This Medical Spanish lesson focuses on talking through the different signs and symptoms in Spanish your patient could have when they see you in the clinic.
In this lesson you will learn about:
- Two important Spanish verbs you need to learn in order to talk about signs and symptoms in Spanish.
- Useful questions and common phrases you can use to assess your patient’s chief complaint.
- Basic signs and symptoms in Spanish.
- Other signs and symptoms your patient could be describing when talking to you.
- Some transitional phrases to redirect the conversation.
- Extra resources to learn about pain and different signs and symptoms depending on the hurting body part.
Here is the Medical Spanish lesson about Signs and Symptoms in Spanish I taught to the Facebook group:
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Two Important Verbs in Spanish / Dos verbos importantes en español
There are two important verbs you need to master in Spanish to be able to talk about síntomas:
1. Tener (e > ie) = To Have
| Yo tengo | Nosotros tenemos |
| Tú tienes | Vosotros tenéis |
| Él / Ella / Usted tiene | Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes tienen |
2. Sentir (e > ie) = To Feel
| Yo siento | Nosotros sentimos |
| Tú sientes | Vosotros sentís |
| Él / Ella / Usted siente | Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes sienten |
Note: The conjugation “vosotros” is used by people from Spain, so it is good for you to know about it but it’s not mandatory to learn how to use it since the majority of Latino patients are from Central and South America.
Some Examples / Unos ejemplos
Now you know these two verbs, it’s time to apply them! 🙂
| Spanish | English |
| ¿Qué síntomas tiene hoy? | What symptoms do you have today? |
| Tengo dolor de cabeza, nauseas y vómito | I have a headache, nausea and vomiting |
| ¿Siente dolor en otras partes del cuerpo también? | Do you feel pain in other parts of the body as well? |
| Sí, me duele la espalda | Yes, my back hurts |
¿Tiene fiebre?  | Do you have fever? |
| Creo que sí, porque siento calor y luego escalofríos | I think so, because I feel hot and then I have the chills |
| ¿Por cuánto tiempo tiene estos síntomas? | For how long do you have these symptoms? |
| Por unos días, nomás | Just for a few days |
Useful Questions and Common Phrases / Preguntas útiles y frases comunes
Take a look at these questions an phrases, they could be useful when you talk to your Spanish-speaking patient and want to understand the problem:
Useful Questions in Spanish
If you are a beginner, it would be better to use only the Yes/No questions to avoid long explanations about symptoms in Spanish you’ll have trouble understanding.
Examples: It would be better to ask: “Do you feel ______________?” Yes / No rather than “What symptoms do you have?” I have _____________.
Leave the more complex questions for later, when you master a good amount of medical vocabulary 🙂
| Spanish | English |
| ¿Qué le pasa hoy? | What’s the matter today? |
| ¿Cómo se siente? | How do you feel? |
| ¿Qué síntomas tiene? | What symptoms do you have? |
| ¿Qué otros síntomas tiene? | What other symptoms do you have? |
| ¿Tiene __________? | Do you have __________? |
| ¿Siente __________? | Do you feel __________? |
| ¿Por cuánto tiempo tiene __________? | How long do you have __________? |
| ¿Cuándo empezó __________? | When did ____________ start? |
| Cuándo siente _____________? | When do you feel _____________? |
Common Phrases in Spanish / Frases comunes en español
| Spanish | English |
|
Antes de | Before |
| Después de | After |
| De repente | Suddenly |
| A veces | Sometimes |
| Siempre / Nunca | Always / Never |
| Poco / Mucho | A little bit / A lot |
| Me duele… | It hurts… |
| Me pica | it Itches / bites / stings |
| Me arde | It burns |
| Me cuesta | It is difficult |
Basic Signs and Symptoms in Spanish / Signos y síntomas básicos en español
In this section you will learn the most basic symptoms a patient would have depending on the part of the body:
| Spanish | English |
| Cabeza: | Head: |
| Congestión | Congestion |
| Estornudo | Sneezing |
| Goteo nasal | Runny nose |
| Mareo | Dizziness |
| Nariz tapada | Stuffy nose |
| Pecho: | Chest: |
| Falta de aire | Shortness of breath |
| Flema (verdosa) | Phlegm (green) |
| Palpitaciones | Palpitations |
| Silbido | Wheezing |
| Tos (seca, productiva) | Cough (dry cough, productive cough) |
| Cuerpo: | Body: |
| Fatiga | Fatigue |
| Fiebre | Fever |
| Nauseas | Nausea |
| Vómito (con sangre) | Vomiting (with blood) |
| Diarrea (con sangre) | Diarrhea (with blood) |
| Estreñimiento | Constipation |
| Gas (abdominal) | Gas (abdominal) |
| Cólicos | Cramping |
| Piel: | Skin: |
| Irritación, erupción | Irritation, rash |
| Salpullido, ronchas | Hives, rashes |
| Moretones, magullas | Bruises |
| Picazón, comezón | Itching / stinging |
| Enrojecimiento, rojez | Redness |
Other Signs and Symptoms / Unos signos y síntomas más…
| Spanish | English |
| Acedia, ácidos, Agruras, reflujo | Acid, heartburn, reflux |
| Ansiedad / Nervios | Anxiety / Nerves |
| Boca seca, ojos secos, piel seca | Dry mouth, dry eyes, dry skin |
| Cambios en: color, visión, etc | Changes in: color, vision, etc. |
| Convulsiones | Seizures |
| Desechos, flujo | Discharge, fluid |
| Dificultad para: respirar, orinar, tragar, dormir | Difficulty: breathing, urinating, swallowing, sleeping |
| Dolor al: orinar, mover, toser | Pain with urination, movement, while you cough |
| Hinchazón | Swelling |
| Hormigueo | Tingling |
| Inflamación | Inflammation |
| Inquietud | Restlessness |
| Lesión | Lesion / Wound / Injury |
| Malestar general | General malaise |
| Modorra | Drowsiness |
| Pérdida de: | Loss of: |
| Apetito | Appetite |
| Audición | Hearing |
| Conocimiento | Consciousness |
| Sensación | Sensation |
| Resfrío / Resfriado | Cold / Flu |
| Sangre (sangrado) de… | Blood (A bleed) of … |
| Sudores | Sweating |
| Sueños | Sleepiness |
| Temblores | Tremors |
Learn More About Pain / Aprenda más sobre el dolor
In you want more specific vocabulary about certain types of pain and symptoms, here are some good resources for you:
- Back Pain In Spanish
- Headaches in Spanish
- Chest Pain in Spanish
- Abdominal Pain in Spanish
- Less Common Causes of Abdominal Pain in Spanish
- Knee Pain in Spanish
- 10 Most Common Fall Season Illnesses in Spanish
- How To Talk About Pain in Spanish
All of them include free lesson notes for you to download and practice!
Some Transitional Phrases / Unas frases de transición
After getting a good idea of your patient’s symptoms, you can start using some transitional phrases to talk about diagnoses or next steps to follow:
| Spanish | English |
| Necesito… (examinarle, mirarle __________, escucharle __________) | I need to … (examine _______ , look at your __________, listen to your __________) |
| Favor de… (acostarte, respirar profundo / normal, esperar aquí, quitarse la ropa) | Please… (lie down, breathe deeply / normally, wait here, take off your clothes) |
| Usted necesita… (tomar __________, descansar, usar __________) | You need to… (take __________, rest, use __________) |
| Voy a… (hablar con _________, pedir __________, recetarle ________) | I’m going to… (speak to __________, order ____________, prescribe _________) |
Now is your turn! ¡Ahora te toca a ti! You can study this medical signs and symptoms vocabulary here with the flashcards I’ve created for you:
I packaged all of this into easily downloadable .pdf notes– Get your copy for free today!
Keep up the good work speaking responsible Spanish to your patients! Check out our other books, classes & products to help you !
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Hi Rory ,
Please explain
1. Differences in using – por favor vs favor de
2 . Sensitivity / sensible? So how to say he is sensible , this part of my arm is sensitive ?
3. Flujo – fluid / loose probably being specific like los dientes flujo . Then we specify where the fluid from ?
Please explain
Hola Geetha! Para responder a tus preguntas:
1. Por favor needs to be followed by a conjugated verb, ie: por favor respire profundo vs. favor de respirar profundo, uses the infinitive. The meaning is similar, but I’d say por favor is more common.
2. Es cierto! Sensible means sensitive, ie: esta parte del brazo está sensible, and sensible en inglés es razonable en español, ie: ella es una jefa razonable.
3. Flujo refers to a flow or fluid, ie: flujo vaginal. To say a tooth is loose, use flojo/a, el diente está flojo.
Hope this helps! Buen trabajo!