Tonsils in Spanish

Where are the tonsils?

MedlinePlus describes the tonsils as lumps of tissue at the back of the throat, two of them, one on each side. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) dictionary defines a tonsil as one of two small masses of lymphoid tissue on either side of the throat. When checking for tonsillitis, MedlinePlus says, a health care provider looks at the throat and neck, checking for things such as redness or white spots on the tonsils and swollen lymph nodes.

What do the tonsils do?

According to MedlinePlus, the tonsils, along with the adenoids, are part of the lymphatic system, which clears away infection and keeps body fluids in balance. Tonsils and adenoids work by trapping the germs coming in through the mouth and nose. The MedlinePlus en español article on tonsillectomy states that the tonsils help protect against infections.

Terms built on the tonsils

Tonsillitis is an inflammation (swelling) of the tonsils. MedlinePlus says the cause is usually a viral infection and that bacterial infections such as strep throat can also cause it. For a child with tonsillitis, MedlinePlus says to get emergency care right away if the child has trouble breathing, starts drooling, or has a lot of trouble swallowing. Emergency signs need urgent care (call 911 in the U.S.).

A tonsillectomy is surgery to remove the tonsils. The MedlinePlus en español tonsillectomy article notes that the tonsils are often removed together with the adenoids, and it calls the removal of the adenoids an adenoidectomy.

What it means

The tonsils are lumps of tissue at the back of the throat. There are two of them, one on each side; the National Cancer Institute dictionary defines a tonsil as one of two small masses of lymphoid tissue on either side of the throat. Along with the adenoids, the tonsils are part of the lymphatic system, which clears away infection and keeps body fluids in balance. Tonsils and adenoids work by trapping the germs coming in through the mouth and nose. Two related words are tonsillitis, an inflammation (swelling) of the tonsils, and tonsillectomy, surgery to remove the tonsils. In Spanish the term is amígdalas.

Spanish term: Amígdalas
Gender and article: feminine: las amígdalas (singular: la amígdala)
Pronunciation: ah-MEEG-dah-lahs

Other Spanish terms	Where it is used	Note
amígdala	General	Singular form; it is the entry word in the National Cancer Institute's Spanish dictionary, defined there as one of the two masses of lymphoid tissue on each side of the throat.

Amígdalas is feminine plural: las amígdalas. The singular is amígdala, the entry word in the National Cancer Institute's Spanish dictionary, which defines it with the feminine una. MedlinePlus en español describes the tonsils as masas de tejido en la parte posterior de la garganta, and its tonsillectomy article calls them glándulas (glands).

The related words are amigdalitis (tonsillitis), for which MedlinePlus en español gives inflamación de las amígdalas as another name, and amigdalectomía (tonsillectomy), with extirpación de las amígdalas listed among its alternative names. The tissue named alongside the tonsils is las adenoides, and the surgery to remove it is adenoidectomía. The lymphatic system is el sistema linfático. Useful appointment words are dolor de garganta (sore throat), dificultad para tragar (trouble swallowing) and amígdalas rojas e hinchadas (red, swollen tonsils).

Phrases for an appointment

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

Who	English	Spanish
Patient	My throat has hurt for three days, and it hurts to swallow.	Me duele la garganta desde hace tres días, y me duele al tragar.
Clinician	Please open your mouth wide so I can look at your tonsils.	Por favor, abra bien la boca para que pueda verle las amígdalas.
Clinician	Your tonsils are red and swollen.	Tiene las amígdalas rojas e hinchadas.
Patient	My child gets tonsillitis several times a year.	Mi hijo tiene amigdalitis varias veces al año.
Clinician	I am going to take a sample from the tonsils with a cotton swab to check for strep.	Voy a tomar una muestra de las amígdalas con un hisopo de algodón para detectar estreptococo.
Patient	I had my tonsils removed when I was a child.	Me extirparon las amígdalas en la infancia.
Patient	Does my child need a tonsillectomy?	¿Mi hijo necesita una amigdalectomía?
Clinician	If your child has trouble breathing or starts drooling, call 911 or go to the emergency room right away.	Si su hijo tiene dificultad para respirar o comienza a babear, llame al 911 o vaya a la sala de emergencias de inmediato.

In 9 languages

Language	Term
English	Tonsils
Spanish (Español)	Amígdalas
Chinese (中文)	扁桃腺
Korean (한국어)	편도선
Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)	Amidan
Filipino (Tagalog)	Tonsilya
Portuguese (Português)	Amígdalas
Thai (ภาษาไทย)	ต่อมทอนซิล
Japanese (日本語)	扁桃腺

Where you'll see it

chartdischarge summarymedical recordsurgical reportoperative note

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: Blood and immune system

All terms in this area: Blood and immune system — Sangre y sistema inmunitario

Sources

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