Episode Details

In this lesson, we practice expressing the following in Spanish:

1. Getting a viral illness
2. Passing a viral illness to someone else
3. A positive test result
4. Being contagious 

Many thanks to my Spanish teachers, Gloria from Mexico and Elizabet from Guatemala, for their help on this lesson!  >> Take classes with Gloria and Elizabet,

Members! Take the Quiz, download the PDF, and ask questions for this lesson in our Spanish for Infections Course.

Common Viral Illnesses

1:26

el virus respiratorio sincitial
el virus respiratorio sincicial (alternative, not in audio)
RSV, respiratory syncytial virus,

el Covid
Covid

la influenza
influenza

la gripe / la gripa
a bad cold, or flu

un resfriado
a cold

To catch a virus

2:58

DAR
Me dio influenza.
Mi dio gripa.
I got the flu.

This is an example of using DAR as a reverse construction verb to express getting an illness or symptoms. See our free lesson covering this use of the verb DAR: DAR to Express Symptoms

PEGAR
Me pegó la influenza.
I got the flu.

In this example, PEGAR is also used as a reverse construction verb, just like DAR above

CONTAGIARSE DE
Me contagié de gripe.
Me contagié de influenza.
I got the flu.

Challenge Interpretation

5:58

A la pobrecita de mi hija, le pegó el virus respiratorio sincitial en la guardería.
My poor little daughter got the respiratory syncytial virus at daycare.

la pobrecita de mi hija
my poor little daughter

la guardería
daycare

el virus respiratorio sincitial
RSV, respiratory sincitial virus

Internaron a mi abuela porque se contagió de Covid.
They admitted my grandmother because she got Covid.

internar
to admit 

To transmit a virus

8:37

To transmit a virus using PEGAR y CONTAGIAR to express transmitting a virus from one person to another.

Surprisingly, most Spanish speakers do NOT use the verb DAR in this way. DAR can be used to say you caught a virus (Me dio gripe.) but not that you transmitted a virus.

PEGAR

Mi hermano me pegó la influenza.
My brother gave me the flu.

CONTAGIAR (DE)

Mi hermano le contagió el Covid a mi abuela.
Mi hermano le contagió de Covid a mi abuela.
My brother gave my grandmother Covid. 

Test Results

10:25

Di positivo por / en / a la / de / para influenza.
I tested pos