Find out more about medical Spanish terminology and improve your language skills. 🥼

Why should you learn medical Spanish phrases? Whether you’re traveling in a Spanish-speaking country or you’re working in the medical field, knowing a few medical phrases can make a difference. Furthermore, even if you’re not the one needing medical attention, you can always help out if there’s an emergency and nobody speaks English for example. Medical Spanish is for everyone—travelers, doctors, nurses, and basically anyone who wants to be equipped to help people out when the need arises. In order to create this list, I did some research, asked people who work in the medical field, and used my experience of traveling in Spain and Latin America. Check out my video to hear how to pronounce the medical phrases and the blog article for more medical vocabulary and tips.

Having a few medical Spanish phrases at hand will be useful if you have to navigate the health care system in a Spanish-speaking country, have a doctor appointment where you need to explain your illness (or where do you feel the pain and which medications you’re on), at the pharmacy, and so on.

The basics of medical Spanish phrases

If it’s an emergency, here’s what you need to know:

• ¡Es una emergencia! – It’s an emergency!
• Tenemos una emergencia. – We have an emergency.
• He tenido un accidente. – I’ve had an accident.
• ¿Tiene dolor? – Do you have pain?
• ¿Dónde le duele? – Where does it hurt?
• Me duele aquí. – It hurts here (Remember to point at the exact place where it hurts).
• ¿Quién es su contacto de emergencia? – Who is your emergency contact?
• ¿Qué medicinas toma? – Which medicines are you taking?
• ¿Está embarazada? – Are you pregnant?
• ¿Qué enfermedades o síntomas tiene, de que sepa usted? a) Ninguna b) Diabetes c) Del corazón d) De los pulmones e) De los riñones f) Úlceras g) Presión alta h) Convulsiones i) Artritis – What diseases or medical conditions do you have that you know about? a) None b) Diabetes c) Heart d) Lungs e) Kidneys f) Ulcer g) High blood pressure h) Seizures i) Arthritis

When talking about pain and symptoms in Spanish

In addition, you’ll have to talk about where it hurts and describe your symptoms. Here’s a list of the most useful medical Spanish phrases, questions, and vocabulary:

• Tengo dolor. – I have pain/It hurts.
• Tengo dolor de… cabeza/ estómago/ garganta/ oídos/ muelas. – I have a… headache/ stomach ache/ sore throat/ sore ears/ tooth ache.
• Me duele… el brazo/ la pierna/ la rodilla/ el pie/ los dedos/ el tobillo/ el hombro/ la espalda/ la muñeca. – My arm/ leg/ knee/ foot/ fingers/ ankle/ shoulder/ back/ wrist… hurts.
• ¿Es un dolor constante o viene y se va? – Is it constant pain or does it come and go?
• ¿Que tipo de síntomas tiene? – What kind of symptoms do you have?
• Tengo una herida. – I have a wound.
• Estoy enfermo/a. – I feel sick.
• Tengo mareos. – I feel dizzy.
• No me siento bien. – I’m not feeling well/I’m feeling sick.
• Me siento mal. – I don’t feel well.
• Me siento débil. – I feel weak.
• ¿Tiene fiebre? – Do you have fever?
• Tengo un poco de fiebre. – I have a slight fever.
• Tengo fiebre alta. – I have a high fever.
• La fiebre me subió muy rápido. – The fever rose very quickly.
• Tengo fiebre desde ayer. – I have a fever since yesterday.

For instance, some of these questions you’ll hear from doctors, nurses, or people who were first to react in case of an emergency. No matter on which side you stand, it’s useful to familiarize yourself with these Spanish medical phrases and learn some Spanish travel vocabulary. Furthermore, check out the list of common illnesses and symptoms in Spanish:

Common illnesses and symptoms in Spanish

• La gripe – flu
• La diabetes – diabetes
• El asma – asthma
• La infección – infection
• La alergia – allergy
• El dolor de cabeza – headache
• La migraña – migraine
• La tensión alta – high blood pressure
• El dolor de espalda – back pain
• La fractura de hueso – bone fracture
• El cansancio/ la fatiga – fatigue
• La diarrea – diarrhea
• La inflamación de garganta – throat inflammation
• Los mareos – dizziness
• La tos – coughing

Besides the medical Spanish phrases from above, it pays off to know what a medical doctor may say to you. Namely, you may be advised to sit down (Siéntese, por favor) or lie down (Túmbese aquí); to open your mouth and stick out your tongue (Abra la boca y saque la lengua) or to breathe deeply (Respire hondo). Equally important, the doctor may prescribe you a medication (Voy a recetarle un medicamento) and recommend to take the medication twice a day (Tiene que tomar esto dos veces al día), before eating (Tiene que tomarlo antes de comer) or after eating (Tiene que tomarlo después de comer).

Nevertheless, if you plan on traveling to a Spanish-speaking country, keep in mind that’s always useful to have a backup (especially if you don’t speak Spanish fluently.) I recommend installing an app such as Quizlet and learning more medical Spanish phrases using flashcards. And when it comes to medical emergencies, it’s equally important to know how to say “now” in Spanish.

Hope you enjoyed the lesson and found it useful! If you want to practice your Spanish with me, book a free 1:1 consultation. Do you know any other useful medical phrases or relevant medical Spanish terminology? Drop your answer in the comments.