Pet Vet
Describe your pet's symptoms, ask about treatment, and confirm the dosage — out loud, calmly.
At the vet, lead with the facts in order: what's wrong, when it started, how bad it's gotten. Use usted — address her as doctora — and describe symptoms concretely: no ha comido desde ayer, ha vomitado dos veces, la hinchazón ha empeorado. When she explains the treatment, confirm the dosage by saying it back: entonces, dos pastillas al día con la comida, ¿verdad?. Vague works against you — está mal tells her nothing; vomitó dos veces desde anoche tells her everything.
Below: the phrases that carry the visit, how owners really talk about a sick pet across Latin America, and a way to rehearse the whole consultation out loud before you're in the room.
The warm-up pack
The phrases that actually carry a vet visit — describing what's wrong, and getting the treatment plan right.
01 · Open with the main symptom
Mi perro no ha comido desde ayer.
My dog hasn't eaten since yesterday.
This structure — no ha + past participle + desde + a time — is how you lead any concern here, whatever the symptom actually is.
02 · Add specifics
Ha vomitado dos veces esta mañana.
He's vomited twice this morning.
A number and a timeframe turns está mal into something a vet can actually act on.
03 · Give the timeline
Empezó hace tres días con diarrea.
It started three days ago with diarrhea.
Hace + an amount of time is the detail owners forget and vets always ask for first.
04 · Flag that it's getting worse
Al principio era leve, pero ha empeorado.
At first it was mild, but it's gotten worse.
Ha empeorado is the word that changes how urgently she treats it — don't downplay it to sound polite.
05 · Ask what's on the table
¿Cuáles son las opciones de tratamiento?
What are the treatment options?
Open with this before she recommends anything — it signals you want to be part of the decision, not just told what to do.
06 · Ask the cost, directly
¿Cuánto cuesta la cirugía aproximadamente?
How much does the surgery cost approximately?
Asking straight out is completely normal here — nobody expects you to nod along and find out at the register.
07 · Push for another option
¿Hay alguna alternativa menos invasiva?
Is there a less invasive alternative?
This question alone often opens up a cheaper, gentler path she wouldn't have led with.
08 · Get the dosage logistics
¿Se lo doy con la comida o en ayunas?
Do I give it with food or on an empty stomach?
A small detail that changes whether the medication actually works.
09 · Confirm it back
Entonces, dos pastillas al día con la comida, ¿verdad?
So, two pills a day with food, right?
Repeating the dosage back before you leave is standard practice — it's how you catch a mistake while she's still in the room.
10 · Ask about after-care
¿Tiene que hacer reposo absoluto?
Does he need complete rest?
Reposo absoluto is a real instruction, not just "take it easy" — ask if it applies before you assume normal activity is fine.
11 · Lock in the next visit
¿Cuándo debo traerlo para la revisión?
When should I bring him in for a check-up?
Ending on a scheduled follow-up, not a vague "let me know if it gets worse," is what closes the loop properly.
FLUENT
Finally, someone to talk to in Spanish.
Ten-minute spoken lessons. A teacher who answers back — and gently fixes what you got wrong.
First 10 lessons freeandbefluent.com/spanish/pet-vetRegional Spanish
Textbooks teach one word. Locals use several — pick your region's and stay consistent.
| English | Mexico | Argentina |
|---|---|---|
| it started (days ago) | empezó | arrancó |
| off, not himself | anda decaído | medio caído |
| give it with food | con tragas | con comida |
| bring him back to check | checarlo | traigo de nuevo |
Watch out
The part no phrase list can do
Isabella
Your conversation teacher for this pack
In the Pet Vet pack, the last lesson puts you in the consultation room — and Isabella plays the vet: calm, methodical, strictly usted, the kind who murmurs to your dog between questions. Your pet hasn't eaten since yesterday and it's getting worse. You have to describe what's happening, ask what the treatment involves and what it costs, and repeat the dosage back so you get it right. Out loud. And she asks you questions back:
Blank mid-sentence and nothing bad happens — she waits. That's the practice, without unnecessary judgement.
Finish the 5 lessons and Pet Vet is yours — earned, not given.
First 10 lessons free · 10-minute spoken lessons · your AI coaching team remembers you
Quick answers
Usted. It's a professional, first-visit setting, so the formal register is the safe, respectful default. Address her as doctora or doctor.
Be concrete and give a timeline. Mi perro no ha comido desde ayer, ha vomitado dos veces esta mañana. Always say what, when, and how severe — not just está mal.
¿Cuánto cuesta la cirugía aproximadamente? and, if it's steep, ¿hay alguna alternativa menos invasiva?. In Mexico you'll also hear ¿en cuánto me sale?
Repeat them back before you leave: entonces, dos pastillas al día con la comida, ¿verdad?. And ask upfront ¿se lo doy con la comida o en ayunas?
¿Cuándo debo traerlo para la revisión? And for the worst case, si empeora, ¿debo venir de urgencias?
