Spanish phrases for the doctor: how to explain what is wrong

You are in Spain, your throat has hurt for three days and you know you need to see a doctor. The problem is not only feeling unwell. It is also thinking about how you will explain in Spanish what is wrong, without forgetting anything important.

This is a very common situation for people learning Spanish. In class you practise ordering a coffee or introducing yourself, but at the doctor's the vocabulary changes, the doctor speaks fast and you only have a few minutes. If you get nervous, the words disappear.

In this article you will find the Spanish phrases you will use most at the doctor's: to make an appointment, to describe symptoms, to understand the questions and to speak at the pharmacy. You will also see common mistakes and a simple way to prepare for your visit.

How to make a doctor's appointment in Spanish

In Spain, your first visit is usually at the health centre (centro de salud), with your GP, the médico de cabecera. The médico de cabecera is the general doctor assigned to you. To make an appointment you can phone or go to the admissions desk (mostrador de admisión), the counter where the administrative staff help you.

These phrases work at the desk or on the phone:

• «Hola, buenos días. Quería pedir cita con mi médico de cabecera.» (Hello, good morning. I'd like to make an appointment with my GP.)
• «¿Tiene algo para hoy? Es que me encuentro bastante mal.» (Do you have anything for today? I'm feeling quite unwell.)
• «¿Me puede dar cita para otro día? Por la mañana no puedo.» (Could you give me an appointment for another day? I can't make it in the morning.)
• «Vengo a por los resultados de unos análisis.» (I've come for some test results.)

Notice «quería pedir» (I'd like to ask for). We use the imperfect tense to make a polite request. It sounds softer than «quiero» (I want) and it is what you will hear from almost everyone.

You may be asked for your tarjeta sanitaria, the health card that identifies you in the health system. If you don't have one yet, ask: «No tengo tarjeta sanitaria. ¿Qué tengo que hacer?» (I don't have a health card. What do I need to do?).

What to say when you go into the consulting room

When you go in, the doctor usually starts with an open question: «¿Qué le pasa?» (What's wrong?), «Cuénteme» (Tell me) or simply «Dígame» (Go ahead). Many doctors use usted, the formal way of saying "you", with patients, but others use tú. Answer naturally and adapt to their style.

A good answer has three parts: what is wrong, since when and how strong it is. For example: «Me duele mucho la garganta desde el domingo y tengo un poco de fiebre» (My throat has hurt a lot since Sunday and I have a slight fever).

Me duele or tengo dolor de

To talk about pain you have two very useful structures. The first is doler, which works like gustar: «Me duele la cabeza» (My head hurts), «Me duelen los oídos» (My ears hurt). If it is one thing, use duele; if it is several, use duelen.

The second is tener dolor de: «Tengo dolor de estómago» (I have a stomach ache), «Tengo dolor de espalda» (I have back pain). Both are correct and you will hear both at the doctor's.

Other common symptoms

These expressions come up in almost every appointment:

• «Tengo fiebre» (I have a fever) or «Tengo unas décimas», which means a slight temperature, not a high one.
• «Estoy resfriado» or «Estoy resfriada» (I have a cold), when you have a runny nose and keep sneezing.
• «Tengo tos» (I have a cough) and, if you want more detail, «Es una tos seca» (It's a dry cough) or «Tengo tos con flemas» (I have a chesty cough).
• «Estoy mareado» or «Estoy mareada» (I feel dizzy), when everything is spinning.
• «Tengo ganas de vomitar» (I feel like being sick) or «Tengo náuseas» (I feel nauseous).
• «Me pica mucho» (It's very itchy), for your skin or eyes.
• «Me he torcido el tobillo» (I've twisted my ankle), if you hurt your foot while walking or doing sport.

How to explain intensity and time

The doctor needs to know since when it has been happening. Use «desde» (since) with a specific moment and «hace» (ago) with an amount of time: «Me duele desde el lunes» (It has hurt since Monday), «Empezó hace dos días» (It started two days ago).

For intensity, these words help a lot: «un poco» (a little), «bastante» (quite), «mucho» (a lot) and «muchísimo» (very much). You can also say «Es un dolor que va y viene» (It's a pain that comes and goes), when it appears and disappears, or «Es un dolor constante» (It's a constant pain), when it does not go away.

The questions the doctor will ask you

Many people prepare what they want to say, but then they do not understand the questions. These are some of the most common ones, with a possible answer:

• «¿Es alérgico a algún medicamento?» (Are you allergic to any medicine?) You can answer: «No, que yo sepa» (Not that I know of), which means you do not know of any allergy.
• «¿Está tomando alguna medicación?» (Are you taking any medication?) Answer: «Sí, tomo una pastilla para la tensión» (Yes, I take a pill for my blood pressure).
• «¿Ha tenido fiebre?» (Have you had a fever?) Answer: «Sí, anoche tenía treinta y ocho» (Yes, last night I had a temperature of thirty-eight).
• «¿Le duele aquí?» (Does it hurt here?) While the doctor examines you, answer: «Sí, justo ahí» (Yes, right there) or «No, más abajo» (No, lower down).
• «Respire hondo.» (Breathe in deeply.) It is not a question: you are being asked to take a deep breath.
• «Túmbese en la camilla.» (Lie down on the examination couch.) You are being asked to lie down on the bed in the consulting room.

If you do not understand something, that's fine. Say: «Perdone, ¿me lo puede repetir más despacio?» (Sorry, could you repeat that more slowly?) or «No conozco esa palabra. ¿Me la puede explicar?» (I don't know that word. Could you explain it?). It is better to ask than to leave with doubts.

At the pharmacy: phrases to understand your treatment

After the appointment, the doctor may give you a prescription (receta). At the pharmacy you show the prescription or your health card and they give you the medicine. Here are some useful phrases too:

• «Vengo a recoger esto que me ha recetado el médico.» (I've come to collect what the doctor prescribed.)
• «¿Cada cuánto me lo tengo que tomar?» (How often do I have to take it?)
• «¿Antes o después de comer?» (Before or after meals?)
• «Tengo un poco de tos. ¿Me puede recomendar algo?» (I have a bit of a cough. Can you recommend something?)

Pay attention to how they explain the dose. You will hear things like «una cada ocho horas» (one every eight hours), «en ayunas», which means on an empty stomach, or «durante una semana» (for a week). If you are not sure, ask them to write it on the box.

Common mistakes made by foreign students

These mistakes are very normal and easy to fix once you know them:

• Saying «Estoy embarazada» when you mean you are embarrassed. Embarazada means you are pregnant. For embarrassment, say «Me da vergüenza».
• Saying «Me duelo la cabeza». The correct form is «Me duele la cabeza», because it is your head that hurts, not you.
• Confusing constipado with estreñido. In Spain, «Estoy constipado» means you have a cold. If you have trouble going to the toilet, the word is «estreñido».
• Using «mi cabeza» instead of «la cabeza». In Spanish we say «Me duele la cabeza», not «Me duele mi cabeza», because the pronoun «me» already shows whose head it is.
• Answering «sí» to everything because you are afraid of not understanding. It is better to say «No le he entendido bien» (I didn't quite understand you) and ask for another explanation.

A simple routine to prepare for your visit

Nerves drop a lot if you arrive with your phrases ready. This routine takes only ten minutes before you leave home:

• Write three sentences on a piece of paper: what is wrong, since when and how strong it is.
• Add the medicines you take and whether you have any allergies.
• Read the sentences aloud two or three times, as if you were already with the doctor.
• Also write down a question you want to ask, for example: «¿Cuándo tengo que volver?» (When do I need to come back?).
• Take the paper with you. If your mind goes blank, you can read it or show it.

Over time, you will not need the paper. But the first few times it gives you confidence and helps you not to forget anything important.

Your next step

Don't wait until you are ill to practise. This week, choose five phrases from this article and use them in a similar situation, for example asking about a simple product at the pharmacy. Speaking in a real situation, even a short one, is what makes the words come out naturally when you need them.

If you would like to practise with more structure and with the support of teachers, you can find out about our courses at Area IFE Español.