At the Pharmacy in Spanish: Useful Vocabulary Guide

Did you know that the first record of a pharmacy appeared 800 years ago, in 1221? 

Known as the “world’s oldest pharmacy,” Santa María Novella’s convent in Florence, Italy began crafting perfumed waters, soaps, and medicine from their garden of potent medicinal plants. 300 years after their inception, their popularity raged through the royal courts of France after the pharmacy’s creation of a novel perfume, “The Queen’s Water.” (Read about its history in Spanish.)

Since then pharmacies have become less of a sensation and more of a community staple. In fact, most of us have access to one within our very own neighborhoods. 

While you’re on your trip in a Spanish-speaking country, you will undoubtedly visit a pharmacy for any number of reasons, from simply accessing an ATM to buying an everyday item you may need or ordering medicine for your minor ailments.

Read on to brush up on body parts in Spanish, learn to explain your symptoms to a pharmacist, identify the exact item or product you wish to purchase, and gain the confidence to do so with example sentences for your Spanish conversation at a pharmacy! 

Quick Review: Body Parts in Spanish

While any part of the body could be affected by discomfort, here are 20 possibilities!

Learn more: Spanish Body Parts: Vocabulary and Idioms

PRO TIP! La sien (the temple) and cien (one hundred) are pronounced exactly the same, but keep in mind the spelling difference when you’re writing in Spanish!

Example Spanish Sentences

Me duele la cabeza.
My head hurts.

Siento la garganta seca, incluso después de tomar agua.
I feel my throat dry, even after drinking water.

Estoy experimentando una fuerte presión en el pecho.
I am experiencing a strong pressure in my chest.

Tengo un leve dolor en el costado izquierdo del cuerpo.
I have a slight discomfort on the left side of my body.

Después de la caída, mi rodilla no ha dejado de tronar.
After taking the fall, my knee has not stopped cracking.

Me arde mucho la piel, me la quemé en la playa.
My skin is burning, I got sunburnt at the beach.

Common Symptoms to Tell the Pharmacist in Spanish

A pharmacist’s main job is to help you find the medicine you need to alleviate the symptoms you’re experiencing. Below you’ll find 20 common symptoms that you may have during your trip.

Describing Your Symptoms at the Pharmacy in Spanish

Mi hijo tiene un fuerte dolor de estómago.
My son has a strong stomach ache.

Estoy sintiendo una fuerte sensación de picazón.
I am feeling a strong itching sensation.

Los últimos dos días he sentido náusea después de comer.
These last two days I have felt nausea after eating.

Al momento de levantarme, me mareo fácilmente.
When I get up I feel dizzy easily.

Common Sickness and Disease in Spanish

In the end, symptoms are just indicators of a disease or temporary illness. If you need to explain that you have a chronic condition or you’re aware of your current state of health, you may want to use one of these words!

Learn more: Your Ultimate Guide to Conditions, Illnesses, and Diseases in Spanish

PRO TIP! Many countries in Latin America call the flu la gripe, meanwhile in Mexico, they replace the final –e with –a, calling it la gripa.

Example Sentences in Spanish

Estuve tosiendo mucho estos últimos días.
I have been coughing a lot these last few days.

Padezco de migrañas.
I suffer from migraine.

Lastimosamente, me diagnosticaron depresión el año pasado.
Sadly, I was diagnosed with depression last year.

I caught a cold the other day because I went outside without a sweater on.
Me pesqué un resfriado el otro día porque salí sin suéter.

El polen me da alergia y estornudo sin control.
Pollen gives me allergies and I sneeze uncontrollably.

For more details on how to describe your health in Spanish, read How to Discuss Your Health in Spanish.

Spanish Conversations at Pharmacy

With 80 new words in your back pocket let’s put a gold ribbon over them and truly own this new knowledge by practicing them in a usual conversation or some sentences in a pharmacy in Spanish.

Me duele mucho el(la) _______.
My _______ hurts a lot.

Soy alérgico(a) a ______.
I am allergic to______.

Me siento mareado(a).
I feel dizzy.

Me arde la piel.
I feel a burning sensation on my skin.

¿Tiene algo para aliviar la fiebre?
Do you have anything to alleviate the fever?

He tenido mucho insomnio durante la última semana.
I have had (a lot of) insomnia during this last week.

Estoy experimentando dolor en mi garganta. ¿Me puede vender algo para eso?
I am experiencing pain in my throat. Could you sell me something for that?

Common Products at the Pharmacy in Spanish

Expressing complaints and illnesses is just 101. But with that out of the way it is now time to learn some products to treat those illnesses that we can find at the pharmacy. How do you say band-aid, ointment, pills, or medicine in Spanish? 

Get comfy and check it out.

Example Sentences in Spanish

¿Cuánto vale el remedio para la tos?
How much does the cough remedy cost?

¿Cuál es el bloqueador solar más intenso que tiene?
What is the most intense sunblock that you have got?

Necesito un bálsamo labial sabor a cereza.
I need a cherry flavored lip balm.

Por favor, deme una caja de antibióticos.
Please, give me a box of antibiotics.

Quisiera comprar un paquete de curitas.
I would like to buy a pack of band-aids.

Everyday Items at the Pharmacy in Spanish

While drug stores mainly sell medicines, you can find a wide variety of other different, miscellaneous things at their counters or shelves, such as:

Example Questions and Sentences in Spanish

¿En qué pasillo puedo encontrar los pañales para bebé recién nacido?
In which aisle can I find the newborn baby diapers?

¿Cuál es el monitor de pulso cardiaco más barato que tiene?
Which is the cheapest heart rate monitor that you have got?

Quiero comprar crema hidratante con olor a coco.
I want to buy coconut scented moisturizing cream.

The Pharmacy Staff in Spanish

This list will tell you what to call a pharmacy (or drugstore) in Spanish and how to identify the staff, such as the pharmacist and pharmacy technician. 

Let this vocabulary guide expand your pharmacy vocabulary in Spanish even more!

PRO TIP: In Spanish, el químico refers to a person who works with chemicals, and not the pharmacist.

Spanish Medicine-related Vocabulary

We are not quite done expanding your vocabulary yet. There are still pharmacy words, pharmacy terms and pharmacy terminology to learn which might come in handy for whenever you decide to visit a pharmacy in a Spanish-speaking country. 

How do you say “prescription” in Spanish? 

Here I provide medicine-related nouns, compound nouns, and useful adjectives.

Example Spanish Sentences

Estoy segura de que ese es un medicamento de venta libre.
I am sure that that is an over-the-counter drug.

¿Cuál es el ingrediente activo de esa medicina?
Which is the active ingredient of that medicine?

¿Cuáles son sus efectos secundarios?
What are its side effects?

¿Cuál es la dosis diaria que tengo que tomarme?
What is the daily dosage that I have to take?

¿Tiene la versión genérica de esa medicina? La original es muy cara.
Do you have the generic version of that medicine? The original one is too expensive.

Things the Pharmacist May Tell You in Spanish

So far, we have done all the talking and all the questions, and that is great because speaking a language is usually harder than understanding it. 

But in this case, it’s extra important to understand what the pharmacist might tell you when you ask them some questions. 

Here are some common phrases and questions that pharmacists may say:

¿Padece usted de alguna alergia?
Do you suffer from any allergies?

La aplicación de ese medicamento es oral; se toma (consume).
The application of that medicine is oral; you have to take it (consume it).

Las aspirinas con 500 miligramos de acetaminofén no son para niños.

The aspirines with 500 milligrams of acetaminophen are not for kids.

Para venderle ese medicamento, voy a necesitar que me dé una receta médica.
In order to sell you that medicine, I am going to need you to give me a prescription.

Tenemos dos presentaciones de ese medicamento: en tabletas y en jarabe.
We have two presentations of that medicine: tablets and syrup.

No mezcle esos dos medicamentos bajo ninguna circunstancia.
Do not, under any circumstance, mix those two medicines.

Tome el jarabe 20 minutos después de haber terminado de comer.
Take the syrup 20 minutes after having finished eating.

Practice Your Spanish with a Native Speaker!

Thank you for reading this useful vocabulary guide! The fact is, no amount of medicine or vitamins you may buy at the pharmacy will help you to improve your Spanish—that requires real-time conversations with a native speaker. To make it happen today, sign up for a free 1-on-1 Spanish class with our certified, native Spanish-speaking teachers from Guatemala and practice your conversational skills!

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Javier Grazioso

Freelance Writer at Homeschool Spanish Academy

Italo-Guatemalan, born and raised in Guatemala City, where I got a B.A. in Communication and Journalism. Currently, I'm living in Spain where I'm studying for a master's degree. I'm a language and travel enthusiast who speaks Spanish, English, Italian, and a bit of Hungarian. I love watching sports, practicing boxing, writing, and gaming.

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