Coronavirus Vocabulary in Spanish
Are you traveling to a Spanish-speaking country and you feel the need to learn some coronavirus vocabulary in Spanish?
If so, this is the right post for you as today I’m discussing how to talk about the covid-19 pandemic in Spanish-speaking countries and providing you with the ultimate coronavirus vocabulary in Spanish. You’re also learning coronavirus-related nouns and verbs, symptoms and treatment words, as well as covid-19 phrases, and a coronavirus in Spanish worksheet.
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Coronavirus in Spanish
In 2020, the world and our lives changed in a way that nobody expected or was prepared for. The covid-19 pandemic affected every area of human life and modified, maybe forever, the way we interact with each other.
We all learned new words or at least started using them much more. Suddenly, we became fluent in lockdown vocabulary, pandemic and coronavirus technical terms. For obvious reasons, most people learned this in their own native language, although some of us also had to do it in a second or third language. For you, that would be coronavirus in Spanish.
Why You Should Learn Coronavirus Vocabulary in Spanish
A topic as serious as this one deserves all our effort and attention. If you’re studying Spanish, learning coronavirus topic vocabulary is not about just mastering another area of life like you’ve done with golf and music, for example. In this case, it can save lives.
Besides, now that lockdowns are easing down and people are starting to live their normal lives again, traveling is making a comeback. If you visit a Spanish-speaking country you need to learn your coronavirus pandemic essential, as you don’t know when you might need to speak about the coronavirus in Spanish.
Coronavirus Vocabulary in Spanish
I’ve divided the following covid glossary list into 6 different categories to facilitate its reading and highlight the diversity of terms we all have learned to manage with this new reality.
Without further ado, here’s the essential guide for coronavirus vocabulary in Spanish:
Nouns
Let’s start with the most common nouns that you need as part of your coronavirus vocabulary in Spanish.
Spanish | English |
el coronavirus | coronavirus |
el virus | virus |
el covid-19* | covid-19 |
la enfermedad | disease |
la pandemia | pandemic |
el brote | outbreak |
la cuarentena | quarantine |
el foco de contagios | hotspot |
la crisis | crisis |
la infección | infection |
la emergencia | emergency |
el desinfectante | hand sanitizer |
el gel de alcohol | alcohol gel |
el jabón | soap |
la mascarilla, el cubrebocas | mask |
los guantes | gloves |
la distancia social | social distance |
el aislamiento | isolation |
el confinamiento | lockdown |
el toque de queda | curfew |
el pánico | panic |
las compras de pánico | panic shopping |
el acaparamiento | hoarding |
el desabastecimiento | shortage |
el hospital | hospital |
la ambulancia | ambulance |
el doctor | doctor |
el médico | medic |
la enfermera | nurse |
el gobierno | government |
las indicaciones | guidelines |
el teletrabajo | homeworking |
*(in Spain you may hear this noun as feminine, as they consider it an enfermedad or “disease” which is feminine, instead of a virus which is masculine)
Verbs
Now, let’s focus on a few of the most commonly used verbs in relation to covid-19 and the global pandemic.
Spanish | English |
toser | to cough |
enfermarse | to get sick |
respirar | to breathe |
estornudar | to sneeze |
cubrirse | to cover (oneself) |
tener | to have |
necesitar | to need |
aislarse | to isolate (oneself) |
lavar | to wash |
limpiar | to clean |
desinfectar | to disinfect |
contagiar | to contagiate |
propagar | to propagate |
viajar | to travel |
hospitalizar | to hospitalize |
cuidar | to look after |
vacunar | to vaccinate |
Symptoms
What about the symptoms felt by millions of people all over the world? It’s crucial that you know how to communicate these symptoms, in case you experience them and you need to communicate them to Spanish-speaking doctors or nurses.
Spanish | English |
la tos | cough |
la tos seca | dry cough |
las flemas | productive cough |
el cansancio, la fatiga | fatigue |
la fiebre | fever |
la temperatura | temperature |
el dolor de cabeza | headache |
la náusea | nausea |
la secreción nasal, el moqueo | runny nose |
la nariz tapada | stuffy nose |
la diarrea | diarrhea |
los escalofríos | chills |
el resfriado, el catarro | cold |
la gripe | flu |
la dificultad para respirar | difficulty breathing |
la falta de aire | shortness of breath |
los síntomas leves | light symptoms |
el dolor de garganta | sore throat |
el vómito | vomiting |
la neumonía | pneumonia |
la pérdida del gusto | loss of taste |
la pérdida del olfato | loss of smell |
el dolor de pecho | chest pain |
Treatment
Another important category of your coronavirus vocabulary in Spanish is the one that has to do with every term related to the treatment of the virus and its accompanying disease.
Spanish | English |
la medicina, el medicamento | medicine |
el antiviral | antiviral |
el antibiótico | antibiotics |
el tratamiento | treatment |
el oxígeno | oxygen |
el tanque de oxígeno | oxygen tank |
la ventilación mecánica | mechanical ventilation |
el respirador | respirator |
los cuidados paliativos | palliative care |
la cuidados intensivos | intensive care |
la vacuna | vaccine |
la prueba de coronavirus | coronavirus test |
la prueba de antígenos | antigen test |
la prueba PCR | PCR test |
los anticuerpos | antibodies |
la prueba de diagnóstico rápido | rapid diagnostic test |
la dosis | dose |
la primera dosis | first dose |
la segunda dosis | second dose |
la inyección | injection |
la jeringa | syringe |
el oxímetro | oximeter |
Statistics
This category refers to the vocabulary used by the authorities to talk about the situation of the pandemic.
Spanish | English |
los contagiados, los infectados | infected people |
los afectados | affected people |
los hospitalizados, los ingresados | hospitalized patients, admitted to the hospital |
los recuperados | recovered patients |
los muertos, los fallecidos | dead |
los pacientes graves | serious condition patients |
los pacientes en estado crítico | critical state patients |
los vacunados | vaccinated people |
la curva de contagios | covid curve |
aplanar la curva | to flatten the curve |
Phrases
Finally, let’s learn a few coronavirus-related phrases. Practice them at home or with a native Spanish speaker in order to improve your coronavirus pronunciation in Spanish.
Quédate en casa.
Stay at home.
¿Tiene seguro médico?
Do you have health insurance?
Quiero hacer la prueba del coronavirus.
I want to take the coronavirus test.
Ya estoy vacunado.
I’ve been vaccinated.
Lávate las manos y usa cubrebocas.
Wash your hands and wear a mask.
Take Care and Learn Spanish
Although in some countries the pandemic seems to be starting to get under control, in others the situation is still delicate and the coronavirus curve is still growing. The best thing you can do is to take care of yourself and your family as you’ve been doing for the past few months. Wash your hands frequently, always have a sanitizer at hand, and use your mask as much as possible.
If you visit a Spanish-speaking country, now you’re prepared to express your doubts and questions related to covid-19, but you may also use this new coronavirus vocabulary in Spanish in the US where there are now over 50 million people who speak Spanish. So, make sure to practice at home to be ready in case you ever need it.
Sign up for a free Spanish class to practice your conversational skills with one of our certified, native Spanish-speaking teachers from Guatemala. They teach over 24,000 actively enrolled students every month with flexible scheduling and tailored Spanish packages. Don’t miss this opportunity to improve your vocabulary and start speaking in Spanish today!
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