🏥 Medical Terms - Términos médicos

Aa ⏱ ≈ 15 minutes

Beginner Spanish · Healthcare and appointments

Getting Healthcare in Spanish

Healthcare vocabulary becomes much more useful when you can say what you need, find the right place, make an appointment, and ask a simple question at a pharmacy.

Your next small win: ask to see a doctor, find a pharmacy or hospital, arrange an appointment, and ask whether medication requires a prescription.

Important: this lesson is for language learning only. It is not medical, emergency, or legal advice.

Start with what you need

Necesito: Saying What You Need

Use necesito before a noun or infinitive when you need something or need to do something.

Necesito ver a un médico.
I need to see a doctor.
Necesito ir a una farmacia.
I need to go to a pharmacy.
Necesito un medicamento.
I need medication.

Useful pattern: necesito + infinitive means “I need to do something,” as in Necesito ver a un médico.

Say what you need

Say that you need to see a doctor and go to a pharmacy.

Healthcare professionals
médico / médica
Doctor
enfermero / enfermera
Nurse
farmacéutico / farmacéutica
Pharmacist
dentista
Dentist

Find the right place

Healthcare Places

Learn a few important places, then use ¿Dónde está...? to ask where they are.

hospital
Hospital
farmacia
Pharmacy
clínica
Clinic
consultorio médico
Doctor's office

Ask for the nearest place

¿Dónde está el hospital más cercano?
Where is the nearest hospital?
¿Dónde está la farmacia más cercana?
Where is the nearest pharmacy?

Agreement: cercano agrees with the noun. Say el hospital más cercano but la farmacia más cercana.

Find two places

Ask where the nearest hospital and the nearest pharmacy are.

Emergency vocabulary

These are useful words to recognize in urgent situations.

emergencia
Emergency
ambulancia
Ambulance
urgencias
Emergency department / urgent care context
¡Ayuda!
Help!
¡Llame a una ambulancia!
Call an ambulance!
Es una emergencia.
It's an emergency.

Ask politely for an appointment

Making an Appointment

Quisiera is a useful polite form when speaking with reception staff or requesting assistance.

Quisiera pedir una cita.
I would like to make an appointment.
Quisiera pedir una cita con el médico.
I would like to make an appointment with the doctor.
Quisiera pedir una cita para mañana.
I would like to make an appointment for tomorrow.
¿Hay alguna cita disponible el jueves?
Is there an appointment available on Thursday?
Tengo una cita con el médico mañana por la mañana.
I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow morning.

Making an appointment

A
Buenos días. Quisiera pedir una cita con el médico.
Good morning. I would like to make an appointment with the doctor.
B
Claro. ¿Qué día le viene bien?
Of course. What day works for you?
A
¿Hay alguna cita disponible el jueves?
Is there an appointment available on Thursday?

Arrange an appointment

Politely ask for a doctor's appointment, then ask whether Thursday is available.

Handle a simple pharmacy question

Medication and Prescriptions

A few key words and one practical question can help you understand a basic pharmacy interaction.

medicamento
Medication
receta médica
Prescription
tratamiento
Treatment
¿Necesito una receta para este medicamento?
Do I need a prescription for this medication?

At the pharmacy

A
Disculpe, ¿necesito una receta para este medicamento?
Excuse me, do I need a prescription for this medication?
B
Sí, necesita una receta médica.
Yes, you need a prescription.
A
Gracias. Voy a hablar con mi médico.
Thank you. I'm going to speak with my doctor.

Ask at the pharmacy

Ask where the nearest pharmacy is, then ask whether you need a prescription for the medication.

More medical vocabulary
chequeo médico / revisión médica
Medical checkup
inyección
Injection
venda
Bandage
herida
Wound

Your turn · 8 quick questions

Practice: Getting Healthcare

Choose the answer that best fits each situation. Focus on finding healthcare locations, making appointments, polite requests, and pharmacy vocabulary.

Audio uses your device's Spanish text-to-speech voice. Listen to each healthcare phrase, then practice handling a simple appointment or pharmacy situation yourself.