Tú o usted en la consulta: pide y desea mejoría

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Dannis

2 min reading time

At a doctor's, pharmacy Health Moods Pronouns

Keywords:

usted tú ¿Puede…?¿Puedes…?Que se mejore Que te mejores

En la consulta con un médico: completa la petición cortés. “Doctor, ____ abrir la boca, por favor?”

Choose the appropriate form to address healthcare professionals in Spain.

Correct: 0/8

Hints for this Quiz

Remember: with doctors and administrative staff → usted. With friends → tú.

Choose the appropriate form to address healthcare professionals in Spain.

In Spain, in medical contexts with adults, people normally use “usted”, so “¿Puede…?” is correct. “¿Puedes…?” is “tú”, which is not appropriate in a formal consultation. See the recommendation about standard formality and the use of “usted” with adults and formal commands in the doctor’s office.

Think about how close the relationship is: amigo → tú.

With friends you use “tú”: the standard phrase to wish someone to get better is “Que te mejores”. The polite “usted” version is “Que se mejore”. These expressions are typical in Spain when someone you know is ill; for choosing between tú/usted, see the overview on formal and informal address in Spain.

Politeness and distance = usted.

With people you don’t know well and with older people in Spain, “usted” is appropriate → “Que se mejore”. “Que te mejores” is only for “tú”, i.e. close relationships.

Look at “-le”: it’s a clue that you’re talking to someone as usted.

Typical formula when speaking to a patient.

Fixed polite phrase: “¿en qué puedo ayudarle?” — “puedo” (yo) + “-le” (object pronoun for usted). Example from a medical appointment dialogue.

The usted imperative is formed like the 3rd person singular of the present subjunctive: póngase.

With an adult patient you use usted: the usted imperative is “Póngase”. “Ponte” is the tú imperative. For formal imperatives and their use in consultations, compare: “Tome/Abra/Póngase…”.

Niños → tú. Adultos → usted.

With children, the form of address changes.

With children, using tú is acceptable and often expected → “Abre”. In medical communication materials: “tú only when talking to children”; with adults → usted.

At home, with friends → tú. In institutions, with professionals → usted.

With friends/people your own age you use “tú”: ¿Puedes…? General rule about register in Spain: tú (closeness) vs. usted (respect/distance).

In shops you can often use tú, but in pharmacies and clinics people usually use usted (more polite).

With pharmacy staff, you normally use the formal address: ¿Puede…? (usted). In real-life examples: “¿Me deja…?/¿Puede darme su tarjeta sanitaria?” — a typical service formula.