medicar
medicar في 30 ثانية
- Medicar means to treat with medicine.
- It is a regular -ar verb used in clinical contexts.
- Reflexive use (medicar-se) means taking medicine yourself.
- It is different from 'receitar' (to prescribe) and 'meditar' (to meditate).
The Portuguese verb medicar is a cornerstone of healthcare and daily wellness vocabulary. At its most fundamental level, it means to treat a person, an animal, or a specific illness using medicine. However, its usage extends beyond the simple act of handing over a pill; it encompasses the clinical decision-making process, the administration of drugs, and the ongoing management of a patient's health through pharmaceutical intervention. In English, we often translate this as 'to medicate', 'to treat with medicine', or sometimes 'to prescribe' depending on the specific nuance of the sentence.
- Clinical Context
- In a hospital or clinic setting, the doctor is the primary agent who performs the action of medicar. It involves diagnosing a condition and determining the appropriate pharmaceutical course of action.
- Reflexive Usage (Auto-medicação)
- When used reflexively, medicar-se refers to the act of taking medicine oneself, often without a doctor's supervision, which is a common topic of public health warnings in Lusophone countries.
O pediatra decidiu medicar a criança para baixar a febre persistente.
The word carries a weight of responsibility. Unlike 'curar' (to cure), which implies a successful outcome, medicar focuses on the process of using chemical substances to achieve that cure or to manage symptoms. It is frequently used in the passive voice in news reports or medical bulletins, such as 'O paciente foi medicado e liberado' (The patient was medicated and released). This highlights that the treatment phase of the medical encounter has been completed.
Furthermore, the term is essential in veterinary medicine. If you have a pet in a Portuguese-speaking country, the vet will ask if you have already medicado the animal. It is also used in broader societal contexts, such as 'medicar a sociedade', a metaphorical usage referring to the over-prescription of drugs for emotional or social problems, often discussed in sociological or psychological circles.
É perigoso se medicar sem consultar um especialista antes.
- Transitive Nature
- The verb usually requires a direct object (the person being treated) or an indirect object indicating the condition being treated (e.g., medicar para a dor).
In summary, medicar is the professional bridge between diagnosis and recovery. It implies the application of medical science through pharmacology. Whether you are at a pharmacy (farmácia), a health center (posto de saúde), or a hospital, understanding this verb allows you to navigate the essential logistics of health and recovery in Portuguese-speaking environments.
Using medicar correctly involves understanding its various syntactic structures and its relationship with direct and indirect objects. As a regular '-ar' verb, its conjugation follows the standard pattern, making it relatively straightforward for learners to master the forms. However, the nuance lies in the prepositions and the reflexive pronouns often associated with it.
- Direct Object Construction
- The most common way to use the verb is with a direct object representing the patient.
Example: 'Vou medicar o paciente agora.' (I am going to medicate the patient now.)
O médico medicou todos os feridos após o acidente.
When you want to specify what the medicine is for, you often use the preposition para (for) or contra (against). This clarifies the purpose of the treatment. For instance, 'medicar para a gripe' means to treat for the flu. This structure is vital when explaining symptoms to a pharmacist or explaining a prescription to a family member.
The reflexive form medicar-se is extremely common in discussions about health habits. It reflects the action of taking medicine on one's own initiative. In public health campaigns, you will frequently see the phrase 'Não se medique por conta própria' (Don't medicate yourself on your own). This highlights the cultural emphasis on professional medical advice.
Ela prefere não se medicar com remédios fortes.
- Passive Voice Usage
- In formal reports: 'O paciente já foi medicado.' (The patient has already been medicated.) Here, the past participle 'medicado' acts almost like an adjective describing the patient's state of having received treatment.
Finally, consider the imperative mood. In a medical emergency, you might hear a head doctor command: 'Medique-o imediatamente!' (Medicate him immediately!). Learning the imperative forms of medicar is useful for understanding instructions in high-pressure environments or reading instructions on a bottle of medicine that might use the 'você' or 'tu' imperative depending on the region.
The word medicar resonates through several specific spheres of Portuguese-speaking life. While it is a technical term, its presence in media and daily health discussions makes it accessible to the general public. Understanding where you will encounter it helps in contextualizing its meaning and formality.
- In Hospitals and Clinics (Hospitais e Clínicas)
- This is the primary home of the word. You will hear nurses confirming orders: 'O senhor já foi medicado?' (Have you already been medicated?) or doctors discussing protocols: 'Precisamos medicar o paciente antes da cirurgia.' (We need to medicate the patient before the surgery.)
A enfermeira veio medicar o paciente do quarto 202.
In the news, medicar is used when reporting on public health crises or accidents. For example, during a flu outbreak, news anchors might report on how the government is planning to medicar the vulnerable population. It sounds professional and objective, providing a clear description of the medical response being implemented.
Pharmacies (farmácias) are another key location. While a pharmacist (farmacêutico) technically 'dispenses' (dispensa) medication, they often discuss the act of medicar when advising customers. They might ask: 'O médico o medicou para quê?' (What did the doctor medicate you for?) to ensure the prescription matches the patient's understanding.
Muitas pessoas tentam se medicar usando informações da internet.
- Educational and Public Health Campaigns
- Posters in public health centers often use this verb to warn against 'automedicação' (self-medication). The verb medicar is used here to define the boundaries of safe and unsafe medical practices.
Finally, in veterinary contexts, if you take your dog to the 'veterinário', the staff will use medicar just as they would for a human. It covers everything from applying a topical ointment to administering an IV drip. In all these settings, the word conveys a sense of clinical action and pharmaceutical intervention.
Even for intermediate learners, the verb medicar can present several pitfalls. These usually stem from confusion with similar-sounding words in Portuguese or a misunderstanding of the verb's specific medical scope compared to English equivalents.
- Confusion with 'Meditar'
- Because of the similar spelling, some learners accidentally say 'medicar' when they mean 'meditar' (to meditate). While both might be good for your health, they are very different actions! Saying 'Eu medico todas as manhãs' implies you take medicine every morning, rather than practicing mindfulness.
Cuidado: não confunda medicar (dar remédio) com meditar (relaxar a mente).
Another frequent error is confusing medicar with medir (to measure). A student might say 'Vou medicar a sua temperatura' instead of 'Vou medir a sua temperatura'. While measuring temperature is part of a medical check-up, medicar refers specifically to the treatment following the measurement.
Learners also struggle with the difference between medicar and receitar. In English, 'to medicate' can sometimes overlap with 'to prescribe'. In Portuguese, receitar is the specific act of writing the prescription (a receita), while medicar is the broader act of providing the treatment. If you say 'O médico medicou um remédio', it's slightly less precise than 'O médico receitou um remédio'.
Erro comum: 'Vou medicar o tamanho da ferida' (Incorreto). Correto: 'Vou medir o tamanho da ferida'.
- Reflexive Pronoun Omission
- English speakers often forget the 'se' when talking about themselves. 'Eu medico quando estou doente' sounds like you are the doctor. To say you take medicine, you must say 'Eu me medico'.
Lastly, be careful with the past participle 'medicado'. In Brazilian Portuguese, it is often used in the phrase 'estar medicado' to mean someone is currently under the influence of medication (e.g., 'Ele está muito medicado', meaning he is quite drowsy or sedated). Using this in the wrong context might imply someone is 'drugged up' rather than just 'treated'.
Portuguese offers a variety of verbs related to health and healing. While medicar is specific to pharmaceutical treatment, other words cover different aspects of the recovery process. Knowing these alternatives will help you speak more naturally and precisely.
- Tratar vs. Medicar
- Tratar is a broader term meaning 'to treat'. It can include physical therapy, surgery, or even just rest. Medicar is specifically about using medicine. You can treat (tratar) a broken leg with a cast, but you medicate (medicar) the pain with pills.
- Receitar vs. Medicar
- Receitar means 'to prescribe'. This is what the doctor does with a pen and paper. Medicar is the actual application or the general clinical action. Example: 'O médico receitou o remédio, e a enfermeira medicou o paciente.'
Às vezes, tratar um problema exige mais do que apenas medicar os sintomas.
Another related verb is curar (to cure). This focuses on the final result—the disappearance of the illness. Medicar is the method; curar is the goal. You might hear someone say, 'O remédio me medicou, mas não me curou' (The medicine treated me, but didn't cure me), indicating that the symptoms were managed but the underlying cause remains.
In informal settings, especially when talking to children, people use the phrase dar remédio (to give medicine). 'Vou te dar um remédio' is much more common in a family home than 'Vou te medicar'. Using the latter at home might sound a bit cold or overly clinical to native speakers.
É preciso receitar a dose correta para não medicar em excesso.
- Remediar
- This verb often means 'to remedy' or 'to fix' a situation, not necessarily with medicine. It's often used in the proverb 'O que não tem remédio, remediado está' (What cannot be cured must be endured).
By distinguishing between medicar, tratar, receitar, and dar remédio, you will develop a sophisticated medical vocabulary that allows you to describe health situations with the same nuance as a native speaker.
How Formal Is It?
حقيقة ممتعة
The root 'med-' in Latin is also found in 'meditari' (to meditate), which originally meant 'to reflect' or 'to consider', showing a historical link between thinking and healing.
دليل النطق
- Pronouncing 'd' as a hard English 'd' in Brazil (should be 'dji').
- Confusing the stress with 'médico' (stress on first syllable).
- Nasalizing the 'e' unnecessarily.
- Swapping 'i' for 'e' (medecar).
- Dropping the final 'r' in casual speech (common in Brazil).
مستوى الصعوبة
Easy to recognize because of the English cognate 'medicate'.
Requires knowledge of -ar verb endings and reflexive pronouns.
The Brazilian 'dji' pronunciation can be tricky for beginners.
Clear pronunciation in most dialects.
ماذا تتعلّم بعد ذلك
المتطلبات الأساسية
تعلّم لاحقاً
متقدم
أمثلة حسب المستوى
O médico medica o menino.
The doctor medicates the boy.
Simple present tense: medica.
Eu medico o meu cão.
I medicate my dog.
First person singular: medico.
Você medica a paciente?
Do you medicate the patient?
Question form with 'você'.
Nós medicamos os doentes.
We medicate the sick people.
First person plural: medicamos.
Eles medicam com cuidado.
They medicate with care.
Third person plural: medicam.
Ela medica a avó todos os dias.
She medicates her grandmother every day.
Present tense: medica.
Onde você medica o gato?
Where do you medicate the cat?
Adverb of place 'onde'.
Eu não medico sem ajuda.
I don't medicate without help.
Negative form: não medico.
O médico me medicou para a dor.
The doctor medicated me for the pain.
Preterite tense: medicou.
Ela se medicou sozinha ontem.
She medicated herself alone yesterday.
Reflexive: se medicou.
Nós vamos medicar o cavalo amanhã.
We are going to medicate the horse tomorrow.
Immediate future: vamos medicar.
Você já medicou o bebê?
Have you already medicated the baby?
Adverb 'já' with preterite.
Eles medicaram o ferimento rapidamente.
They medicated the wound quickly.
Third person plural preterite.
Eu sempre me medico quando viajo.
I always medicate myself when I travel.
Reflexive with frequency adverb 'sempre'.
O enfermeiro não medicou o paciente ainda.
The nurse hasn't medicated the patient yet.
Negative with 'ainda'.
Vocês medicaram a gripe com o quê?
What did you (plural) medicate the flu with?
Question with 'com o quê'.
É importante que o médico medique logo.
It is important that the doctor medicates soon.
Present subjunctive: medique.
Se eu tivesse o remédio, eu o medicaria.
If I had the medicine, I would medicate him.
Conditional: medicaria.
O paciente foi medicado antes do exame.
The patient was medicated before the exam.
Passive voice: foi medicado.
Não se medique sem falar com um profissional.
Don't medicate yourself without talking to a professional.
Negative imperative: não se medique.
Eles estavam medicando os animais da fazenda.
They were medicating the farm animals.
Past continuous: estavam medicando.
Espero que eles mediquem a dor dele.
I hope they medicate his pain.
Subjunctive after 'espero que'.
O médico preferiu não medicar o idoso ainda.
The doctor preferred not to medicate the elderly man yet.
Infinitive after 'preferiu'.
Ao medicar o paciente, verifique a dose.
When medicating the patient, check the dose.
Gerund-like use of 'ao' + infinitive.
O governo decidiu medicar a população contra o vírus.
The government decided to medicate the population against the virus.
Collective noun 'população' as object.
Embora o médico o tenha medicado, ele ainda sente dor.
Although the doctor medicated him, he still feels pain.
Perfect subjunctive: tenha medicado.
A tendência de se medicar por qualquer motivo é preocupante.
The tendency to medicate oneself for any reason is worrying.
Infinitive used as a noun phrase.
O protocolo exige que se medique o paciente na chegada.
The protocol requires that the patient be medicated on arrival.
Impersonal 'se' with subjunctive.
Eles teriam medicado a criança se soubessem da febre.
They would have medicated the child if they had known about the fever.
Conditional perfect: teriam medicado.
Medicar excessivamente pode causar efeitos colaterais.
Medicating excessively can cause side effects.
Adverb 'excessivamente' modifying the verb.
A equipe médica medicou o atleta após a lesão.
The medical team medicated the athlete after the injury.
Specific subject 'equipe médica'.
O paciente já havia sido medicado quando o especialista chegou.
The patient had already been medicated when the specialist arrived.
Passive voice in the past perfect.
A ética de medicar pacientes terminais é um debate complexo.
The ethics of medicating terminal patients is a complex debate.
Noun phrase with 'medicar' as the head.
Raramente se medica um paciente sem um diagnóstico prévio.
Rarely is a patient medicated without a prior diagnosis.
Negative adverb 'raramente' triggering pronoun shift.
Caso o médico venha a medicar o paciente, ele deve registrar tudo.
Should the doctor come to medicate the patient, he must record everything.
Future subjunctive with 'venha a'.
Não convém que nos mediquemos sem orientação científica.
It is not advisable that we medicate ourselves without scientific guidance.
Subjunctive with 'nós' in a formal structure.
A sociedade contemporânea tende a medicar a tristeza em vez de compreendê-la.
Contemporary society tends to medicate sadness instead of understanding it.
Metaphorical usage of 'medicar'.
O psiquiatra optou por não medicar o transtorno de imediato.
The psychiatrist opted not to medicate the disorder immediately.
Verb 'optar por' followed by infinitive.
Tão logo o medicaram, o paciente apresentou melhora.
As soon as they medicated him, the patient showed improvement.
Conjunction 'tão logo' with preterite.
Houve quem criticasse o ato de medicar sem necessidade.
There were those who criticized the act of medicating without necessity.
Relative clause with 'quem' and subjunctive.
A premissa de medicar o sintoma em detrimento da causa é falha.
The premise of medicating the symptom to the detriment of the cause is flawed.
High-level academic vocabulary.
Oxalá medicassem a dor do mundo com a mesma pressa que medicam o corpo.
Would that they medicated the world's pain with the same haste they medicate the body.
Use of 'oxalá' with imperfect subjunctive.
A decisão de medicar-se ou não reside inteiramente no livre arbítrio do indivíduo.
The decision whether or not to medicate oneself lies entirely in the individual's free will.
Complex philosophical sentence structure.
Por mais que o medicassem, a patologia permanecia inalterada.
No matter how much they medicated him, the pathology remained unchanged.
Concessive clause with 'por mais que'.
O ato de medicar transita entre a ciência exata e a arte da empatia.
The act of medicating moves between exact science and the art of empathy.
Abstract metaphorical comparison.
Instaurou-se uma polêmica sobre se deveriam medicar a criança preventivamente.
A controversy was established over whether they should medicate the child preventively.
Passive 'se' with indirect question.
Ao se medicarem indiscriminadamente, os cidadãos põem em risco a saúde pública.
By medicating themselves indiscriminately, citizens put public health at risk.
Personal infinitive in a gerundial sense.
O médico, ao medicar, assume um compromisso inalienável com a vida.
The doctor, when medicating, assumes an inalienable commitment to life.
Parenthetical 'ao medicar' structure.
تلازمات شائعة
العبارات الشائعة
— Common phrase in ER reports meaning the patient was treated and sent home.
Após o susto, ele foi medicado e liberado.
— Used when someone feels they need to take their medicine.
Minha cabeça dói, preciso me medicar.
— Emphasizing the importance of schedule in treatment.
É preciso medicar o paciente na hora certa.
— Describing someone who is receiving good treatment or is sedated.
Ele está bem medicado e não sente dor.
— Referring to taking psychiatric medication.
Ele começou a medicar a ansiedade este mês.
— To take medicine without a prescription.
Medicar por conta própria é um risco.
— Used when a patient (often a child or pet) refuses medicine.
Tivemos dificuldade em medicar o gato.
تعبيرات اصطلاحية
— A variation of 'prevention is better than cure'.
Cuide da alimentação; melhor prevenir do que medicar.
Proverbial— To do something that makes one feel emotionally better.
Uma viagem à praia serve para medicar a alma.
Poetic— A perfect solution (often pharmaceutical but also metaphorical).
Este chá é um santo remédio para a gripe.
Informal— To fix a mistake (using the related verb 'remediar').
Ele tentou remediar o erro, mas era tarde.
Neutral— To treat someone with love as if it were medicine.
Às vezes, basta medicar com carinho.
Informal— What can't be fixed must be accepted.
Perdemos o trem; o que não tem remédio, remediado está.
Proverbial— To give medicine without water or help (rare).
Tive que medicar a seco porque não havia água.
Informal— To fix one's financial situation (slang/metaphorical).
Esse novo emprego vai medicar o meu bolso.
Slang— A difficult but necessary solution.
A demissão foi um remédio amargo para a empresa.
Metaphorical— To satisfy one's curiosity.
Ele leu o livro para medicar a curiosidade.
Literaryعائلة الكلمة
الأسماء
الأفعال
الصفات
مرتبط
احفظها
وسيلة تذكّر
Think of a 'MEDIC' performing an 'AR' (action) -> Medic-ar. Or, 'MEDICATE' in English is almost the same word.
ربط بصري
Imagine a doctor (médico) holding a pill and moving it toward a patient. The movement is the 'medicar'.
Word Web
تحدٍّ
Try to use 'medicar' in three different tenses today: 'Eu medico', 'Eu mediquei', and 'Eu vou medicar'.
أصل الكلمة
From the Latin 'medicari', which means 'to heal' or 'to cure'.
المعنى الأصلي: The act of healing or applying medical knowledge.
Romance (Latin-based).السياق الثقافي
Be careful when using 'medicar' in mental health contexts; some prefer 'tratar' to avoid the stigma of being 'heavily medicated'.
English speakers often use 'treat' or 'give medicine'. 'Medicate' sounds very formal or clinical in English, whereas 'medicar' is the standard verb in Portuguese for this action.
تدرّب في الحياة الواقعية
سياقات واقعية
At the hospital
- O médico já me medicou.
- Preciso medicar o paciente.
- Quando ele foi medicado?
- Qual remédio usaram para medicar?
At the pharmacy
Summary
The verb 'medicar' is essential for health-related conversations in Portuguese. Use it to describe the act of giving or taking medicine. Example: 'O médico vai medicar o paciente' (The doctor will medicate the patient).
- Medicar means to treat with medicine.
- It is a regular -ar verb used in clinical contexts.
- Reflexive use (medicar-se) means taking medicine yourself.
- It is different from 'receitar' (to prescribe) and 'meditar' (to meditate).
مثال
O médico decidiu medicar o paciente para aliviar a dor.
محتوى ذو صلة
هذه الكلمة بلغات أخرى
مزيد من كلمات health
abaixar
A2خفض شيء ما أو انحنى. يتم استخدامه للصوت أو الأسعار.
abdómen
B1الجزء من الجسم بين الصدر والحوض؛ البطن. (الجزء من الجسم الواقع بين الصدر والحوض؛ البطن.)
abdômen
A2البطن هو جزء من الجسم يقع بين الصدر والحوض. يحتوي على الأعضاء الهضمية.
abortar
A2إنهاء الحمل أو إيقاف عملية بدأت بالفعل. مثال: 'اضطر الطيار إلى إلغاء الإقلاع.'
abstinência
A2يعاني المريض من أعراض الانسحاب.
abstinente
A2الشخص الممتنع يختار عدم تناول الكحول.
acalmar-se
A2يهدأ ويصبح أقل اضطراباً أو ضجيجاً.
acamado
A2المريض طريح الفراش منذ عمليته الجراحية.
acaso
A2أكاسو تعني 'بالصدفة' أو 'ربما'. تصف شيئًا يحدث بشكل غير متوقع أو تقدم احتمالًا.
acidentar
A2تعرض لحادث على الطريق السريع أمس.