Day 77: The Boy Who Read His Chart
On morning rounds at a children's hospital in León, Guanajuato, Dr. Hernán Olvera (A), a pediatrician, finds his patient Matías (B), a nine-year-old boy recovering from an appendix operation, reading his own chart.
How to study this lesson 3 steps
- Read the situation under the title. It says who is talking and how they know each other, which decides how politely they speak.
- Read the dialogue line by line with its translation, until every line makes sense. Point at (or tap) a Spanish word to see what it means.
- Spend at least 30 minutes listening to native Spanish, for example from the Resources page. It doesn't matter if you don't understand it yet.
Dialogue
Audio recordings are on the way. For now, each lesson is the dialogue with its English translation.
Keys: E hide English · ← → previous / next day · point at a word to see its meaning
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A
Buenos días, Matías. ¿Y ese expediente? Debería tenerlo el residente, no el paciente de la cama 4.
Good morning, Matías. What are you doing with that chart? The resident should have it, not the patient in bed 4.
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B
Lo dejó en mi buró, doctor, y aquí dice “paciente cooperador”. ¿Cooperador? ¡Si yo no he dado ni un peso!
He left it on my bedside table, doctor, and it says here “cooperative patient.” Cooperative? I haven't chipped in a single peso!
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A
Cooperador quiere decir que te dejas revisar sin patalear, no que le entraste a la coperacha. ¿Qué más no entendiste?
Cooperative means you let us examine you without kicking up a fuss, not that you pitched in to the kitty. What else didn't you understand?
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B
Esto: “Si el paciente presentase fiebre, se diferirá el alta”. ¿Presentar fiebre? ¿Como quien presenta un proyecto en la escuela?
This: “Should the patient present with a fever, discharge will be deferred.” Present a fever? Like presenting a project at school?
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A
Los residentes escriben como notarios. En cristiano: si te da calentura, te quedas; si sigues afebril, o sea, sin fiebre, te vas.
Residents write like notaries. In plain Spanish: if you run a fever, you stay; if you're still afebrile, that is, fever-free, you go.
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B
¿Y cuándo me voy? El sábado cumple años mi primo, y aquí dice: “Si tolerase dieta blanda, valorar egreso”.
And when do I go? My cousin's birthday is on Saturday, and it says here: “Should the patient tolerate a soft diet, consider discharge.”
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A
¿Y la toleraste? La enfermera dice que te acabaste dos gelatinas y luego le pediste tacos al pastor.
And did you tolerate it? The nurse says you polished off two Jell-O cups and then asked her for tacos al pastor.
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B
¡Es que tenía hambre, doctor! Entonces, ¿llego a la fiesta o no? Va a haber brincolín y piñata.
I was hungry, doctor! So, do I make it to the party or not? There's going to be a bounce house and a piñata.
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A
Si no hay fiebre, mañana temprano firmo tu alta. Llegando a tu casa, derechito al sillón: nada de brincolín ni piñata. Retirados los puntos, podrás brincar lo que quieras.
If there's no fever, I'll sign your discharge first thing tomorrow. When you get home, straight to the sofa: no bounce house and no piñata. Once the stitches are out, you can jump as much as you like.
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B
¿Ni la piñata? Bueno, pero que conste en el expediente: paciente cooperador, afebril y con piñata pendiente.
Not even the piñata? All right, but put it on record in my chart: co-operative patient, afebrile, piñata outstanding.
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