tengo cita con el médico
/tenɡo θita kon el mediko/from spelling rules
To say "I have a doctor's appointment" in Spanish, use tengo cita con el médico.
This phrase is used to communicate that you have a scheduled time to visit a medical professional. If the medical context is already understood, you can shorten the phrase to simply tengo cita.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "I have an appointment with the doctor". The word tengo is the first-person singular present indicative form of the verb tener, meaning "I have" and una cita means "an appointment".
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some Latin American countries, such as Argentina or Uruguay, the word turno is often used instead of cita to refer to an appointment. In Spain, the word consulta is sometimes used instead of cita to refer to a medical appointment.
How does it change in a sentence?
To specify that the doctor is female, you should change el médico to la doctora, resulting in tengo cita con la doctora. You can also use the phrase tengo una cita médica to express that you have a medical appointment.
Did you know?
- The word cita is used for both a professional appointment and a romantic date. Context is the only way to tell if someone is visiting a doctor or going on a date.
- While cita means 'appointment' in many places, in Argentina and Uruguay, saying tengo cita might sound like you have a date, so you must use turno for the doctor.
- The word médico shares an ancient root with the English word 'medicine', both tracing back to the Proto-Indo-European root *med- meaning 'to take appropriate measures' or 'to heal'.
Examples in context
- Tengo una cita con el doctor mañana por la tarde.I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow afternoon.
- Mañana tengo cita con el médico.Tomorrow I have a doctor's appointment.
- No puedo ir a la fiesta porque tengo cita con el médico.I cannot go to the party because I have a doctor's appointment.
- Tengo cita con el médico a las diez.I have a doctor's appointment at ten.
Example conversation
Javier and Elena are discussing their plans for the afternoon.
- Javier¿Quieres ir al cine esta tarde?Do you want to go to the cinema this afternoon?
- ElenaNo puedo, tengo cita con el médico.I can't, I have a doctor's appointment.
- JavierLo siento, espero que estés bien.I'm sorry, I hope you are well.
- ElenaGracias, Javier, nos vemos luego.Thanks, Javier, see you later.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cita, con, el, médico, CC BY-SA 4.0.
