Medical Spanish: 32 Phrases for Patient Care
Start with ¿Dónde le duele? (DOHN-deh leh DWEH-leh, where does it hurt?), Del uno al diez, ¿qué tan fuerte es el dolor? (from one to ten, how bad is the pain?) and ¿Tiene alergia a algún medicamento? (are you allergic to any medication?). Below are 32 phrases in the order a visit goes. You greet the patient, ask why they came in and ask about pain. Then you hear their symptoms, check allergies and medications, give exam instructions and wrap up. Each stage includes what the patient may say back.
Medical Spanish Phrases for Healthcare Workers
Teaches the Spanish phrases a nurse, medical assistant or front-desk worker uses to greet a patient, ask about pain, symptoms, allergies and medications, and give simple exam instructions. Latin American Spanish with usted, with Spain noted where it differs.
32 cards with audio. Read them all free on the deck page.
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Greet and identify the patient
| Spanish | Pronunciation | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buenos días, soy su enfermera. | BWEH-nohs DEE-ahs, soy soo en-fehr-MEH-rah | Good morning, I'm your nurse. A male nurse says soy su enfermero. Su is the polite usted form of your. After noon, say buenas tardes. | |
| ¿Cómo se llama? | KOH-moh seh YAH-mah | What is your name? The polite usted form, right for any adult patient. | |
| ¿Cuál es su fecha de nacimiento? | kwahl ehs soo FEH-chah deh nah-see-MYEN-toh | What is your date of birth? Used to confirm you have the right patient. Patients usually answer day, then month, then year. | |
| ¿Necesita un intérprete? | neh-seh-SEE-tah oon een-TEHR-preh-teh | Do you need an interpreter? Ask this early, before any clinical questions. | |
| Voy a llamar a un intérprete. | boy ah yah-MAHR ah oon een-TEHR-preh-teh | I'm going to call an interpreter. Use it when the conversation goes past basic questions. |
Ask what brings them in
| Spanish | Pronunciation | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| ¿Qué le pasa? | keh leh PAH-sah | What's wrong? or What's the matter? The usual way to ask why a patient came in. You will also hear ¿Qué lo trae por aquí? (what brings you here?), with la for a woman. | |
| ¿Cómo se siente? | KOH-moh seh SYEN-teh | How are you feeling? Polite usted form. Works at check-in and again later in the visit. | |
| Me siento mal. | meh SYEN-toh mahl | I feel sick or I don't feel well. What the patient says. Listen for what comes next, often a symptom with tengo or me duele. |
Ask about pain
| Spanish | Pronunciation | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| ¿Tiene dolor? | TYEH-neh doh-LOHR | Are you in pain? Dolor means pain. Polite usted form. | |
| ¿Dónde le duele? | DOHN-deh leh DWEH-leh | Where does it hurt? Patients may point, or answer with me duele plus a body part. | |
| Del uno al diez, ¿qué tan fuerte es el dolor? | dehl OO-noh ahl dyehs, keh tahn FWEHR-teh ehs el doh-LOHR | From one to ten, how bad is the pain? Explain that one is a little pain and ten is the worst pain. Qué tan is Latin American. In Spain people ask ¿cuánto le duele? | |
| ¿Desde cuándo le duele? | DEHS-deh KWAHN-doh leh DWEH-leh | Since when has it hurt? or How long has it hurt? Patients answer with desde plus a time, like desde ayer (since yesterday). | |
| Me duele aquí. | meh DWEH-leh ah-KEE | It hurts here. What the patient says, often while pointing. When you ask, use the full question ¿le duele aquí? (does it hurt here?), not just dolor aquí. | |
| Es un dolor punzante. | ehs oon doh-LOHR poon-SAHN-teh | It's a sharp, stabbing pain. What the patient says. You may also hear punzadas (stabbing pains) or me arde (it burns). |
Symptoms patients describe
| Spanish | Pronunciation | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tengo fiebre. | TEN-goh FYEH-breh | I have a fever. What the patient says. In Mexico many patients say tengo calentura for the same thing. | |
| Tengo náuseas. | TEN-goh NOW-seh-ahs | I feel nauseous. What the patient says. You may also hear tengo ganas de vomitar (I feel like throwing up). | |
| Estoy mareado. | ehs-TOY mah-reh-AH-doh | I feel dizzy. What the patient says. A woman says mareada. Some patients also use it for feeling queasy, so context matters. Ask a follow-up question. | |
| Me falta el aire. | meh FAHL-tah el AY-reh | I'm short of breath. What the patient says. You may also hear no puedo respirar bien (I can't breathe well). | |
| Me duele la cabeza. | meh DWEH-leh lah kah-BEH-sah | I have a headache. Literally my head hurts. What the patient says. The same pattern works for any body part: me duele el estómago (my stomach hurts). |
Allergies and medications
| Spanish | Pronunciation | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| ¿Tiene alergia a algún medicamento? | TYEH-neh ah-LEHR-hyah ah ahl-GOON meh-dee-kah-MEN-toh | Are you allergic to any medication? The same words for any patient, with no gender ending. ¿Es alérgico (or alérgica) a algún medicamento? also works. Medicamento and medicina are both common. | |
| ¿Toma algún medicamento? | TOH-mah ahl-GOON meh-dee-kah-MEN-toh | Do you take any medication? Some patients do not count vitamins or home remedies (remedios caseros), so you can ask about those too. | |
| Tengo alergia a la penicilina. | TEN-goh ah-LEHR-hyah ah lah peh-nee-see-LEE-nah | I'm allergic to penicillin. What the patient says. Some say soy alérgico (or alérgica). The pattern tengo alergia a plus a name works for any allergy. | |
| No tomo ningún medicamento. | noh TOH-moh neen-GOON meh-dee-kah-MEN-toh | I don't take any medication. What the patient says. You may also hear no tomo nada (I don't take anything). |
Exam instructions
| Spanish | Pronunciation | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| ¿Me permite examinarlo? | meh pehr-MEE-teh ek-sah-mee-NAHR-loh | May I examine you? Asks permission before you touch the patient. Say examinarla to a woman. In Mexico you will also hear revisarlo. | |
| Respire profundo. | rehs-PEE-reh proh-FOON-doh | Take a deep breath. Polite usted command. In Spain respire hondo is more common. | |
| Acuéstese, por favor. | ah-KWEHS-teh-seh, pohr fah-BOHR | Lie down, please. Polite usted command. Siéntese, por favor means sit down, please. | |
| Le voy a tomar la presión. | leh boy ah toh-MAHR lah preh-SYOHN | I'm going to take your blood pressure. Presión is used across Latin America. In Spain people say la tensión. | |
| Va a sentir un piquetito. | bah ah sen-TEER oon pee-keh-TEE-toh | You're going to feel a little prick. Said before a needle. Piquetito is the gentle Mexican form of piquete. Words vary by country, so you may also hear un pinchazo or un pinchacito. | |
| Quítese la ropa y póngase la bata. | KEE-teh-seh lah ROH-pah ee POHN-gah-seh lah BAH-tah | Take off your clothes and put on the gown. Polite usted commands. Bata is the hospital gown. |
Wrap up and next steps
| Spanish | Pronunciation | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| ¿Tiene alguna pregunta? | TYEH-neh ahl-GOO-nah preh-GOON-tah | Do you have any questions? Ask before the patient leaves. | |
| El doctor viene en un momento. | el dohk-TOHR BYEH-neh en oon moh-MEN-toh | The doctor will be here in a moment. Say la doctora for a woman doctor. | |
| Que se mejore. | keh seh meh-HOH-reh | Get well soon. A warm, polite goodbye to a patient. |
Frequently asked questions
Can these phrases replace a medical interpreter?
No. These phrases help with basic communication, like a greeting, a pain score or asking a patient to lie down. They do not replace a qualified medical interpreter. For anything clinical, use a qualified interpreter. That includes the medical history, consent, test results and discharge instructions.
Should I use usted or tú with patients?
Use usted with adult patients. It is the polite form for people you do not know well, and every phrase on this page uses it. Many staff switch to tú with young children.
Is medical Spanish different in Spain and Latin America?
Only in some words. These phrases use the Latin American Spanish most US patients speak, often from Mexico and Central America. A few words change in Spain, such as la tensión for blood pressure and un pinchazo for a needle prick. Each card says where they differ. The card audio is Google text-to-speech with a Spain Spanish voice, so its accent is not the one most of your patients use.
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