Health Vocabulary in Spanish

Spanish	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
un poco	oon POH-koh	a little	Me duele un poco la espalda.	My back hurts a little.	Very common softener.
bastante	bahs-TAHN-teh	quite / fairly / a lot	Me duele bastante la pierna.	My leg hurts quite a lot.	Flexible word. Context matters.
mucho	MOO-choh	very much / a lot	Me duele mucho la garganta.	My throat hurts a lot.	Strong and simple.
muy fuerte	mwee FWEHR-teh	very strong / severe	El dolor es muy fuerte.	The pain is very severe.	Good for serious pain.
leve	LEH-beh	mild	Es un dolor leve.	It’s mild pain.	Common in medical descriptions.
grave	GRAH-beh	serious	Es algo grave.	It’s something serious.	Important adjective in health contexts.
repentino	reh-pehn-TEE-noh	sudden	El dolor fue repentino.	The pain was sudden.	Useful for describing onset.

Simple symptom intensity scale from mild to severe

Useful Verbs For Talking About Health

These verbs show up constantly. They are small, stubborn, and ridiculously useful. Learn them and you’ll suddenly understand much more medical Spanish than you expected.

Spanish	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
sentirse	seen-TEER-seh	to feel	¿Cómo te sientes hoy?	How do you feel today?	Reflexive verb.
estar enfermo/a	ehs-TAHR ehn-FEHR-moh / ehn-FEHR-mah	to be sick	Estoy enfermo y no voy a trabajar.	I’m sick and I’m not going to work.	Use estar for temporary states.
tener	teh-NEHR	to have	Tengo tos y fiebre.	I have a cough and fever.	One of the most common symptom verbs.
tomar	toh-MAHR	to take / to drink	Tomé la medicina después de cenar.	I took the medicine after dinner.	Often used for medicine.
descansar	dehs-kahn-SAHR	to rest	Necesito descansar un poco.	I need to rest a little.	Common when talking about recovery or taking it easy.

Spanish	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
la medicina	lah meh-dee-SEE-nah	medicine / medication	Tomé la medicina a tiempo.	I took the medicine on time.	Can mean medicine in general.
la pastilla	lah pahs-TEE-yah	pill	Necesito una pastilla para el dolor.	I need a pill for the pain.	Very common in pharmacies.
el jarabe	el hah-RAH-beh	syrup	El jarabe me ayuda a dormir.	The syrup helps me sleep.	j is a strong throat sound.
la receta	lah reh-SEH-tah	prescription	Necesito una receta médica.	I need a medical prescription.	Different from a cooking recipe.
el médico / la médica	el MEH-dee-koh / lah MEH-dee-kah	doctor	La médica me hizo preguntas.	The doctor asked me questions.	Gendered noun. In many places doctor is also used.
la enfermera / el enfermero	lah ehn-fehr-MEH-rah / el ehn-fehr-MEH-roh	nurse	La enfermera fue muy amable.	The nurse was very kind.	Gender changes with the person.
la clínica	lah KLEE-nee-kah	clinic	Voy a la clínica esta tarde.	I’m going to the clinic this afternoon.	Useful for appointments.
el hospital	el ohs-pee-TAHL	hospital	Lo llevaron al hospital.	They took him to the hospital.	h is silent.
la farmacia	lah fahr-MAH-syah	pharmacy	Voy a la farmacia a comprar algo.	I’m going to the pharmacy to buy something.	Very useful when traveling.
la emergencia	lah eh-mehr-HEN-syah	emergency	Es una emergencia.	It’s an emergency.	Say this clearly and simply.
el seguro	el seh-GOO-roh	insurance	¿Aceptan seguro médico?	Do you accept medical insurance?	Common in practical travel Spanish.
la cita	lah SEE-tah	appointment	Tengo una cita con el doctor.	I have an appointment with the doctor.	Very common in medical contexts.

Describing How Bad It Is

Once you know the symptom, the next job is saying how strong it is. Spanish uses simple intensity words for this, and they’re worth memorizing because “a little pain” and “I need help now” are not the same vibe at all.

Spanish	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
un poco	oon POH-koh	a little	Me duele un poco la espalda.	My back hurts a little.	Very common softener.
bastante	bahs-TAHN-teh	quite / fairly / a lot	Me duele bastante la pierna.	My leg hurts quite a lot.	Flexible word. Context matters.
mucho	MOO-choh	very much / a lot	Me duele mucho la garganta.	My throat hurts a lot.	Strong and simple.
muy fuerte	mwee FWEHR-teh	very strong / severe	El dolor es muy fuerte.	The pain is very severe.	Good for serious pain.
leve	LEH-beh	mild	Es un dolor leve.	It’s mild pain.	Common in medical descriptions.
grave	GRAH-beh	serious	Es algo grave.	It’s something serious.	Important adjective in health contexts.
repentino	reh-pehn-TEE-noh	sudden	El dolor fue repentino.	The pain was sudden.	Useful for describing onset.

Common Ailments And Basic Health Words

These are the kinds of words you hear in pharmacies, clinics, and everyday conversation. Nothing fancy. Just the practical stuff that helps you survive adult life in another language.

Spanish	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
la medicina	lah meh-dee-SEE-nah	medicine / medication	Tomé la medicina a tiempo.	I took the medicine on time.	Can mean medicine in general.
la pastilla	lah pahs-TEE-yah	pill	Necesito una pastilla para el dolor.	I need a pill for the pain.	Very common in pharmacies.
el jarabe	el hah-RAH-beh	syrup	El jarabe me ayuda a dormir.	The syrup helps me sleep.	j is a strong throat sound.
la receta	lah reh-SEH-tah	prescription	Necesito una receta médica.	I need a medical prescription.	Different from a cooking recipe.
el médico / la médica	el MEH-dee-koh / lah MEH-dee-kah	doctor	La médica me hizo preguntas.	The doctor asked me questions.	Gendered noun. In many places doctor is also used.
la enfermera / el enfermero	lah ehn-fehr-MEH-rah / el ehn-fehr-MEH-roh	nurse	La enfermera fue muy amable.	The nurse was very kind.	Gender changes with the person.
la clínica	lah KLEE-nee-kah	clinic	Voy a la clínica esta tarde.	I’m going to the clinic this afternoon.	Useful for appointments.
el hospital	el ohs-pee-TAHL	hospital	Lo llevaron al hospital.	They took him to the hospital.	h is silent.
la farmacia	lah fahr-MAH-syah	pharmacy	Voy a la farmacia a comprar algo.	I’m going to the pharmacy to buy something.	Very useful when traveling.
la emergencia	lah eh-mehr-HEN-syah	emergency	Es una emergencia.	It’s an emergency.	Say this clearly and simply.
el seguro	el seh-GOO-roh	insurance	¿Aceptan seguro médico?	Do you accept medical insurance?	Common in practical travel Spanish.
la cita	lah SEE-tah	appointment	Tengo una cita con el doctor.	I have an appointment with the doctor.	Very common in medical contexts.

Symptoms And How To Say What Hurts

Spanish often uses me duele for “it hurts me” and tengo for “I have” when talking about symptoms. That’s the big pattern. Once you get that, lots of health talk becomes far less mysterious and far less theatrical.

Spanish	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
dolor	doh-LOHR	pain	Tengo mucho dolor en la pierna.	I have a lot of pain in my leg.	Very common noun.
me duele	meh DWEH-leh	it hurts me / I have pain in	Me duele la rodilla.	My knee hurts.	Use with one body part.
me duelen	meh DWEH-len	they hurt me / I have pain in	Me duelen los pies.	My feet hurt.	Use with plural body parts.
ardor	ahr-DOHR	burning / burning sensation	Siento ardor en los ojos.	I feel burning in my eyes.	Can be used for skin, eyes, stomach, etc.
picazón	pee-kah-SON	itching	Tengo picazón en la piel.	I have itching on my skin.	In some places people also say comezón.
hinchazón	een-chah-SON	swelling	Hay hinchazón en el tobillo.	There is swelling in the ankle.	Medical and clear.
náuseas	NOW-seh-ahs	nausea	Tengo náuseas desde la mañana.	I’ve had nausea since morning.	Usually plural in Spanish.
mareo	mah-REH-oh	dizziness	Siento mareo cuando me levanto.	I feel dizzy when I stand up.	Useful for “dizzy” feelings.
tos	tohs	cough	Tengo tos seca.	I have a dry cough.	tos seca = dry cough.
estornudar	ehs-tohr-noo-DAHR	to sneeze	Empiezo a estornudar cuando hay polvo.	I start sneezing when there is dust.	Infinitive verb.
gripe	GREE-peh	flu	Tengo gripe y no puedo salir.	I have the flu and can’t go out.	More serious than a cold.
resfriado	res-free-AH-doh	cold	Creo que tengo un resfriado.	I think I have a cold.	Very common in Latin America and Spain.
fiebre	FYEH-breh	fever	La fiebre no baja.	The fever isn’t going down.	Commonly used with tener.
cansancio	kahn-SAHN-syoh	tiredness / fatigue	Siento mucho cansancio hoy.	I feel very tired today.	Can suggest more than ordinary tiredness.
debilidad	deh-bee-lee-DAHD	weakness	Tengo debilidad en las piernas.	I have weakness in my legs.	More formal / medical.

Rule: me duele goes with one thing. me duelen goes with more than one.

Pattern	Meaning	Spanish Example	English Translation	Learner Note
Me duele + singular body part	One thing hurts	Me duele la cabeza.	My head hurts.	Use with singular nouns.
Me duelen + plural body parts	More than one thing hurts	Me duelen los ojos.	My eyes hurt.	Plural noun = plural verb.
Tengo + symptom	I have a symptom	Tengo fiebre.	I have a fever.	Very common with health vocabulary.
Siento + symptom	I feel a symptom	Siento mareo.	I feel dizzy.	Often used for sensations.

Quick Starter: The Most Useful Health Phrases

Spanish	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
Me duele la cabeza.	meh DWEH-leh lah kah-BEH-sah	My head hurts / I have a headache	Me duele la cabeza desde ayer.	My head has hurt since yesterday.	Very common. Use me duele for singular body parts.
Me siento mal.	meh SYEN-toh mahl	I feel sick / bad	Me siento mal después de comer.	I feel sick after eating.	Neutral and useful in many situations.
Tengo fiebre.	TEN-goh FYEH-breh	I have a fever	Tengo fiebre y dolor de garganta.	I have a fever and a sore throat.	Tener is used for many symptoms.
Me duele el estómago.	meh DWEH-leh el ehs-TOH-mah-goh	My stomach hurts	Me duele el estómago por algo que comí.	My stomach hurts because of something I ate.	Estómago often means stomach / belly area.
Necesito un médico.	neh-seh-SEE-toh oon MEH-dee-koh	I need a doctor	Necesito un médico ahora mismo.	I need a doctor right now.	Polite and direct. Handy in emergencies.
¿Qué me recomienda?	keh meh reh-koh-myen-DAH	What do you recommend for me?	¿Qué me recomienda para el dolor?	What do you recommend for the pain?	Useful in pharmacies and clinics.

Core Vocabulary: Body Parts You’ll Actually Use

When you talk about symptoms, body parts matter. Spanish usually uses the article with body parts: la cabeza, el brazo, la espalda. English often skips that, but Spanish is not going to skip it just because English feels lazy today.

Spanish	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
la cabeza	lah kah-BEH-sah	head	Me golpeé la cabeza.	I hit my head.	Feminine noun. Use la.
el ojo	el OH-ho	eye	Me arde el ojo derecho.	My right eye burns.	j sounds like a strong “h.”
la nariz	lah nah-REES	nose	Tengo la nariz tapada.	I have a blocked nose.	z in Latin America sounds like an s.
la garganta	lah gahr-GAHN-tah	throat	Me duele la garganta al tragar.	My throat hurts when I swallow.	Very common with colds and infections.
el pecho	el PEH-cho	chest	Siento presión en el pecho.	I feel pressure in my chest.	Important word in medical settings.
la espalda	lah ehs-PAHL-dah	back	Me duele la espalda baja.	My lower back hurts.	espalda baja = lower back.
el brazo	el BRAH-so	arm	Me duele el brazo izquierdo.	My left arm hurts.	Useful after exercise or injury.
la mano	lah MAH-no	hand	Me corté la mano con papel.	I cut my hand with paper.	Painfully common. Paper is rude like that.
la pierna	lah PYEHR-nah	leg	Me duele la pierna al caminar.	My leg hurts when I walk.	Use for the whole leg.
el pie	el pyeh	foot	Me lastimé el pie jugando fútbol.	I hurt my foot playing soccer.	Plural is los pies.
el estómago	el ehs-TOH-mah-goh	stomach / belly	Me duele el estómago después de comer mucho.	My stomach hurts after eating a lot.	In everyday speech, people often mean the belly area.
la piel	lah pyehl	skin	Me pica la piel.	My skin itches.	Common for allergies and irritation.