When admitting a patient to the hospital, understanding their level of independence is crucial. Can they dress themselves, cook for themselves, and get around safely? Do they drive? This information helps us understand the events that led up to a patient’s presentation and whether they’ll need extra support once they return home. In this beginner-friendly lesson, we’re covering how to ask about independence and assistive devices in Spanish.
LEVEL – BEGINNER
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🙏 Gracias a Luis Almeida por su ayuda con el español de esta lección. Conoce a nuestro equipo.
Independence
01:44
Vocabulary
The first thing we want to know is how independent a patient is in their daily life. In Spanish, we call these day-to-day tasks actividades cotidianas.
cotidiano(a) – daily, everyday
vestirse – to dress oneself
cocinar – to cook
levantarse – to get up
acostarse – to lie down / to go to bed
bañarse – to bathe oneself
limpiar la casa – to clean the house
lavar la ropa – to wash clothes
por sí mismo(a) – by oneself
las escaleras – the stairs
ir de compras – to go shopping
manejar – to drive
Asking About Daily Activities
¿Necesita ayuda con las actividades cotidianas?
(Do you need help with daily activities?)
¿Necesita ayuda para caminar?
(Do you need help walking?)
¿Necesita ayuda para vestirse?
(Do you need help dressing yourself? / Does he or she need help dressing?)
🔎 Note: In Spanish, “usted” (the formal form of “tú”) and “él” or “ella” use exactly the same verb conjugation. So a question like “¿Necesita ayuda para vestirse?” can mean “Do you need help dressing yourself?” if you ask the patient directly, or “Does he/she need help dressing?” if you ask a family member or caregiver about the patient. The Spanish doesn’t change—it all depends on who you’re talking to.
¿Necesita ayuda para comer?
(Do you need help eating?)
¿Necesita ayuda para cocinar?
(Do you need help cooking?)
¿Necesita ayuda para levantarse?
(Do you need help getting up?)
¿Necesita ayuda para acostarse?
(Do you need help lying down / getting into bed?)
¿Necesita ayuda para bañarse?
(Do you need help bathing yourself?)
¿Necesita ayuda para limpiar la casa?
(Do you need help cleaning the house?)
¿Necesita ayuda para tomar sus medicamentos?
(Does he need help taking his medications?)
Getting Around
09:27
¿Puede caminar por sí mismo?
(Can you walk by yourself?)
¿Puede ir al baño por sí mismo?
(Can you use the bathroom by yourself?)
¿Puede subir y bajar las escaleras por sí mismo(a)?
(Can you go up and down the stairs by yourself?)
¿Puede ir de compras por sí mismo?
(Can he go shopping by himself?)
¿Puede lavar la ropa por sí mismo?
(Can he do his own laundry?)
Driving
12:10
One more question about how a patient gets around tells us a lot about their independence: whether they still drive.
¿Usted maneja?
(Do you drive?)
¿Dejó de manejar?
(Did you stop driving?)
🔎 Note: We use the construction “dejar de + infinitive” to say “to stop doing something.” That’s why we say “dejó de manejar” — “stopped driving.”
¿Por qué dejó de manejar?
(Why did you stop driving?)
That last question can surface important clinical information — vision changes, cognitive changes, a medical event — so it’s worth asking gently and letting the patient explain in their own words.
Assistive Devices
(Audio included in the member lesson within our courses.)
Vocabulary
el bastón – cane
el andador – walker
la andadera – walker (used in Mexico)
la silla de ruedas – wheelchair
los lentes – glasses
el aparato auditivo – hearing aid
🔎 Note: When referring to glasses, “los lentes” is always masculine. However, when referring to a single lens, you can use either “el lente” or “la lente.”
Questions
¿Usa bastón?
(Do you use a cane?)
¿Usa andador?
(Do you use a walker?)
¿Usa silla de ruedas?
(Do you use a wheelchair?)
¿Usa lentes?
(Do you use glasses?)
¿Usa aparatos auditivos?
(Do you use hearing aids?)
Closing
14:16
As always, this information isn’t just conversational — knowing how independent a patient is and what devices they rely on gives us crucial context for their care. Practice these questions and get comfortable with por sí mismo and por sí misma.
Stay tuned — in our next members-only lessons, we’ll round out the picture by covering hobbies and exercise.
Related Lessons: More free lessons covering a History and Exam in Spanish.
Want full access to our Spanish for Primary Care course? Become an All Access member today!
📚 ¡Gracias por estudiar español médico con nosotros!