At the Doctor — Describe Your Symptoms Like a Native
Book an appointment, explain exactly where it hurts, and survive the Spanish pharmacy — the health vocabulary natives actually use.
Key phrases
¿Me podría dar cita para el jueves por la mañana?
Could you give me an appointment for Thursday morning?
Tengo cita a las cinco con la doctora Herrero.
I've got a five o'clock appointment with Doctor Herrero.
Me duele muchísimo la garganta desde el sábado.
My throat has been really hurting since Saturday.
Es un dolor punzante en la rodilla que va y viene.
It's a stabbing pain in my knee that comes and goes.
Me encuentro fatal — llevo tres días con fiebre y escalofríos.
I feel awful — I've had a fever and chills for three days.
Estoy constipada, pero no es nada grave.
I've got a cold, but it's nothing serious.
Creo que he pillado un trancazo, no me aguanto de pie.
I think I've caught a nasty cold — I can barely stand up.
¿Qué me recomienda para la tos? Algo sin receta, si puede ser.
What do you recommend for a cough? Something over the counter, if possible.
Tómese un comprimido cada ocho horas, siempre con las comidas.
Take one tablet every eight hours, always with meals.
¿Cuándo estarán los resultados del análisis?
When will the blood test results be ready?
El médico me ha dado la baja hasta el lunes.
The doctor has signed me off work until Monday.
When “It Hurts” Isn’t Enough
Getting ill abroad is stressful enough without fighting the language too. The core structure is me duele + body part: me duele la cabeza, me duelen los oídos (note the plural verb). For something milder, natives reach for me molesta (it bothers me), and for overall state, me encuentro mal or the wonderfully dramatic me encuentro fatal.
Two things textbooks under-teach: Spanish uses the definite article with body parts (me duele la espalda, not mi espalda), and natives constantly qualify their dolor — agudo (sharp), punzante (stabbing), leve (mild), or one that va y viene (comes and goes).
Getting the Appointment
You’ll deal with your médico de cabecera (GP) at the local centro de salud. The magic verb is pedir cita — to book an appointment. Keep it in the usted register with reception and with the doctor. To explain how long you’ve been suffering, use desde (desde el sábado) or the elegant llevo construction: llevo una semana con tos — I’ve had a cough for a week.
Pharmacy First
In Spain the farmacia — spot the green cross — is often your first stop, not your last. The farmacéutico/a can recommend plenty of medicamentos de venta libre (over-the-counter medicine); just ask ¿qué me recomienda para…? If it needs una receta (a prescription), they’ll send you to the doctor.
- pastilla / comprimido — pill, tablet
- jarabe — syrup (the go-to for coughs)
- pomada — ointment
- antiinflamatorios — anti-inflammatories (ibuprofeno, paracetamol)
- el prospecto — the information leaflet nobody reads
One warning: never call medicine drogas — in Spanish that word means illegal drugs, full stop.
Cultural Tip: The Faithful False Friends
Estoy constipado means “I have a cold”. If you actually mean constipated, you want estreñido. Getting these backwards in a consultation is a rite of passage for every learner — get it right and you’ve officially leveled up. Similarly, estar malo just means being unwell, not being a bad person.
Signed Off and Signed Back On
If you’re too ill to work, the doctor gives you la baja (sick leave); when you recover, you get el alta. Both use dar: me dieron la baja el martes. Handy for the office, and a perfect bridge to our workplace lesson.
This lesson covers the essentials — the full check-up, from opticians to A&E, is in Daily Life and Culture, part of our Speak Spanish Like a Native book series.