How to Discuss Your Health in Spanish

If you plan to travel or live in any Spanish-speaking country, it’s important to know how to talk about your health in Spanish—not only for your own safety but for those around you, too! 

The topic of health is present in everyday, casual conversations, as well as in more serious ones, like when you apply for a job, or fill a travel form, or have a doctor’s appointment. 

Because of these, and many more reasons, this article will provide you with enough vocabulary to discuss your health in Spanish with ease, like a native speaker would. 

Let’s begin! 

Let’s Talk About Health in Spanish

First and foremost, salud or la salud means “health” in Spanish, and to be able to discuss yours or anybody else’s is important to have in mind that health encompasses a lot of elements, like illnesses, health experts and health services, to name just a few. 

But, of course, you don’t need to know all the fancy medical terms or the most recent health and medicine breakthroughs to discuss health in Spanish.

Healthcare Experts

Healthcare is cuidados de la salud in Spanish, and is the organized provision of medical care to individuals or a community. 

The people that give medical care are called healthcare experts, expertos en salud in Spanish.  

Here is a list of some health fields in Spanish:

Spanish	English
Bacteriología	Bacteriology
Biofísica	Biophysics
Biología	Biology
Bioquimica	Biochemistry
Enfermería	Nursing
Fisioterapia	Physiotherapy
Geriatría	Geriatry
Ginecología	Gynecology
Medicina General	General Medicine
Medicina Alternativa	Alternative Medicine
Nutrición	Nutrition
Odontología	Odontology
Oftalmología	Ophthalmology
Optometría	Optometry
Pediatría	Pediatrics
Podología	Podology
Psicología	Psychology
Psiquiatría	Psychiatry
Terapia Ocupacional	Occupational therapy

This is the list for health related words and healthcare professionals:

Spanish	English
El Cirujano / La Cirujana	Surgeon
La Comadrona	Midwife
Los Cuidados de la salud	Healthcare
El Dentista	Dentist
El Doctor / La Doctora	Doctor
El Enfermero / La Enfermera	Nurse
El Fisioterapeuta	Physiotherapist
La Geriatra	Geriatrician
El Ginecólogo / La Ginecóloga	Gynecologist
El Médico general / El Médico de cabecera	General Practitioner
El Médico Especialista	Specialist
El/La Nutricionista	Nutritionist
El/La Odontólogo	Odontologist
El Oftalmólogo / La Oftalmóloga	Ophthalmologist
El/La Paciente	Patient
El/La Paramédico	Paramedic
El/La Pediatra	Pediatrician
El Podólogo/La Podóloga	Podologist
El Psicólogo/La Psicóloga	Psychologist
Los Primeros auxilios	First aids
El / La Terapista Ocupacional	Occupational therapist
La salud	Health

Healthcare-related Places

This section is about the places we can access service and healthcare in Spanish. Take a look at the list:

Spanish	English
La Ambulancia	Ambulance
La Aseguradora	Insurance carrier
El Centro de Salud / La Clínica	Clinic
La Farmacia / Droguería	Drug Store
El Hospital	Hospital
El Pabellón	Ward
La Sala de espera	Waiting room
La Sala de operaciones	Operating room
El Sanatorio	Sanatorium

Basic Medical Treatments and Medicine

When discussing health in Spanish, you can’t ignore the different treatments and services that healthcare provides. 

Spanish	English
El Analgésico	Analgesic
El Antibiótico	Antibiotic
El Calmante/Tranquilizante	Tranquilizer
El Chequeo médico	Medical check
La Cita médica	Medical appointment
La Dosis	Dose
Las Drogas (médicas)	Drugs
La Inyección	Injection
La Medicina	Medicine
La Medicina por prescripción	Prescription medicine
La Medicina para la tos	Cough syrup
La Medicina de venta libre	Over-the-counter medicine
La Operación	Surgery
La Pastilla/Tableta	Tablet
La Prescripción médica	Medical prescription
La Pildora	Pill
La RCP	CPR
La Receta de medicina	Medicine prescription
El Seguro de Vida	Life insurance
El Seguro médico	Insurance
La Transfusión sanguínea	Blood transfusion
La Vacuna	Vaccine
El Vendaje	Bandage
Las Vitaminas	Vitamins

Illnesses and Minor Injuries

When you talk about health in Spanish, it is important that you can express your discomfort and symptoms in case you have some kind of illness.

Take a look at this words:

Spanish	English
La Alergía	Allergy
La  Asfixia	Suffocation
El Asma	Asthma
El Ataque al corazón/Paro cardiaco	Heart attack
El Calambre	Muscle cramp
El Cancer	Cancer
El Chinchón / Hematoma	Head bump
El Corte	Cut
La Deshidratación	Dehydration
La Diabetes	Diabetes
La Diarrea	Diarrhea
El Dolor	Ache/Pain
El Dolor de cabeza	headache
El Dolor de garganta	Throat pain
El Dolor de estómago	Stomachache
El Dolor de diente	Toothache
La Enfermedad	Disease
La Enfermedad cardiaca	Heart disease
La Enfermedad infecciosa	Infectious disease
Los Escalofríos	Shaking chills
La Fractura	Fracture
La Fiebre	Fever
La Gripe	Flu
La Herida	Wound
La Hipotermia	Hypothermy
La Infección	Infection
La Intoxicación	Intoxication
El Malestar	Discomfort
El Morete/Moretón	Bruise
La Náusea	Nausea
El Raspón	Graze
El Resfriado	Cold
El Sangrado	Bleeding
La Tos	Cough
El Tumor	Tumor
El Virus	Virus
El Vomito	Vomit

Health-related Verbs

When talking about health in Spanish, you have to know certain verbs to be able to communicate better your needs, discomfort and even symptoms. 

Here is a list with some health related verbs in Spanish:

Spanish	English
Acatarrar	To have a cold
Accidentar	To crash/ To have an accident
Aliviar	To relieve
Automedicarse	To self-medicate
Enfermar	Get sick
Estornudar	To sneeze
Contagiar	To spread
Curar	To cure
Desmayar	To pass out
Internar	To intern
Hospitalizar	To hospitalize
Lastimar	To hurt
Lesionar	To Injure
Prescribir/Recetar	To prescribe
Operar	To operate on/To perform surgery
Tomar medicina	To take medicine
Sanar	To heal
Sentirse mal	To feel sick
Toser	To cough
Tratar	Treat
Vacunar	To vaccinate

Health-related Adjectives:

Just like with the verbs, to talk properly about health in Spanish, you need to learn some adjectives to better express yourself. 

Take a look at this list of adjectives:

Spanish	English
Agotado	Exhausted
Adormilado	Sleepy
Ansioso	Anxious
Bueno	Good
Curativo	Curative
Debil	Weak
Doloroso	Painful
Eficaz	Effective
En forma	Fit
Enfermo	Ill/Sick
Equilibrado	Balanced
Estresado	Stressed
Fuerte	Strong
Indispuesto	Unwell
Inflamado	Inflamed
Irritado	Irritated
Mareado	Dizzy
Nutritivo	Nutritious
Poco Sano	Unhealthy
Roto	Broken
Saludable	Healthy
Torcido	Twisted

Living a Healthy Lifestyle: Vocabulary in Spanish

When discussing health in Spanish, it’s essential to discuss the foundations of a healthy lifestyle. Not only does this help to avoid illness but also to set goals for a better life quality and better health.

Here is a list of words to help you talk about a healthy lifestyle:

Spanish	English
La Actividad Física	Physical Activity
Los Carbohidratos	Carbohydrates
Cortar azucares	To Cut sugars
La Dieta balanceada	Balanced Diet
Dormir suficiente	To get enough sleep
Ejercitarse	To Exercise
Estar en buena forma	To be fit
Evitar el estres	To avoid stress
Los hábitos saludables	Healthy habits
Ir al gimnasio	Go to the gym
Ir de caminata	Go hiking
Levantar pesas	Lift weight
Mantenerse en forma	To stay in shape
Nadar	To swim
Perder peso	To lose weight
La Proteina	Protein
El Relajarse	To relax
Renunciar a un vicio	To quit an addiction
Salir a correr	Go to run/ Go jogging
La Salud mental	Mental Health
Tomar suficiente agua	To drink enough water
La Vida Sana	Healthy Living
El Yoga	Yoga

Example Sentences About Health in Spanish

It’s the first day of your long-awaited vacation trekking through Latin America, and you begin to feel a little bit sick. Is it the flu? Is it just an allergy? Could it be something more serious? 

It’s time to ask for a consultation with a doctor. Where do you begin? 

Let’s take a look at some examples on how to talk about your health in Spanish:

Me siento mal.
I feel sick.

Me siento mareado.
I feel dizzy.

Me duele la cabeza.
My head hurts.

Me fracturé el tobillo.
I broke my ankle.

Tengo seguro de vida.
I have life insurance.

Yo estoy aprendiendo hábitos saludables para una mejor vida.
I am learning healthy habits for a better life.

¡Vencí al cáncer hace 5 años!
I beat cancer 5 years ago!

Tengo asma.
I have asthma.

How to talk about others’ health in Spanish:

Tu mamá está hospitalizada.
Your mom is hospitalized.

Tu papá tiene diabetes, debe cortar sus azúcares.
Your dad is diabetic, he has to cut his sugar.

A tu hermano le duele la cabeza.
Your brother has a headache

El está en forma.
He is fit.

El joven se desmayó y se lastimó la cabeza.
The young man passed out and hurt his head.

El niño tiene un chinchón muy grande en su frente.
The boy has a big head bump in his forehead.

Here are some example sentences about general truths of health in Spanish:

El yoga es un buen ejercicio.
Yoga is a good exercise. 

Es importante tomar mucha agua al día para evitar deshidratarse.
Is important to drink a lot of water throughout the day to avoid dehydration. 

Lo más recomendado es hacer 30 minutos de ejercicio al día.
The most recommended is to exercise 30 minutes a day.

Deja de fumar o te arruinarás los pulmones.
Quit smoking or you will ruin your lungs.

Si hay una emergencia, llama al 911 para una ambulancia.
If there is an emergency, call 911 for an ambulance. 

Ir de caminata es un excelente ejercicio.
Hiking is an excellent exercise. 

Las medicinas de prescripción no se pueden comprar sin una prescripción médica.
Prescription medicine can’t be bought without a medical prescription.

Es importante hacerse chequeos médicos de rutina.
Is important to do medical routinary checks. 

How to Ask for Medical Help in Spanish

If you ever feel sick or need help while in a Spanish-speaking country, these phrases can save your life!

¡Ayuda por favor!
Please help! 

No sé si tomé la medicina adecuada.
I am not sure if I took the right medicine.

Soy alérgico a :
I am allergic to:

¡Llamen a una ambulancia!
Call an ambulance! 

¿Dónde está el hospital?
Where is the hospital?

Por favor, llamen a mi doctor.
Please, call my doctor.

Time to Discuss Health in Spanish

Practice makes perfect—and don’t let your lack of a Spanish language partner get in your way! Join us at Homeschool Spanish Academy where our friendly, certified native Spanish-speaking teachers start at your level and bring you up to fluency fast. Give us a try with a risk-free, free trial class! Practice your Spanish health vocabulary in a 1-on-1, relaxing environment, and in no time you’ll be speaking about health in Spanish with total confidence and fluency!

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