🎉 HablaMed Dispatch- Master the Neurological Exam in Spanish! 🧠

Reader,

¡Buenos días!

Last week, we explored the imperative tense—an ESSENTIAL tool for performing a physical exam. This week, let’s apply that tense to one of the most intimidating tasks: the neurological exam!

🗣️ Entre Pacientes: ¡Domina el examen neurológico en español!

My biggest tip for those just starting to learn medical Spanish is to use the phrase “Haga esto” (Do this). Then, simply mimic the action you want the patient to do. It’s definitely not the most advanced approach, but when you’re just starting out (or your mind goes blank), it’s a quick and easy shortcut!

Below, we’ll do a brief review of how to form the imperative and then apply it to some common neuro exam instructions.:

1. Start with the infinitive (the base form of the verb):
   Examples: hablar, beber, escribir
2. Drop the final "-r" and switch the vowel:
   • For -ar verbs → change a to e
     • hablar → hable
     • caminar → camine
   • For -er and -ir verbs → change e/i to a
     • beber → beba
     • escribir → escriba

Think of it like a vowel swap:

• -ar → -e
• -er/-ir → -a

Check out the application to the neuro exam below. 💪

🧠 Vital Vocab: Beginners Neurologic Exam!

Want some ready-to-use examples? Here is a baseline for your next neuro exam --Try them out during your next encounter!

• Cierre los ojos (Close your eyes) — to ask the patient to close their eyes.
• Sonría y muéstreme los dientes (Smile and show me your teeth) — to assess facial symmetry.
• Levante los brazos (Raise your arms) — to check strength and coordination.
• Toque su nariz (Touch your nose) — to evaluate coordination.
• Camine en línea recta (Walk in a straight line) — to observe gait and balance.
• Dígame qué siente (Tell me what you feel) — to assess sensation.
• Apriete mis manos (Squeeze my hands) — to evaluate grip strength.

Interested in diving deeper into medical Spanish? Check out the pronunciation guide on our public dashboard at Habla-Med.com—and don’t forget to share this newsletter with your colleagues or friends who are passionate about medical Spanish! Together, we grow and learn.

¡Hasta la próxima!

—Tyler 💬

✨ Have suggestions or vocab requests?

Have questions or specific scenarios or vocab you’d like to cover? Reply to this email or fill out this google form with recommendations—I’m here to help! There's lots of other resources on our community dashboards- check them out!​