neumonía
nounCEFR B2
What does “neumonía” mean in English?
a serious infection that inflames the air sacs of one or both lungs
Example sentences
El anciano fue hospitalizado tras diagnosticarle una neumonía bacteriana grave.
The elderly man was hospitalised after being diagnosed with severe bacterial pneumonia.
Pasar tanto tiempo mojado bajo la lluvia le provocó una neumonía que tardó semanas en curar.
Spending so much time soaked in the rain gave him pneumonia that took weeks to cure.
How to use it
La neumonía (noun, feminine; cognate of 'pneumonia') is a serious lung infection. Collocations: coger/tener neumonía, una neumonía bacteriana. It is more severe than a resfriado (a cold) or gripe (flu), and typically requires medical treatment.
Common mistake
Neumonía (a serious lung infection) is more severe than a simple resfriado (a cold) — do not use them interchangeably; a neumonía usually needs medical intervention such as antibiotics or hospitalisation.
Topics
Related B2 words
Reference
This entry’s teaching guidance follows Plan Curricular del Instituto Cervantes (Instituto Cervantes), B2 Nociones específicas: salud y bienest.