This lesson is part of our Spanish for Palliative Care module. We will learn how to communicate bad news and express sympathy in Spanish.

The questions and responses in this lesson are adapted from an invaluable communication guide provided with permission from VitalTalk.org.

This one covers a lot of advanced grammar, so I have referenced related grammar lessons throughout these show notes.

LEVEL – UPPER INTERMEDIATE

A doctor calls a woman to inform her that her father just passed away due to complications of Covid-19.

Diálogo

2:07

Doctora: Hola, buenas noches, soy la doctora Elizabeth Cortez ¿Estoy hablando con la hija del señor Francisco Álvarez?
Hija: Sí, soy su hija.
D: Soy la doctora que atiende a su padre. Quisiera hablarle sobre un asunto grave. ¿Se encuentra en un lugar donde pueda hablar?
H: Bueno, estoy a 5 horas de distancia. ¿Qué ocurre? ¿Pasó algo?
D: Estoy llamando por su padre. Falleció hace poco tiempo por complicaciones de COVID19.
H: No puede ser.
D: Mis condolencias para usted y su familia.
H: [llanto]
D: Tómese su tiempo. Estoy aquí.
H: Sabía que esto iba a suceder, pero no creí que sucedería tan rápido.
D: Imagino lo impactante que ha de ser esto para usted. Es muy triste. Lo siento mucho.

Repaso

Presentación

3:17

Hola, buenas noches. Soy la doctora Elizabeth Cortez.
Hello, good evening. I am Dr. Elizabeth Cortez.

BUENAS NOCHES is used as a greeting in Spanish.
During introductions, we use the definite article (e.g., el/la) before one’s title. Learn more: When to Use a Definite Article Before One’s Title in Spanish.

¿Estoy hablando con la hija del señor Francisco Álvarez?
Am I speaking with Mr. Francisco Alvarez’s daughter?

Sí, soy su hija.
Yes, I am his daughter.

Soy la doctora que atiende a su padre.
I am the doctor caring for your father.

atender a alguien
to care for someone

No se usa el gerundio como adjetivo en español: the doctor caring for your father = el doctor que atiende a su padre
Remember to use a PERSONAL A before “padre.”

Asunto grave

5:37

Quisiera hablarle sobre un asunto grave.
I would like to talk to you about a serious matter.

Here we used the IMPERFECT SUBJUNCTIVE conjugation of the verb QUERER to make it more polite: “Quisiera” = “I would like”
LE refers to the patient, and hablarle = hablar con usted.

el asunto
matter

grave
serious

Ubicación

6:47

¿Se encuentra en un lugar donde pueda hablar?
Are you in a place where you can talk?

Here, she uses the SUBJUNCTIVE to describe “un lugar” because she does not know the daughter’s location or whether she is in place where she can talk. LEARN MORE about this use of the subjunctive: Quiz # 3 – The Subjunctive in Adjective Clauses. Spanish Grammar members: Subj07 Unspecified Nouns

encontrarse
to be (literally to find oneself)

ENCONTRARSE is used to express being in a state or location.

Bueno, estoy a 5 horas de distancia.
Well, I am 5 hours away.

de distancia
away

Remember to use the preposition A when expressing the distance something is located from another location.

Estoy a 2 millas del hospital.
I am 2 miles from the hospital.

¿Pasó algo?

8:49

¿Qué ocurre? ¿Pasó algo?
What’s going on? Did something happen?

Estoy llamando por su padre.
I am calling about your father.

Note the use of the preposition POR here: “about your father”= “por su padre”

Falleció hace poco tiempo por complicaciones de COVID19.
He passed away a short time ago from complications of COVID19.

Note the use of the preposition POR here: “por complicaciones” = “from (due to) complications”
LEARN MORE about when to use POR vs PARA.

fallecer
to pass away

hace poco tiempo
a short time ago

Tómese su tiempo

10:59

No puede ser.
It can’t be.

Mis condolencias para usted y su familia.
My condolences to you and your family.

Note the use of the preposition PARA here: “para usted y su familia” = “to you and your family.”
LEARN MORE about when to use POR vs PARA.

las condolencias
condolences

Mis condolencias para ti y tu familia.
My condolences to you and your family. (speaking to a friend)

Tómese su tiempo. Estoy aquí.
Take your time. I am here.

There is a rare example where Spanish favors redundancy and we use a reflexive verb (tomarse) with a possessive adjective (su): “Tómese su tiempo.” My condolences to you and your family.

Tómate tu tiempo.
Take your time. (speaking to a friend)

Tiempos verbales

13:00

Sabía que esto iba a suceder pero no creí que sucedería tan rápido.
I knew this was going to happen, but I didn’t think it would happen so quickly.

pasar / ocurrir / suceder
to happen

She uses the IMPERFECT tense of SABER to express possessing knowledge of something, as opposed to discovering something in the moment: “Sabiá que… ” = “I knew that… “
She uses the IMPERFECT of IR to say “was going to happen” = “iba a suceder”
She uses the PRETERITE of CREER to express something that she did not think in the past but now believes to be true: “No creí que sucedería tan rápido.”= “I did not think it would happen so quickly.”
She used the CONDITIONAL (rather than than the SUBJUNCTIVE) of SUCEDER following “no creí que” because we are referring to something in the past that actually did occur.

Lo impactante

15:18

Imagino lo impactante que ha de ser esto para usted.
I imagine how shocking this must be for you.

impactante
shocking

lo impactante
how shocking

LEARN MORE about using the neuter pronoun LO + ADJETIVO / ADVERBIO to say, “how ___”: PC01 Magic of Lo (This lesson is available through a Spanish Grammar membership.)
It is very common to use HABER DE to express probability. LEARN MORE: Obligation and Probability. Spanish Grammar members:

Es muy triste. Lo siento mucho.
It is very sad. I am very sorry.

Related Lessons

I want to give special thanks to Elizabeth Cortez, my Spanish teacher at the Español Sin Límite in Guatemala, and VitalTalk.org for creating their invaluable guide. Thank you to all my members. You keep this podcast going! Gracias de todo corazón.

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Communicating Bad News