Capsule in Spanish

What it means

A capsule is a form used for medicine that is taken by mouth; it usually has a shell made of gelatin with the medicine inside. That is the dosage-form meaning in the National Cancer Institute (NCI) dictionary. The same NCI entry gives the word a second meaning in medicine: a sac of tissue and blood vessels that surrounds an organ, joint, or tumor. MedlinePlus, in its page on storing medicines, says that pills and capsules are easily damaged by heat and moisture, and that heat, air, light, and moisture may damage medicines. It adds that the heat and moisture from a shower, bath, and sink may damage medicines kept in a bathroom cabinet, and it says to always keep medicines in their original container.

Capsule in Spanish

Spanish term: Cápsula
Gender and article: feminine: la cápsula
Pronunciation: KAHP-soo-lah

Cápsula is a feminine noun in the Spanish dictionary, whose first sense is a soluble covering in which certain medicines are supplied; its second sense is the capsule together with the medicine inside it. The National Cancer Institute's Spanish dictionary describes it as una forma de presentación de un medicamento que se toma por boca, with una cubierta de gelatina (a gelatin shell) around the medicine.

As in English, the word has a second, anatomical meaning. The Spanish dictionary marks an anatomy sense, a covering that surrounds or lines different parts of the body, and the NCI Spanish entry speaks of a sac of tissue and blood vessels around an organ, a joint or a tumor. In MedlinePlus en español's page on storing medicines, capsules appear next to pills, las pastillas y cápsulas; the same page uses píldoras for pills, envase original for the original container and humedad for moisture.

Phrases for an appointment

What a patient or a clinician might say, in English and Spanish:

Who	English	Spanish
Patient	Does this medicine come as a capsule or as a tablet?	¿Este medicamento viene en cápsula o en tableta?
Clinician	It comes as a capsule that you take by mouth.	Viene en una cápsula que se toma por la boca.
Patient	I have trouble swallowing capsules. Is there a liquid form?	Me cuesta tragar las cápsulas. ¿Hay una presentación líquida?
Clinician	Let me check whether this medicine comes in another form.	Permítame revisar si este medicamento viene en otra presentación.
Patient	The capsules are a different color from last time.	Las cápsulas son de un color diferente al de la última vez.
Clinician	Where do you keep your capsules at home?	¿Dónde guarda las cápsulas en casa?
Patient	In the bathroom cabinet, in the original container.	En el gabinete del baño, en el envase original.
Clinician	Heat and moisture can damage capsules.	El calor y la humedad pueden dañar las cápsulas.

In 9 languages

Language	Term
English	Capsule
Spanish (Español)	Cápsula
Chinese (中文)	膠囊
Korean (한국어)	캡슐
Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)	Viên nang
Filipino (Tagalog)	Kapsula
Portuguese (Português)	Cápsula
Thai (ภาษาไทย)	แคปซูล
Japanese (日本語)	カプセル

Where you'll see it

prescriptionmedication bottlepharmacy receipt

Related terms

Your right to an interpreter in the United States

If English is not your primary language and you have difficulty communicating in English, you may need an interpreter or a translated document when you visit a doctor or dentist, go to the emergency room or pick up a prescription. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights states that two federal laws, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, require programs that receive its funding to provide language access services free of charge.

You can ask when you make the appointment or at the front desk: "I need an interpreter, please." «Necesito un intérprete, por favor.»

More terms: General care: tests, procedures and medicines

All terms in this area: General care: tests, procedures and medicines — Atención general: pruebas, procedimientos y medicamentos

Sources

This page is a language reference. It is not medical advice.