In this section, we’ll look at vocabulary dealing with illness and health.

As you learn about medical terminologies you will find that many of the words are similar to English. This is due to the fact that these terms share a connection to a Latin background. Medical terms are usually created by combining prefixes (the beginning of a word) with a suffix (the ending of a word) to create the name of a condition or cure. Most of these prefixes and suffixes have the same meanings across the two languages. For example, take “hypertension/hipertensión.” The prefix “hyper-/hiper-” means “high” or “over” and the suffix “-tension” refers to pressure, meaning a high blood pressure. Therefore, at this point of practice, don’t be afraid to try to make educated guesses!