Health & Hospital

1. Me duele la cabeza

   I have a headache

   Usage

   Used to describe a headache to a doctor or pharmacist

   Grammar Note

   "Doler" takes an indirect object pronoun. Use: Me duele el estómago (stomachache), Me duelen los pies (feet hurt)

2. Necesito un médico

   I need a doctor

   Usage

   Used in urgent situations or when feeling ill to request a doctor

   Grammar Note

   Add "urgente" for urgency: "Necesito un médico urgente" (I need a doctor urgently)

3. ¿Dónde está la farmacia más cercana?

   Where is the nearest pharmacy?

   Usage

   Used when you need medicine and want to find the closest pharmacy

   Grammar Note

   Spanish pharmacies display a green cross sign. You can also ask for a "farmacia de guardia" (duty pharmacy open outside normal hours)

4. Soy alérgico/a a la penicilina

   I am allergic to penicillin

   Usage

   Critical phrase to inform doctors or pharmacists about a drug allergy

   Grammar Note

   Use "alérgico" (male) or "alérgica" (female). Swap allergen: a los mariscos (shellfish), al gluten (gluten)

5. Tengo fiebre

   I have a fever

   Usage

   Basic phrase to report a fever to a doctor or those around you

   Grammar Note

   Add temperature: "Tengo 38 grados de fiebre" (I have a 38-degree fever) for more precision

6. Llamen a una ambulancia, por favor

   Please call an ambulance

   Usage

   Essential phrase for requesting emergency medical services

   Grammar Note

   Spain's emergency number is 112. "Llama" is the tú imperative (singular, informal); the singular "usted" form is "Llame". Also: "Llamen al médico" (call a doctor)

7. Tengo náuseas

   I feel nauseous

   Usage

   Used to describe nausea to a doctor or travel companion

   Grammar Note

   "Náusea" is typically used in the plural form. Also useful: "Me siento mareado/a" (I feel dizzy)

8. ¿Habla inglés el médico?

   Does the doctor speak English?

   Usage

   Used by foreign travelers seeking an English-speaking doctor

   Grammar Note

   Spanish allows verb-first questions. Also try: "¿Hay algún médico que hable inglés?" (Is there a doctor who speaks English?)

9. Me duele el estómago

   I have a stomachache

   Usage

   Used to describe stomach pain after eating or during travel in Spain

   Grammar Note

   Use "Me duele" for singular body parts, "Me duelen" for plural. E.g. "Me duelen las muelas" (toothache)

10. Necesito una receta médica

    I need a prescription

    Usage

    Used to request a prescription from a doctor for specific medication

    Grammar Note

    Many drugs in Spain can be bought without a prescription. Ask "¿Necesito receta?" (Do I need a prescription?)

11. Estoy embarazada

    I am pregnant

    Usage

    Show this first at a clinic or pharmacy — it changes which medicines and X-rays are safe

12. el asma

    Asthma

    Usage

    Names asthma as a pre-existing condition; show it with your inhaler during an attack

13. la diabetes

    Diabetes

    Usage

    Names diabetes when explaining diet limits or low blood sugar

14. la hipertensión

    High blood pressure

    Usage

    Tells medical staff about a condition that limits which drugs you can take

15. una enfermedad del corazón

    Heart condition

    Usage

    Names a heart condition; "Tengo una enfermedad del corazón" makes it a full sentence

16. la epilepsia

    Epilepsy

    Usage

    Names epilepsy for medical staff or bystanders who need to know why you collapsed

17. el seguro médico

    Health insurance

    Usage

    Show it at reception when asked about insurance; "seguro" alone can also mean "safe/sure", so keep "médico" attached

18. una fractura

    A fracture

    Usage

    Says you may have a broken bone; point at the spot while showing it

19. Me cuesta respirar

    I have trouble breathing

    Usage

    Reports difficulty breathing — exactly the moment when speaking is hardest

20. Estoy mareado/a

    I feel dizzy

    Usage

    "Mareo" covers both dizziness and motion sickness; outside a vehicle it reads as dizziness. Women say "mareada"

21. Estoy sangrando

    I am bleeding

    Usage

    Reports bleeding; point at the wound while showing it

22. una quemadura

    A burn

    Usage

    Used when asking for treatment for a burn

23. una herida

    A wound

    Usage

    Used when asking for treatment for a cut or graze

24. el oído

    Ear (inner ear)

    Usage

    An earache uses "oído"; the outer ear is a different word, "oreja"

25. el cuello

    Neck

    Usage

    Body part to point at when showing where it hurts

26. el hombro

    Shoulder

    Usage

    Body part to point at when showing where it hurts

27. la rodilla

    Knee

    Usage

    Body part to point at when showing where it hurts

28. el dedo

    Finger

    Usage

    "Dedo" covers both fingers and toes; say "dedo del pie" for a toe

29. la piel

    Skin

    Usage

    Used when reporting a rash or other skin problem

30. el brazo

    Arm

    Usage

    Body part to point at when showing where it hurts

31. la nariz

    Nose

    Usage

    Body part to point at for a blocked nose or a nosebleed

32. la tos

    Cough

    Usage

    Names a cough; "Tengo tos" means "I have a cough"

33. Me pica

    It itches

    Usage

    "Picar" also means "to sting/bite", so point at the itchy spot while showing it

34. un sarpullido

    A rash

    Usage

    Names a rash; show it together with the affected skin

35. el estreñimiento

    Constipation

    Usage

    Names constipation at a pharmacy or clinic — easier to show than to say

36. la menstruación

    Menstruation

    Usage

    Spain’s euphemism "la regla" also means "rule" and Latin America says "el período"; this word is unambiguous everywhere

37. el grupo sanguíneo

    Blood type

    Usage

    Asked before a transfusion or an operation; show it together with your own group (A / B / AB / O and the Rh factor)

38. el certificado médico

    Medical certificate

    Usage

    The paper you ask a doctor for to claim insurance or to prove an absence. If you need the diagnosis written out in detail, ask instead for "el informe médico"

39. la hospitalización

    Hospital admission

    Usage

    For checking whether you have to be admitted, or when you are told that you will be; medical documents also say "el ingreso hospitalario"

40. los escalofríos

    Chills

    Usage

    For the sudden cold feeling and muscle shivering that can come before a fever; used in the plural as a symptom

41. el resfriado

    Common cold

    Usage

    Covers nose and throat symptoms together; Latin America also says "el resfrío". Influenza is "la gripe" and is a different word

42. Llame a un médico, por favor

    Please call a doctor

    Usage

    Ask a bystander to call a doctor when someone needs to be seen on the spot

    Grammar Note

    The frame of "Llame a una ambulancia, por favor" with a different object. The preposition "a" is required because the object is a person

43. Me duele aquí

    It hurts here

    Usage

    Say this while pointing at the spot that hurts; it works even when you do not know the name of the body part

    Grammar Note

    The frame of "Me duele la cabeza" with the body part replaced by the adverb "aquí". "Doler" normally takes the aching part as its subject; with an adverb instead, the verb stays in the third-person singular

44. No me siento bien

    I don't feel well

    Usage

    Say that you are unwell before going into specific symptoms

    Grammar Note

    The reflexive "sentirse" frame of "Me siento solo" put into the negative. "No" goes before the verb and before the reflexive pronoun "me", the same order as in "¡No me toque!"

45. Me siento débil

    I feel weak

    Usage

    Describe a heavy, strengthless feeling to a doctor; it is distinct from ordinary tiredness that rest fixes ("Estoy cansado")

    Grammar Note

    The frame of "Me siento solo" with a different adjective. "Débil" means having little physical strength or resistance, which is what a doctor needs to hear. "Débil" has one form for both genders

46. He vomitado varias veces

    I have vomited several times

    Usage

    Tell a doctor that you have been vomiting, and roughly how often

    Grammar Note

    The same present perfect (haber + participle) as "He perdido mi pasaporte". "Vomitar" is a physiology term for expelling the contents of the stomach. For nausea without vomiting, use "Tengo náuseas"

47. ¿Necesito reposo?

    Do I need to rest?

    Usage

    Check with the doctor after an examination whether you need to rest

    Grammar Note

    The same frame as "¿Necesito pedir cita?". "Reposo" has a medical sense: a regime of resting without any activity, which is exactly what a doctor means by bed rest

48. la diarrea

    Diarrhea

    Usage

    Names the symptom at a pharmacy or clinic; at a pharmacy "antidiarreico" (anti-diarrhea medicine) is understood

49. la caca

    Poop

    Usage

    The everyday word with children (childish and colloquial). With a doctor, "las heces" (stool) is the safe clinical term

50. el pipí

    Pee

    Usage

    The everyday word with children (childish and colloquial). With a doctor, "la orina" (urine) is the safe clinical term

51. Tengo diarrea

    I have diarrhea

    Usage

    Tell a doctor or pharmacist about the symptom; follow with how many days it has lasted

    Grammar Note

    The same "Tengo + symptom" frame as "Tengo fiebre". The symptom takes no article (not "Tengo la diarrea")

52. Estoy estreñido/a

    I'm constipated

    Usage

    Tell a doctor or pharmacist; follow with how many days since you last went

    Grammar Note

    The noun "el estreñimiento" turned into the adjective "estreñido". A temporary state takes "estar", not "ser". Men say "estreñido", women "estreñida"

53. Necesito hacer pipí

    I need to pee

    Usage

    The ordinary way to tell a companion or a child you need to go. To a stranger such as a shop assistant, "¿Dónde está el baño?" is more polite

    Grammar Note

    "Necesito" of "Necesito un médico" followed by an infinitive instead of a noun. "Hacer pipí" uses the noun "pipí"; in Spain "hacer pis" is also said

54. Necesito hacer caca

    I need to poop

    Usage

    The ordinary way to tell a companion or a child you need to go. To a stranger such as a shop assistant, "¿Dónde está el baño?" is more polite

    Grammar Note

    The same frame as "Necesito hacer pipí" with only the noun changed to "caca". Between adults "ir al baño" (go to the bathroom) is often said instead

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