ess-ee-NWAY-vay

20. veinte VEIN-tay

21. veintiuno vein-tee-OO-no

22. veintidós vein-tee-DOSE

23. veintitrés vein-tee-TRACE

24. veinticuatro vein-tee-QUA-trow

25. veinticinco vein-tee-SINK-oh

26. veintiséis vein-tee-SASE

27. veintisiete vein-tee-see+EH-tay

28. veintiocho vein-tee-OH-cho

29. veintinueve vein-tee-NWAY-vay

30. treinta TRAIN-tah

31. treinta y uno train-tah ee OO-no


32. treinta y dos train-tah ee DOSE

40. cuarenta qua-REN-tah

50. cincuenta seen-KWENN-tah

60. sesenta say-SEN-tah

70. setenta say-TEN-tah

80. ochenta oh-CHEN-tah

90. noventa no-VEN-tah

100. cien see+EN

101. ciento uno see+en-toe OO-no

200. doscientos dose-see+EN-toes

300. trescientos trace-see+EN-toes

400. cuatrocientos qua-trow-see+EN-toes

500. quinientos key-nee+EN-toes

600. seiscientos sase-see+EN-toes

700. setecientos say-tay-see+EN-toes

800. ochocientos oh-cho-see+EN-toes

900. novecientos no-vay-see+EN-toes

1000. mil meel

1,000,000 un millón un mee-YOAN

2,000,000 dos millones dose mee-YO-nace

3,000,000 tres millones trace mee-YO-nace

0. cero SAY-row

Here are some ideas for learning the numbers:

For numbers 1-10, take a deck of playing cards and use them

as flash cards (see Tip #18 on using flash cards). Remove the

face cards. If you have a language learning partner (Tip #33)

play against them--whoever calls out the correct number

first keeps the card; most cards wins.

For numbers 1-12, practice by rolling dice and calling out the

number as quickly as possible. To play against a partner,


have a stack of pennies, poker chips, beans, or some other small token. Whoever

calls the number correctly first gets a token. Most tokens wins.

For the multiples of ten (10, 20, 30, 40, etc.), use the playing cards and pretend

each number has a zero after it. (So 2 becomes 20; 6 becomes 60; etc.) Do the

same for multiples of 100 (so 2 becomes 200; 6 becomes 600; etc).

For random 2-digit numbers (e.g. 53, 19, 42, 67, etc) put

two playing cards together (take out the 10s to

avoid confusion). So if you randomly draw an 8

and an ace, it would represent the number 81:

ochenta y uno. If you drew an ace and a five, it would

represent the number 15: quince. Do this for three digit

numbers, too, if you like!

Keep on practicing and drilling yourself until you can say the numbers in Spanish

without hesitation!

Tip #8 - Combine Gestures With Simple

Phrases

When they can't yet speak a language, most people rely on charades and physical

gestures to get their message across. Knowing a few simple phrases can help

clarify these gestures and make you a more effective communicator. Here are a

few phrases you can use:

Show me, please. Muéstreme, por favor.

(MWAYS-tray-may, pore fa-VORE.) (For a tip to

help you remember the word muéstreme, see

Tip #4 on Associations.) This is useful if the

Spanish speaker is trying to explain where

something is or trying to describe anything that

they can easily show you. You can have them


point a place out on a map, or physically take you somewhere, or pull out a

physical object to show you.

Do this. Haga esto. (AH-gah ESS-toe.) This is an extremely versatile phrase. If

you’re trying to give someone instructions and you don’t know all the words to

explain it but you can show it, just say “Haga esto” and demonstrate for them!

On the other hand, if you see a Spanish speaker doing something they

are not supposed to, you can say No haga esto–DON’T do this.

Like this. Así. (ah-SEE.) Maybe you

asked someone to do something and

they’re doing it wrong, or they are trying

to figure something out. You can come

alongside them and demonstrate the

proper technique as you say “Asi.”

There’s a lot you can do with just a little

bit of Spanish if you can find ways to pair

useful sentences like these with gestures.

Tip #9 - Have a Clear Idea of What You Need to

Communicate

As you learn Spanish, be very conscious about the language you use regularly and

what your actual needs are in the workplace. One of the key concepts to quickly

learning Spanish for work is that less is more. Sit down and think through a typical

day at work. What are your usual routines and procedures? Are there certain

things that you say over and over throughout the day to your clients or co-

workers? What phrases do you say most often? What are the most critical and

important things that you say in your daily routines?


If you're a medical professional, are there certain procedures you do every day

with your patients? What commands, questions, and statements do you use in

every case?

If you're a teacher, what are the most important things you need to say to your

students? Are there classroom management phrases you use every day? "Raise

your hand please," "Sit down please," "Quiet please"?

If you're a construction worker, are there

certain safety phrases, commands,

instructions, or compliments that you say

regularly?

If you're a supervisor, is there a set of

instructions or information that you need

to convey to your employees?

Spend some time thinking about what the greatest language needs are, and then

write them down. Try to distinguish between "nice-to-know" phrases and "NEED-

to-know" phrases. If it's practical to do so, keep a notebook with you on the job

and take notes of what you say and do throughout the day. Look for patterns.

Write down all the important, regularly-used phrases you can think of. Develop a

clear idea of what your objectives are and what you need to say in Spanish to

communicate most effectively with your Spanish-speaking clients and co-workers,

then focus your efforts where it matters most.

Tip #10 - Prioritize Your Communication Needs

To expand on the thought of Tip #9, take your list of high-use

phrases and prioritize them. There are several ways in which

you might choose to do this, depending on your needs.

One way is to prioritize in order of most used to least used.

Following the 80/20 rule, which 20% of the phrases in your list


get used 80% of the time? Order your sentences accordingly, and then begin

learning your most used phrases first.

A second way to prioritize might be to first put your sentences into logical groups.

Group your sentences according to each procedure or situation. For example, if

you're a law enforcement officer, you might put all the phrases you use in a

routine traffic stop into one group, and all the phrases you use when responding

to a car accident into another group. Once you have all your phrases grouped by

situation, prioritize the groups in order with the most common situation at the

top.

A third option for prioritizing is to look not at the most used sentences, but the

most critical ones. Maybe you use some sentences more, but other sentences are

actually more important to your business or to the safety of the workplace. Think

about what sentences are the most critical to the operation of your business--

what 20% of your phrases will yield 80% of your results--and start with those.

Eventually, of course, you'd like to learn all your phrases, but by prioritizing you

increase your effectiveness from day one. Arranging your phrases into a logical

order also helps to break the learning task into manageable steps that you can

start tackling right away. Choose the method that makes the most sense for you

and get started!

Tip #11 - Find Versatile Phrases that You Can

Use in Many Different Situations

There are some sentences that you can use in such a way that they can mean a lot

of different things depending on the way or the context in which you use them. A

change in your body language or tone of voice can alter the meaning of a single

word quite dramatically.

For example, think of the word "No" (which, conveniently, is the same word in

Spanish). You can say "No" with an emotionless, calm voice, to answer a


question. Or you can say "No" as you put your hand up to stop someone from

giving you something or physically doing something to you, to indicate that you

don't want it. If someone is approaching you aggressively, you can be more

forceful and shout, "NO!" If someone is about to do something or go somewhere

dangerous, a sharp "No!" shouted at them could bring them to a halt. If

something bad has just happened, you can scream, "Nooooooo....!!" So the word

"No" is a great example of a versatile phrase that you can use in many different

ways.

Here are some more phrases that can be very versatile:

Por favor. (pore fa-VORE.) You might remember this means "Please." You can

use it not only to be polite, but also combine it with gestures, hand motions, and

facial expressions to ask to borrow an item, take someone's coat to hang up,

invite someone to have a seat, and more.

Haga esto (see Tip #8) is another example of a very versatile phrase. As you think

about what phrases you'd like to learn for your job, try to think of versatile

phrases like these that can be used in many different scenarios.

Tip #12 - Be a Control Freak

The more of a beginner you are, the more important this tip is.

In order for you to be able to carry on two-way communication

with any degree of success, you not only need to be able to

make yourself understood, you also need to be able to

understand what the Spanish-speaker is trying to say to you. I

have a hearing loss and I have to ask "what?" a lot. With

Spanish, you may find yourself doing the same thing. Having

them repeat, slow down, or explain themselves in a different way may help you to

understand much better. Here are a few phrases to control them accordingly:


Speak more slowly, please.

Hable más despacio, por favor.

AH-blay MOSS dess-SPA-see+oh pore fa-VORE.

Repeat, please.

Repita, por favor.

ray-PEE-tah, pore fa-VORE.

I don’t speak much Spanish.

No hablo mucho español.

No AH-blow MOO-cho ess-pah-NYOAL.

I don’t understand.

No entiendo.

No en-tee+EN-doe.

Tip #13 - Ask Yes/No Questions

If you need to get some information from the Spanish-

speaker, avoid open-ended questions at all cost. Do not

ask things like, "What happened here?" or "What did you

do yesterday?" or "What symptoms have you been

having?" Once they begin to answer, you'll wish you'd

never asked. Instead, learn to ask questions that have a

yes or no answer. "Is anybody hurt?" "Did you have fun

yesterday?" "Have you been vomiting?" Then when they answer, you'll get it. If

they try to tell a story when you've asked a yes/no question, remember Tip #12--

Take control! Tell them to answer with yes or no:


Answer with yes or no, please.

Responda con sí o no, por favor.

Ray-SPONE-dah cone SEE oh NO, pore fah-VORE.

Tip #14 - If a Yes/No Question isn't Possible,

Be Sure You'll Still be Able to Understand the

Answer

Yes/no questions aren't always possible, so if you must ask an open-ended

question it should be one in which their answer can be short and limited, such as

a number (“How old are you?” ”How much did this cost you?”), a day or date

(“What day did it happen?” ”What’s his date of birth?”), or another question that

would give a simple, definite answer (“Where are you from?” ”What is your

name?”). Don’t let them tell long stories unless you want some Spanish listening

practice. Bring the conversation back under control.

Tip #15 - Use "Esto" a Lot

"Esto" means "this." You can combine the word

"this" with action words to express a lot of

commands, without having to learn the name of

each object you're referring to. We learned one

example of this in Tip #8: Haga esto--Do this.

Other things you could say with the word "this"

would be: Take this off, Put this on, Read this, Drink this, Eat this, Move this,

Clean this, Fix this, I need this, I want this, Throw this away, etc. If you're referring

to more than one item, say "estos" (these). The basic formula is:

[Action Command] + [this/these] + ["stuff"]


The "stuff" can be anything like an expression of time (e.g., "Do this now"), a

person or place (e.g., "Take this to Mr. T"), or any other words that would help to

complete the sentence so you can communicate what you need to say. "Stuff" is

optional in many cases. Take a look at the cheat sheet in Appendix A and circle or

highlight the action words you would use at work. Don't worry about learning the

words that aren't relevant to your job unless you just want the extra challenge.

Write down the super relevant phrases and make your own cheat sheet for the

job!

Tip #16 - Find "Fill in the Blank" Sentence

Patterns

A similar concept to using "esto" phrases (see Tip #15) is to find other sentences

that you can use over and over and just change one or two words in a fill-in-the-

blank style. The following formula uses what I call the D.I.N.A. words because

they express Desire (want to), Intent (going to), Need (need to/have to), or Ability

(can). By learning the DINA words and the basic formula, you can simply plug in

relevant workplace words--it's much faster than trying to learn the proper

conjugation of every single Spanish verb. (If you don't know what I mean by that,

don't worry about it. Just learn these formulas!)

Here's the master formula with some examples below:

[DINA word] + [action] + ["stuff"] + [./?]

Necesito (I need) limpiar (to clean) esto (this).

¿Puede (Can you) reparar (repair) esto mañana (this tomorrow)?

Queremos (We want) ir (to go) al parque (to the park).

¿Van a (Are y'all going to) comer (eat) la sandía (the watermelon)?

Just like the "esto" phrases, the action is any action a person could do, and "stuff"

is usually optional and it's just any words that help to complete the sentence. In

these DINA phrases, the "stuff" might actually be the word "esto"! The sentence

can be changed to a question simply by changing the tone of your voice from a

command or statement to a question tone, with a rising inflection at the end.


Fortunately, these are yes/no questions (see Tip #13)! See Appendix B for a DINA

cheat sheet!

Another handy fill-in-the-blank phrase is: ¿Cuál es su ___? It means, "What is

your ___?" Fill in the blank with:

name nombre NOME-bray

last name apellido ah-pay-YEE-doe

address dirección dee-reck-see+OWN

telephone number número de teléfono NOO-mare-oh day tay-LAY-foe-no

date of birth fecha de nacimiento FAY-chah day naw-see-me+EN-toe

place of birth lugar de nacimiento loo-GAR day naw-see-me+EN-toe

etc.

Tip #17 - Practice New Phrases in the Exact

Physical Position You'll be in While Using Them

in Real Life

Most people study sitting in a chair and leaning

over a book. This is a completely different

context from what most people are in at

work. Muscle memory can play into language

learning. If you learn while sitting and looking

down, then it may be harder for you to recall

what you learned while standing or walking

around. As you learn and rehearse new phrases, try to put yourself into the

physical position you’ll be likely to be in when you actually use the phrases at

work. Will you be on the phone? Will you be walking around? Will you be

standing in front of a patient? Try to use props (phones, tables, tools, etc) to

simulate your actual work environment as you learn and repeat new phrases and

put yourself into the physical position you will be in when you say them.


Another thing you can do is to create a subtle motion that you can link to a phrase

that you're trying to learn. For example, when you're learning the phrase,

"Repita, por favor," (see Tip #12) you can make a little circular motion with your

finger. Do this motion each time you say the phrase. When you're ready to use

the phrase in real life, if you have trouble remembering it, do the motion. Often

the muscle memory will kick in and doing the motion will help you to remember

the phrase. Try it!

Tip #18 - Make Flash

Cards for Anytime Review

Flash cards are a great way to help you

review and remember the phrases you're

learning. You can easily carry them in your

pocket and review for 1-2 minutes at a time, while waiting in line at the post

office, sitting in standstill traffic, while on hold on the phone, or any other

moment of "dead time" throughout the day. For a nice, portable set of flash

cards, take some standard 3x5 index cards and cut them into fourths. Write the

English phrase on one side and the Spanish phrase on the other. Use a rubber

band to bind the cards into a neat, "pocketable" package that you can quickly pull

out and review at any time! If you're a visual learner, use colored index cards and

color-code your phrases in a way that makes sense to you. For example, if you

are a nurse and use different sets of phrases depending on which procedure

you're doing, color-code the index cards according to the phrases related to each

procedure (taking vital signs, drawing blood, giving an injection, assessing

symptoms, etc.).


Tip #19 - Record the Phrases with Your Phone

or MP3 Player's Voice Recorder

and Listen to Them Over and

Over

The best way to learn Spanish for the workplace is to speak,

speak, speak as much as possible! When you don't have

people around to speak with, practice speaking into a voice

recorder. If you can find a native speaker, have them speak the

phrases into the recorder for you to listen to over and over. Then

record your own voice and compare. Try to imitate the native

speaker as closely as possible. Practice speaking the phrases over and over, and

then listen to them over and over. The more you can expose yourself to the

language, the faster you'll learn!

Tip #20 - Vividly Visualize Yourself Speaking

Spanish

Visualization is a powerful tool used by professional

athletes and highly successful people around the

world. When you combine it with real-world practice,

it will help you to achieve your Spanish goals much

faster! Studies have proven that mental practice is

almost as effective as physical practice. Here's how to

prime your brain for occupational Spanish success:

Close your eyes. Imagine yourself speaking Spanish

with your clients or co-workers. Imagine that you have

achieved your goal, and your Spanish is just flowing

from you fluidly and easily. Imagine the scenario as vividly as possible. Who is

with you? Imagine their reactions to you. Are they nodding with understanding?


Are they talking back in an animated conversation with you? What are you

wearing in this scenario? Do you have a work uniform on? How are you feeling?

Are you proud and happy about being able to communicate in Spanish with ease?

What kind of environment are you in? Are you on a noisy construction site? In a

quiet medical office? In a busy classroom? What are the sights, sounds, and

smells around you?

Do not allow yourself to imagine anything but perfect success. Every single day

for a few minutes at a time, practice visualizing speaking perfect Spanish.

Tip #21 - Say Something in Spanish Every

Chance You Can

Many people will spend time in their homes or cars trying to learn Spanish from a

book or audio program, but are too embarrassed to go meet and talk to real

people. However, communication is a two-way street and you can only fully learn

if you push past your comfort zone and commit to speaking Spanish with real

people, at work if possible. After all, isn't learning Spanish for work your ultimate

goal? If you need to, take a cheat sheet with Spanish phrases on it to work with

you and start out by referring to your sheet!

Do you ever find yourself in a situation where you could actually use your Spanish,

and then suddenly it’s gone? Does your mind ever go blank when you try to

speak Spanish?

Try this: think of ONE (just one) sentence you will use in Spanish at the very next

opportunity you have. Don’t try to remember everything; just focus on that one

phrase. Maybe it’s something as simple as hola (hello), or it could be a bit longer,

like Sientese, por favor (Have a seat, please).

As they say, if you don’t use it, you lose it, so make a fail-proof way for yourself

to use your Spanish as often as possible! Once you’ve mastered saying one

phrase, focus on another, and then another. The more often you practice, the


more comfortable you will become, and the less often you’ll find your mind going

blank.

Tip #22 - Use Your Learning Style to Your

Advantage

Some people tend to prefer learning by seeing

something. Others prefer hearing it. Still others

prefer to learn by physically doing something. Most

of us have a combination of these different learning

styles. Try to learn in more than one way. Read

it. Listen to it. Say it. Manipulate it. Color code it. Sing

it. Listen to background music while you learn. Make motions to go with it. Role

play it. Discover what methods are most effective for you and use those to your

advantage as you learn Spanish.

Tip #23 - Enlist the Help of Spanish Speakers

Around You

What if we could partner up with the Spanish speakers we encounter in our

places of work and trade languages with them? If you could help a Spanish

speaker to learn English and have them help you to learn Spanish, what a great

partnership that would be! I love the idea of a world in which everyone can speak

two or more languages! I've found that many Spanish speakers are happy and

excited to help English speakers learn their language, so if you ask them questions

most of them will be glad to help.

If you need to learn the word for something, you can point to it or find a picture

of it and ask, "Qué es esto?" (KAY ess ESS-toe?) What is this?


You can also ask, "¿Cómo se dice esta acción en español?" (CO-mo say DEE-say

ESS-tah ox-see+OWN en ess-pa-NYOAL?) and then do an action that you want to

know the word for. It means, How do you say this action in Spanish? For example,

if you want to know how to say "to breathe" in Spanish, ask, ¿Cómo se dice esta

acción en español? Then breathe in and out in an exaggerated way.

You could also ask, ¿Cómo se dice ___ en español? where the blank is something

in English that you want to know how to say in Spanish. For example, ¿Cómo se

dice "get up please" en español? (How do you say "Get up please" in Spanish?)

But of course, this only works if the Spanish speaker knows enough English to

translate in which case you can probably just ask them in English, How do you say

___? But in the interest of

keeping up on our Spanish

practice it doesn't hurt to ask

this in Spanish even if you are

talking to someone who can

speak a little English...

Another time you might use "Cómo se dice" is if you see a Spanish word, perhaps

on a sign or brochure, and you're not exactly sure how to pronounce it. You can

write it down or show them the word, and ask, ¿Cómo se dice esta palabra? (CO-

mo say DEE-say ESS-tah pah-LA-bra?) How do you say this word?

Once you learn a little Spanish, it becomes easier and easier to learn more!

Tip #24 - Use Cheat Sheets for All Routine

Tasks and Procedures

Is there a particular task or procedure that you do all the time as a routine part of

your job? Write down the phrases you'll need to know for that procedure, get

them translated into Spanish, learn how to properly pronounce them, and then

put them down on a sheet of paper or an index card that you can refer to while

you're going through that procedure with a Spanish-speaker. Do this until you've


Repetition

Repetition

Repetition

Repetition

Repetition

got the phrases committed to memory. Use the "esto commands" (Tip #15) and

fill-in-the-blank DINA phrases (Tip #16) to get started! See Appendix C for an

example cheat sheet.

Tip #25 - Repetition, Repetition, Repetition

Repetition is key to getting the important

phrases you need to know into your long-

term memory bank. Repeat phrases until

you are saying them in your dreams at

night. Repeat them until you feel like you

couldn't possibly repeat them again, and

then repeat some more. Vary your

practice. Repeat using different voices

(sing-song, whisper, growl, normal voice, etc).

Repeat in front of a mirror. Repeat with a

study partner. Repeat into a voice recorder and

then listen to the phrases multiple times, too (Tip #19). Repeat with flash cards

throughout the day(Tip #18). Repeat a sentence over and over until it just pops

out without you even having to think about it.

Tip #26 - Stick to the Relevant Stuff

Many people are scared by verb conjugations and other grammatical details and

start spending time trying to understand them instead of moving on and actually

using the language. If you need to become fluent in Spanish and thoroughly

understand how the language works, it might be worth spending more time on

grammar. For most workplace needs, though, this is not the case. Don’t let

grammar rules stop you from finding out the right way to say a phrase you need


to know, and then moving on. Grammar is irrelevant unless you're a grammar

geek who really gets it.

The foods, the animals, articles of clothing, household items... Many people start

out learning Spanish by labeling everything in the house with Spanish words

and/or learning lists of vocabulary words. Knowing these words will do nothing

for your ability to communicate on the job if they have nothing to do with your

work and/or you can’t put them into a useful sentence. If you want to know the

Spanish names of things for personal enrichment purposes, that is fine, but it

won’t help much at work. Focus on learning phrases you’ll really use at work,

rather than isolated and irrelevant words.

Finally, it’s important to be able to pronounce the language clearly enough to be

well understood by the people you’re trying to communicate with, but don’t

despair if your pronunciation doesn’t sound native. Unless you’re an undercover

spy, that doesn’t matter so much. The more you practice, the better your

pronunciation will become over time. Don’t spend so much time trying to roll

your Rs properly that you don’t actually get out there and talk! People will still

understand you if you can’t roll your Rs. Stick to the stuff that's really relevant to

communicating what you need to say at work.

Tip #27 - Keep a pen and paper handy for

writing/drawing

Sometimes if you can't express what you need to say, you

can draw it out in a "Pictionary" style and get the other

person to guess your meaning. Also, there are times

when it really helps to see a word written out. If a

Spanish speaker is trying to communicate something to

you but you just can't seem to get the word they're

saying, sometimes having them write it out for you can

make all the difference. Keep a pen and paper nearby for


instances like these where it might come in handy. If you need a Spanish speaker

to write out something they are trying to say to you, hand them the pen and

paper and say:

Escríbalo aquí, por favor. (ess-SCREE-bah-lo ah-KEY, pore fa-VORE.) Some people

remember this because “escríbalo” sounds like “scribble.” It means, Write it here

please.

Tip #28 - Use Technology to Your Advantage

While there is nothing quite like the ability to

fully communicate, human-to-human, there is an

impressive collection of technological tools now

available to people looking for translation, and

these tools are getting better all the time. Years

ago, when online translators first came out, I

used them more as a source of good comedy

than as a serious tool for translation. With their

accuracy improving dramatically, I now often use

them as a starting point if I have a large amount

of text I need to translate. I simply paste my text

into the translator, then proofread the

output. There are still always mistakes and changes from the original intent of

the passage, but it’s usually quite accurate. If you’re near a computer, make use

of Google Translate or any other free translation software widely available on the

internet. If you have a smart phone, there are many wonderful apps–many of

them free or just a dollar or two–which can come in very handy for

translation. Some apps, including Google Translate, will translate voice-to-voice,

allowing a person to speak into the phone in English, and the phone will speak the

translation in Spanish, and vice versa. Obviously there are some situations that

merit complete accuracy and for those it is best to get your phrases translated by

a fluent speaker of Spanish, but in many cases technology will work in a pinch.

The internet is also a wonderful place to find human study partners (see Tip


#29). Use these tools to your advantage as you work to understand your Spanish

speakers!

Tip #29 - Find a Study Partner

It can help a lot to have another

live person to practice with. I

remember before a trip to

Romania in 2005 I found

somebody else who was also

planning to make the trip and

we met with each other every

week to practice learning

Romanian. By drilling each

other and working together, we

were able to enjoy our trip more because, unlike the others in our group, we

could communicate with the locals, at least on a basic level. Not only did we

enjoy it more, but the locals were very impressed that we had taken the time and

effort to learn their language, and they really appreciated it and made us feel

extra special! Years later, a friend of mine ran into someone that we had met in

Romania. They remembered our group and me in particular because of the effort

I had made to speak their language.

See if you can find a friend or co-worker who would be interested in studying with

you. Ideally, find someone in your career field who will be interested in learning

the same kinds of phrases that you need to use at work. Drill each other, test

each other, role play together. Get creative and invent games and contests with

each other to help you master the language you're working on learning.

If you can't find a person to practice with you face-to-face, go online. There are

many language learning communities online where you might be able to find

someone who would be willing to partner with you to learn Spanish. Within your

particular career field, do you belong to any forums or online communities?


Could you find someone online--maybe even a group of people--in your career

field who would like to learn with you? With tools like Skype, Google Hangouts,

Facebook, etc. there are many ways to interact with other learners in the virtual

world.

Tip #30 - Be Consistent, Pace Yourself, and

Never Give Up

No matter how motivated a person is, there is only so much they will be able to

retain after awhile. Learning Spanish in short, frequent sittings is much better

than learning it in long, occasional sittings. Try to work on it a little bit at a time in

short segments a few times each day, then think about what you’ve learned for a

few hours before tackling any more.

It takes regular practice, preferably daily, to become good at a new language. If

you spend hours at a time working on Spanish but then do nothing for a week or

two, you won’t make much progress. Practice regularly and consistently.

Some people have to work harder than others, but I believe that with enough

dedication anyone can learn enough Spanish to be effective in most job

situations, and it will only take a few weeks if you push yourself. It’s easy to give

up, but take a deep breath and try a new approach. Use the tips in this book to

give you new ideas and insight on ways you can learn Spanish for the workplace.

If what you are doing now isn’t working for you, try something new. You can do

it! Never give up!


Appendix A - "Esto" Cheat Sheet (from Tip #15)

Mix and match the words below to create relevant commands you can use in the workplace. Use the blank spots to add your own words!

[Action command] + [this/these] + ["Stuff"].

Answer/Conteste...

esto/estos

Arrange / Arregle..

Begin / Empieze...

Bring / Traiga... please. /por favor.

Build / Construya...

Buy / Compre...

Carry / Cargue...

Change / Cambie...

Check / Compruebe...

Clean / Limpie...

Close / Cierre...

esto/estos

Combine / Combine...

Complete / Complete... to [place] / a [place].

Copy / Copíe... to [person] / a [person].

Correct / Corrija...

Cut / Corte...

Delegate / Delegue...

Do / Haga

Draw (picture) / Dibuje...

Drink / Tome...

Eat / Coma...

esto/estos

Eliminate / Elimina...

Examine / Examine...

Explain / Explique...

Fill / Llene...

Find / Encuentre... now. / ahora.

Finish / Termine.... tomorrow. / mañana.

Fix / Repare... later. / luego.

Follow / Siga... quickly. / rápido.

Get up (oneself)/Levántese... first. / primero.

Grab / Agarre...

esto/estos

second. / segundo.

Have / Tenga... third. / tercero.

Hold / Sostenga...

Improve / Mejore...

Install / Instale...

Label / Marque...

Lay down (oneself) / Acuéstese...

Learn / Aprenda...

Leave / Salga...

Make / Haga...

esto/estos

Measure / Mida...

Modify / Modifique...

Move / Mueva...

Observe / Observe...

Open / Abra...

Operate / Opera...

Organize / Organize...


Pay / Pague...

esto/estos

Practice / Practique...

Prepare / Prepare...

Print / Emprima... with this. / con esto.

Pull / Jale... with him. / con él.

Push / Empuje... with her. / con ella.

Put on (oneself) / Póngase... with them. / con ellos.

Raise / Levante... with us. / con nosotros.

Read / Lea...

Release / Suelte...

Remember / Recuerde...

Remove / Remueva...

esto/estos

Repair / Repare...

Replace / Reemplaze...

Say / Diga...

Sell / Venda...

Send / Mande...

Share / Comparta...

Study / Estudie...

Take / Lleve...

Take off (oneself) / Quítese...

Take out / Saque...

esto/estos

Throw / Tire...

Try / Pruebe...

Turn / Voltee...

Use / Use...

Watch / Mire...

Weigh / Pese...

Write / Escriba...

esto/estos

[Miscellaneous word] + [this/these] + ["stuff"]. I like / Me gusta...

esto/estos

I need / Necesito... item. / artículo.

I want / Quiero... item. / artículos.

thing. / cosa.

things. / cosas.


Appendix B - DINA Cheat Sheet (from Tip #16)

D = Desire (want to) Use to express your wants or ask what others want to do.

I = Intent (going to) Use to tell or ask what you or others will do.

N = Need (need to/have to) Use to inform, command, or ask what is needed.

A = Ability (can) Use to inform or ask someone to do something or find out if

someone is able to do something.

Look in a Spanish-English dictionary to find relevant actions and words to add to

the "action" and "stuff" column. I've started you off with a few. Which of these

sentences could you use every day at work? Write them down and learn them!

[DINA phrase] + [action] + ["stuff"] + [./?]

De

sire

(w

ant

to)

I want to... Quiero...

answer contestar

.

Do I want to...? ¿Quiero...

?

You/He/She want(s) to... Quiere...

.

Do you/Does he/she want to...? ¿Quiere...

begin empezar

now ahora

?

They/Y'all want to... Quieren....

.

Do they/y'all want to...? ¿Quieren....

clean limpiar

?

We want to... Queremos...

eat comer

.

Do we want to...? ¿Queremos...

?

Inte

nt

(go

ing

to)

I'm going to...

Voy a...

explain explicar

.

Am I going to...? ¿Voy a...

?

You're/He's/She's going to...

Va a...

finish terminar

this first esto primero

.

Are you / Is he/she going to...? ¿Va a...

?

They /Y'all are going to... Van a....

leave salir

tomorrow mañana

.

Are they/y'all going to...? ¿Van a...

?

We're going to... Vamos a...

make hacer

supper la cena

.

Are we going to...? ¿Vamos a...

?


[DINA phrase] + [action] + ["stuff"] + [./?] N

ee

d (

ne

ed

to

, ha

ve t

o)

I need to... Necesito...

go ir

.

Do I need to..?.

¿Necesito...

?

You/He/She need(s) to... Necesita...

.

Do you / Does he/she need to...?

¿Necesita...

learn aprender

Spanish español

?

They/Y'all need to... Necesitan....

open abrir

the door la puerta

.

Do they/y'all need to...? ¿Necesitan....

?

We need to...

Necesitamos...

organize organizar

the room el cuarto

.

Do we need to...?

¿Necesitamos...

?

I have to... Tengo que...

practice practicar

a lot mucho

.

Do I have to...? ¿Tengo que...

?

You have to / He/She has to... Tiene que...

prepare preparar

.

Do you / Does he/she have to.? ¿Tiene que...

?

They/Y'all have to... Tienen que....

.

Do they/y'all have to...? ¿Tienen que....

read leer

everything todo

?

We have to...

Tenemos que...

remember recordar

this esto

.

Do we have to...?

¿Tenemos que...

?

Ab

ility

(ca

n)

I can... Puedo...

.

Can I...? ¿Puedo...

help ayudar

?

You/He/She can... Puede...

.

Can you/he/she...? ¿Puede...

lift levantar

your arm su brazo

?

They/Y'all can... Pueden....

.

Can they/y'all...? ¿Pueden....

?

We can... Podemos...

use usar

these estos

.

Can we...? ¿Podemos...

?


Appendix C - Sample Workplace Cheat Sheet

(from Tip #24)

Span

ish

for

the R

adio

logic

Tech

nolo

gis

t

(A)

AH

-gah

ES-

toe

po

r fa

h-V

OR

.

PA

H-r

ay-s

ay a

h-K

EY

Res

-PEE

-ray

pro

-FO

ON

-do

e e

e ex

-A

H-l

ay;

ah-O

H-r

a re

s-P

EE-r

ay d

ay N

WA

Y-

voe

ee m

ahn

-TEN

-gah

. A

h-O

H-r

a P

WA

Y-d

ay r

es-p

ee-R

AR

.

Ah

-KW

AY-

stay

-say

[d

ay e

s-P

ALL

-d

ah]

ah-K

EY/e

n E

S-ta

h c

ah-M

EE-

yah

.

PW

AY-

day

...

...ah

-SA

IR E

S-to

e?

...la

y-vo

n-T

AR

la p

ee+

AIR

-nah

/el

pee

+AY/

el B

RA

-so

?

See+

EN-t

ay-s

ay, p

or

fah

-VO

R.

Lay-

VO

N-t

ay-s

ay, p

or

fah

-VO

R.

Hag

a es

to, p

or

favo

r.

Pár

ese

aqu

í.

Res

pir

e p

rofu

nd

o y

exh

ale;

ah

ora

res

pir

e d

e n

uev

o y

man

ten

ga.

Ah

ora

pu

ede

resp

irar

.

Acu

éste

se [

de

esp

ald

a] a

qu

í/en

est

a ca

mill

a.

¿Pu

ede.

..

...

hac

er e

sto

?

...le

van

tar

la p

iern

a/el

pie

/el b

razo

?

Sién

tese

, po

r fa

vor.

Levá

nte

se, p

or

favo

r.

Do

th

is, p

leas

e.

Stan

d o

ver

her

e.

Take

a d

eep

bre

ath

in a

nd

exh

ale;

no

w

take

an

oth

er b

reat

h in

an

d h

old

it.

You

can

bre

ath

e n

ow

.

Lie

do

wn

[o

n y

ou

r b

ack]

her

e/o

n t

his

ta

ble

.

Can

yo

u...

...

do

th

is?

...

lift

you

r le

g/fo

ot/

arm

?

Sit

up

/sit

do

wn

, ple

ase.

Get

up

, ple

ase


Span

ish

for

the R

adio

logic

Tech

nolo

gis

t (B

)

Co

-LO

-kay

el P

AY-

cho

co

ne-

tra

la P

LAH

-

cah

.

DO

AN

-day

lay

DW

AY-

lay?

MW

AY-

stra

y-

may

, po

r fa

h-V

OR

.

Po

r K

WA

N-t

oe

tee+

EM-p

o a

h t

ay-N

EE-

do

e el

do

e-L

OR

E?

Ah

tay

-NEE

-do

e el

do

e-L

OR

E p

or.

.. ..

.mo

ss/M

AY-

no

es d

ay _

DEE

+ah

s?

…m

oss

/MA

Y-n

oes

day

_ s

ay-M

AH

-n

ahs?

…m

oss

/MA

Y-n

oes

day

_ m

ace/

MA

Y-

sess

?

Ah

tay

-NEE

-do

e...

..

.to

se?

..

.fee

+EH

-bra

y?

..

.dee

-ah

-RR

AY-

ah?

..

.NA

H+o

o-s

ay-a

h?

..

.mah

-RA

Y-o

h?

..

.VO

E-m

ee-t

oe?

...c

on

e-h

ess-

tee

+OW

N?

..

.dee

-fee

-co

ol-

TOD

D p

ah-r

ah

r

ay-s

pee

-RA

R?

Co

loq

ue

el p

ech

o c

on

tra

la p

laca

.

¿Dó

nd

e le

du

ele?

Mu

éstr

eme,

po

r fa

vor.

¿Po

r cu

ánto

tie

mp

o h

a te

nid

o e

l do

lor?

¿Ha

ten

ido

el d

olo

r p

or.

..

...

más

/men

os

de

# d

ías?

... m

ás/m

eno

s d

e #

sem

anas

?

... m

ás/m

eno

s d

e #

mes

/mes

es?

¿Ha

ten

ido

...

...

tos?

...

fieb

re?

...

dia

rrea

?

...n

ause

a?

...

mar

éo?

...

vóm

ito

?

...co

nge

stió

n?

...

dif

icu

ltad

par

a re

spir

ar?

Pu

t yo

ur

ches

t u

p a

gain

st t

his

bo

ard

.

Wh

ere

do

yo

u h

urt

? S

ho

w m

e, p

leas

e.

For

ho

w lo

ng

hav

e yo

u (

has

he/

she)

bee

n in

pai

n?

Hav

e yo

u (

has

he/

she)

had

th

e p

ain

fo

r...

...m

ore

/les

s th

an #

day

s?

...

mo

re/l

ess

than

# w

eeks

?

...m

ore

/les

s th

an #

mo

nth

/mo

nth

s?

Hav

e yo

u (

has

he/

she)

had

...

...

cou

gh?

...

feve

r?

...

dia

rrh

ea?

...

nau

sea?

...

diz

zin

ess?

...

vom

itin

g?

...

con

gest

ion

?

...tr

ou

ble

bre

ath

ing?


References:

LeVan, Angie. 2009. Seeing is Believing: The Power of Visualization. Psychology Today. Retrieved from:

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/flourish/200912/seeing-is-believing-the-power-visualization

Ranganathan, V.K., et al. 2004. From mental power to muscle power: gaining strength by using the

mind. Neuropsychologia. Retrieved from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14998709

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/flourish/200912/seeing-is-believing-the-power-visualization

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14998709

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