Blog · Medical Spanish
Medical Spanish phrases for nurses and healthcare staff
You do not need to be fluent to make a Spanish-speaking patient feel safe. You need the right questions, a few clear instructions and the words that show you care. These are the phrases nurses, doctors and healthcare staff use most, in the Spanish that Latin American patients actually speak.
All phrases use usted, the respectful form you should use with patients. Where a word changes for a man or a woman, both forms are shown (alérgico/alérgica).
Greeting and intake
| English | Spanish |
|---|---|
| Hello, my name is… I'm your nurse. | Hola, me llamo… Soy su enfermero / su enfermera. |
| What is your name? | ¿Cómo se llama? |
| What is your date of birth? | ¿Cuál es su fecha de nacimiento? |
| Are you allergic to any medication? | ¿Es alérgico/alérgica a algún medicamento? |
| Do you take any medication? | ¿Toma algún medicamento? |
| Have you had any surgeries? | ¿Ha tenido alguna cirugía? |
| Do you have diabetes or high blood pressure? | ¿Tiene diabetes o presión alta? |
Asking about pain
| English | Spanish |
|---|---|
| Where does it hurt? | ¿Dónde le duele? |
| Since when have you had the pain? | ¿Desde cuándo tiene el dolor? |
| From 1 to 10, how strong is the pain? | Del 1 al 10, ¿qué tan fuerte es el dolor? |
| Is the pain constant, or does it come and go? | ¿El dolor es constante o va y viene? |
| Does the pain spread anywhere else? | ¿El dolor se le extiende a otra parte? |
| What makes it better or worse? | ¿Qué lo mejora o lo empeora? |
¿Qué tan fuerte…? is how most Latin Americans ask "how strong". In Spain you would hear ¿cómo de fuerte…?, but your patients will understand you either way.
Common symptoms
| English | Spanish |
|---|---|
| Do you have a fever? | ¿Tiene fiebre? |
| Are you nauseous? Have you vomited? | ¿Tiene náuseas? ¿Ha vomitado? |
| Are you short of breath? | ¿Le falta el aire? |
| Do you feel dizzy? | ¿Se siente mareado/mareada? |
| Have you had diarrhea? | ¿Ha tenido diarrea? |
| Is it hard to sleep? | ¿Le cuesta dormir? |
During the exam
| English | Spanish |
|---|---|
| I'm going to take your blood pressure. | Le voy a tomar la presión. |
| Take a deep breath, please. | Respire profundo, por favor. |
| Roll up your sleeve. | Súbase la manga. |
| Lie down on your back. | Acuéstese boca arriba. |
| You'll feel a small pinch. | Va a sentir un pinchazo. |
| We're almost done. | Ya casi terminamos. |
Medication and aftercare
| English | Spanish |
|---|---|
| Take one pill every eight hours. | Tome una pastilla cada ocho horas. |
| Take it with food. | Tómela con comida. |
| Don't drive after taking this medication. | No maneje después de tomar este medicamento. |
| If the pain gets worse, come back right away. | Si el dolor empeora, regrese de inmediato. |
| Do you have any questions? | ¿Tiene alguna pregunta? |
Words that show you care
Patients remember how you made them feel more than how perfect your grammar was. These phrases go a long way:
| English | Spanish |
|---|---|
| Don't worry, we're here to help you. | No se preocupe, estamos aquí para ayudarle. |
| I understand this is difficult. | Entiendo que esto es difícil. |
| Take your time. | Tómese su tiempo. |
| Would you like us to call a family member? | ¿Quiere que llamemos a algún familiar? |
| Can you repeat that a little slower, please? | ¿Me lo puede repetir un poco más despacio, por favor? |
Words that change from country to country
Your patients may come from Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean or South America, and some everyday words change. A few you will hear often:
- Stomach / belly: estómago works everywhere, but you will also hear panza (very common in Mexico) and barriga.
- Pill: pastilla is the everyday word; tableta and píldora are also understood.
- Emergency room: urgencias or emergencias, depending on the country.
- High blood pressure: patients usually say presión alta rather than hipertensión.
When a patient uses a word you do not know, ask: ¿Me puede explicar qué quiere decir con eso? It is respectful, and it often gives you more information than the word itself.
A note on interpreters
These phrases help you connect with patients and handle everyday moments. For informed consent, complex diagnoses or anything where a misunderstanding could cause harm, follow your workplace's policy and use a qualified medical interpreter.
From a list to real conversations
The hard part is not reading these phrases but understanding the answer when a worried patient replies fast, with their own accent and their own words. That is what role-plays are for: practicing the same conversations again and again until they feel routine, before you need them on a shift.