💊 Pharmacies - Farmacias

Aa ⏱ ≈ 15 minutes

Beginner Spanish · At the pharmacy

Pharmacy Spanish

A pharmacy visit becomes easier when you can explain a simple symptom, ask whether something is available for it, and ask basic questions about a medication or prescription.

Your next small win: describe a few common symptoms, ask for help at a pharmacy, ask whether a prescription is required, and ask how or how often to take a medication.

Important: this lesson is for language learning only. For medication use, follow instructions from a qualified healthcare professional or pharmacist.

Start with the essentials

Core Pharmacy Vocabulary

These words cover the people and items you are most likely to need in the conversations later in the lesson.

farmacia
Pharmacy
farmacéutico / farmacéutica
Pharmacist
medicamento
Medication / medicine
receta médica
Prescription
pastilla
Pill / tablet
venda
Bandage

Name two pharmacy words

Say “pharmacy” and “prescription” in Spanish.

More pharmacy items
jarabe
Syrup
crema
Cream
gotas
Drops
curita / tirita
Adhesive bandage, depending on region
analgésico
Pain reliever
termómetro
Thermometer

Explain what is bothering you

Describing Symptoms

Two useful patterns are tener for many common symptoms and me duele / me duelen for pain in body parts.

Use tener with common symptoms

Tengo dolor de cabeza.
I have a headache.
Tengo fiebre.
I have a fever.
Tengo tos.
I have a cough.
Tengo un resfriado.
I have a cold.

Use duele or duelen for pain

Me duele la garganta.
My throat hurts.
Me duelen los músculos.
My muscles hurt.

Useful contrast: use me duele with one body part and me duelen with plural body parts.

Explaining symptoms

A
Buenos días. Tengo tos y me duele la garganta.
Good morning. I have a cough and my throat hurts.
B
Entiendo. ¿Desde cuándo tiene estos síntomas?
I understand. How long have you had these symptoms?
A
Desde ayer por la tarde.
Since yesterday afternoon.

Describe two symptoms

Say that you have a cough and your throat hurts.

More symptom vocabulary
dolor
Pain
dolor de cabeza
Headache
resfriado
Cold
tos
Cough
fiebre
Fever
alergia
Allergy

Ask for help with a symptom

Algo Para...

Use para when asking for something intended for a particular symptom.

Necesito algo para la tos.
I need something for a cough.
¿Tiene algo para el dolor de cabeza?
Do you have something for a headache?
¿Tienen algo para la tos?
Do you have something for a cough?
Necesito algo para aliviar la tos.
I need something to relieve my cough.

Language pattern: algo para + symptom is a useful way to ask about a product for a particular problem without naming a specific medication yourself.

Ask for help

Ask whether the pharmacy has something for a headache.

Ask before you leave

Medication and Prescription Questions

These questions help you ask about a prescription and understand how a medication is supposed to be used. They are questions for the pharmacist, not instructions for self-treatment.

¿Necesito receta para este medicamento?
Do I need a prescription for this medication?
¿Cómo debo tomar este medicamento?
How should I take this medication?
¿Con qué frecuencia debo tomarlo?
How often should I take it?
Quisiera hablar con el farmacéutico sobre este medicamento.
I would like to speak with the pharmacist about this medication.

Useful question pattern: deber + infinitive appears in questions such as ¿Cómo debo tomar...? and ¿Con qué frecuencia debo tomarlo?

Asking about a prescription

A
Disculpe, ¿necesito receta para este medicamento?
Excuse me, do I need a prescription for this medication?
B
Sí, este medicamento solo se vende con receta médica.
Yes, this medication is only sold with a prescription.

Ask two medication questions

Ask whether you need a prescription, then ask how you should take the medication.

Your turn · 8 quick questions

Practice: At the Pharmacy

Choose the answer that best fits each situation. Focus on symptoms, para, prescription questions, and communicating with a pharmacist.

Audio uses your device's Spanish text-to-speech voice. Listen to each pharmacy phrase, then practice explaining a symptom and asking the pharmacist a clear question.