¿le puedo tomar los signos vitales?
The English phrase "can I take your vitals" is translated into Spanish as ¿le puedo tomar los signos vitales?
Spanish speakers almost always use the full term los signos vitales.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is built from the indirect object pronoun le (to you), the verb poder (can/to be able to), tomar (to take) and los signos vitales (the vital signs).
How does it change in a sentence?
You can adjust the phrase depending on who you are addressing. To ask this of more than one person, change the indirect object pronoun from le to les to form ¿les puedo tomar los signos vitales? If you are speaking to a child or someone you are on informal terms with, you change the indirect object pronoun from le to te to form ¿te puedo tomar los signos vitales?
Did you know?
- In some Spanish-speaking regions, healthcare providers may use the verb checar instead of tomar when referring to vital signs, a loanword derived from the English 'to check'.
- In a medical emergency, a Spanish speaker might shorten the phrase to signos, omitting vitales entirely, as the context makes the meaning clear.
- While 'take' is used in English, the Spanish verb tomar can also mean 'to drink' or 'to consume'. In a medical context, however, it specifically refers to the act of measuring or recording a value.
Examples in context
- Disculpe, ¿le puedo tomar los signos vitales?Excuse me, can I take your vitals?
- Antes de la consulta, ¿le puedo tomar los signos vitales?Before the consultation, can I take your vitals?
Example conversation
Mateo is a nurse checking on Lucía in a clinic.
- MateoHola, Lucía, ¿le puedo tomar los signos vitales?Hello, Lucía, can I take your vitals?
- LucíaSí, por supuesto, Mateo.Yes, of course, Mateo.
- MateoPrimero voy a medir su presión.First I am going to measure your blood pressure.
- LucíaEstá bien, gracias.That's fine, thank you.
