Breakdown of La farmacéutica me explicó con mucha paciencia cómo usar la pomada y cada cuántas horas ponerla.
con
with
me
me
y
and
usar
to use
Questions & Answers about La farmacéutica me explicó con mucha paciencia cómo usar la pomada y cada cuántas horas ponerla.
What does la farmacéutica mean here? Is it the pharmacist or the pharmaceutical company?
Here it means the female pharmacist.
In Spanish, farmacéutico / farmacéutica can refer to:
- a pharmacist
- or, in other contexts, something pharmaceutical
In this sentence, because it starts with La and refers to a person who explained how to use an ointment, the natural meaning is the pharmacist.
Also, the ending -a shows the person is female:
- el farmacéutico = the male pharmacist
- la farmacéutica = the female pharmacist
Why is it me explicó?
Me explicó means explained to me.
Spanish often uses an indirect object pronoun for the person receiving the explanation:
- me = to me
- te = to you
- le = to him/her/you (formal)
- nos = to us
- os = to you all (Spain)
- les = to them/you all
So:
- La farmacéutica me explicó... = The pharmacist explained to me...
In English, we can say explained to me, but in Spanish the pronoun is very natural and usually necessary.
Why is explicó in the preterite?