Spanish · Intermediate (B1) · Chapter 9 of 12
Health and lifestyle
Salud y estilo de vida
Talk about healthy habits in Spanish and understand advice with es importante que, le recomiendo que and negative commands like no tome.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Talk about your habits, diet and exercise
- Understand and give advice with es importante que and recomendar que
- Tell someone what not to do with usted: no tome, no se preocupe
Listen
Ramón Vázquez goes to his health centre in A Coruña to get the results of his blood test from Silvia, the nurse. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Silvia
Buenos días, Ramón. Siéntese. Ya tengo los resultados de su análisis.
Good morning, Ramón. Have a seat. I've got the results of your blood test.
Ramón
Buenos días. ¿Y qué tal? ¿Está todo bien?
Good morning. And how are they? Is everything all right?
Silvia
Casi todo. Pero tiene la tensión un poco alta, y el colesterol también.
Almost everything. But your blood pressure is a bit high, and your cholesterol too.
Ramón
Vaya. Mi médico ya me lo dijo el año pasado.
Oh dear. My doctor already told me that last year.
Silvia
Por eso es importante que cambie algunos hábitos. ¿Hace ejercicio?
That's why it's important that you change some habits. Do you do any exercise?
Ramón
Poco. Trabajo en una oficina y paso todo el día sentado.
Not much. I work in an office and I spend all day sitting down.
Silvia
Entonces le recomiendo que camine media hora al día. Y es mejor que use las escaleras y no el ascensor.
Then I recommend that you walk for half an hour a day. And it's better if you use the stairs and not the lift.
Ramón
De acuerdo. ¿Y la comida?
All right. And what about food?
Silvia
No tome tanta sal ni tantos fritos. Es necesario que coma más fruta y verdura.
Don't have so much salt or so much fried food. You need to eat more fruit and vegetables.
Ramón
Es difícil. Me encantan las patatas fritas.
It's hard. I love chips.
Silvia
No se preocupe, puede comerlas de vez en cuando. Y vuelva dentro de tres meses para hacer otro análisis.
Don't worry, you can have them from time to time. And come back in three months for another blood test.
Ramón
Muy bien. Empezaré a caminar mañana mismo.
All right. I'll start walking tomorrow.
Understand
Es importante que + subjunctive
To give advice to a particular person, use , or + subjunctive: (It's important that you change some habits). works the same way: (I recommend that you walk).
When the advice is general, for everyone, use the infinitive with no : (It's important to do exercise).
| General: infinitive | For a particular person: + subjunctive |
|---|---|
No coma, no se preocupe: the negative imperative with usted
The imperative (A2) already uses subjunctive forms: , , . For the negative, just put in front: (Don't have so much salt).
As with (chapter 4), pronouns go before the verb in the negative: (Sit down), but (Don't sit down). (Eat them), but (Don't eat them). For , add -n: .
| Infinitive | Do it! () | Don't do it! () |
|---|---|---|
Healthy habits
+ infinitive means “to stop doing something”: (to give up smoking). means “to lead a healthy life”.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| to exercise, to do exercise | |
| to walk for half an hour a day | |
| to sleep for eight hours | |
| to eat a bit of everything | |
| to give up smoking | |
| to lead a healthy life |
More in the grammar: The imperative: giving instructions · The present subjunctive: que sea, que tenga
New words
- el resultadoresult · masculine
- el análisistest, blood test · masculine; the same in the plural:
- la tensiónblood pressure · feminine; : to have high blood pressure
- el hábitohabit · masculine
- hacer ejercicioto exercise, to do exercise
- sentado / sentadasitting (down), seated
- las escalerasstairs · feminine plural; also
- el ascensorlift · masculine
- la salsalt · feminine
- ninor, or (after a negative) · : don't have salt or fried food
- los fritosfried food · masculine plural; / : fried; : chips, crisps
- de vez en cuandofrom time to time, now and then
- dentro dein (a length of time from now); inside · : in three months' time
- mañana mismotomorrow (and no later) · like : right now
Practise
1.Complete: “Es importante que … algunos hábitos.” ()
2.Tell a patient () not to have so much salt. Use .
Don't have so much salt.
3.Complete with the subjunctive of : “I recommend that you walk for half an hour a day.” ()
I recommend that you walk for half an hour a day.
4.Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.It's important to do exercise.
5.Match the Spanish with the English.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
6.The nurse tells you () not to worry. What does she say?
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
¿Está todo bien?
Is everything all right?
Listen, then say it out loud, as close to the recording as you can.
Check
Five questions on this chapter. Then mark it as finished to add its words to your review deck.
0 of 5 answered.