How to Say "patient" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “patient” is “paciente” — use 'paciente' when describing someone's character trait of being calm and able to tolerate delays or suffering without getting upset..
paciente
/pah-syen-teh//paˈθjente/
Examples
Ser paciente es una virtud importante.
Being patient is an important virtue.
Mi abuela es muy paciente conmigo y mis errores.
My grandmother is very patient with me and my mistakes.
Necesitas ser más paciente mientras esperas los resultados.
You need to be more patient while waiting for the results.
El paciente fue dado de alta esta mañana.
The patient was discharged this morning.
Always Ends in -e
Since 'paciente' already ends in '-e,' it is 'invariable' for gender (meaning it doesn't change to 'pacienta' for a woman). You only change it for plural: 'pacientes'.
Noun Gender (El vs. La)
When 'paciente' is used as a noun, the word form doesn't change, but the accompanying article does. Use 'el paciente' for a male patient and 'la paciente' for a female patient.
Mixing up the Noun and Adjective
Mistake: “Using 'la paciencia' (the noun 'patience') instead of 'paciente' (the adjective 'patient') when describing a person.”
Correction: Say 'Soy paciente' (I am patient) not 'Soy paciencia' (I am patience).
paciente
/pah-syen-teh//paˈθjente/
Examples
El paciente necesita descansar.
The patient needs to rest.
Mi abuela es muy paciente conmigo y mis errores.
My grandmother is very patient with me and my mistakes.
Necesitas ser más paciente mientras esperas los resultados.
You need to be more patient while waiting for the results.
El paciente fue dado de alta esta mañana.
The patient was discharged this morning.
Always Ends in -e
Since 'paciente' already ends in '-e,' it is 'invariable' for gender (meaning it doesn't change to 'pacienta' for a woman). You only change it for plural: 'pacientes'.
Noun Gender (El vs. La)
When 'paciente' is used as a noun, the word form doesn't change, but the accompanying article does. Use 'el paciente' for a male patient and 'la paciente' for a female patient.
Mixing up the Noun and Adjective
Mistake: “Using 'la paciencia' (the noun 'patience') instead of 'paciente' (the adjective 'patient') when describing a person.”
Correction: Say 'Soy paciente' (I am patient) not 'Soy paciencia' (I am patience).
enfermo
/en-FER-mo//enˈfeɾmo/
Examples
El enfermo tosió mucho durante la noche.
The sick person coughed a lot during the night.
El enfermo está en la habitación 204.
The patient is in room 204.
La Cruz Roja ayuda a los enfermos y heridos.
The Red Cross helps the sick and injured.
A Person Who is Sick
When used as a noun, enfermo refers to the person who is sick. It also changes for gender: el enfermo (the male patient) and la enferma (the female patient).
Forgetting the Article
Mistake: “Enfermo necesita agua.”
Correction: El enfermo necesita agua. When talking about a specific patient, you need to include 'el' or 'un' (the/a) before the word, just like in English.
Confusing 'paciente' (adjective) with 'enfermo' (noun)
Related Translations
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