Questions & Answers about Trague la saliva nomás, es muy normal.
How does nomás change the tone of the command trague?
Why is the verb form trague used instead of traga?
Trague is the formal (usted) imperative (command) form of tragar (to swallow). The speaker is maintaining a polite, respectful distance, which is common in medical or dental settings where this phrase is often heard. If they were speaking informally (tú), they would say traga.
Why does the spelling change to -gue in trague?
This is a necessary spelling change to preserve the verb's pronunciation. The infinitive tragar has a hard "g" sound. Since the usted command ending is an "e", writing it as trage would produce a soft "g" sound (like an English "h"). Adding the "u" creates trague, which keeps the hard "g" sound intact.
Why does the sentence use la saliva (the saliva) instead of su saliva (your saliva)?