Speaking Spanish at the Doctor’s
Getting sick while traveling is always a huge letdown for so many reasons. If you don't know how to communicate with the local doctors, getting basic attention can be an added stress.
We’re here to teach you the basic Spanish medical words and expressions commonly used in Mexico so you can turn this difficult, unfortunate situation around quickly and get up on your traveling feet again.
Here is our complete list of basic terms and their pronunciations that will help you maneuver through the Mexican doctor's office, known as a consultorio, in Mexico. An appointment is called a consulta.
The most important first question is how to find the consultorio (doctor’s office):
Most general doctor consultorios in Mexico are walk-in and although you don’t need to make an appointment, be prepared to wait your turn. This can sometimes take a while.
You can always ask the receptionist how long your wait will be by asking:
¿Cuánto tiempo es la espera para ver al doctor o doctora?
How long will the wait be to see the doctor?
A family doctor or general practitioner is called a médico general and these doctors can help you with most basic illnesses. If you need to see an especialista, specialist, they will most likely recommend one. Remember, if you’re off the beaten path or in a smaller city, it might be difficult to find a specialist, but you may be surprised to learn that the medico general can be quite knowledgeable and helpful.
If you know you need antibiotics and you are ok not receiving a very thorough consulta (checkup), ask for the Farmacia Similares pharmacy as most of these pharmacies have clinics with extremely inexpensive doctor fees. These doctors can get you a prescription without having to pay for a more expensive medical exam.
In order to ask how to find a Farmacia Similares (aka Farmacia Simi), you can simply ask this:
¿Disculpe, donde se encuentra una Farmacia Simi con consultorio?
Excuse me, where can I find a Simi Pharmacy with a doctor’s consultation?
How to express how I’m feeling when I’m sick
Needing to express how you are feeling can be challenging, especially when you’re not feeling well. Here we will share several way for how to express your malestares or symptoms:
Now that you’re able to tell the doctor how you feel, you might need to share more details about your pre-existing medical conditions and you will also need to understand what he or she is telling you about your tratamiento (treatment).
These are words and expressions to help you navigate more in-depth medical situations with the doctor:
What medicines do you need?
Many people from the US go to Mexico for medical treatment or to purchase medicine as it is known for its affordable health care costs in comparison to the US. The laws have gotten a bit stricter about prescription medications over the years and you can no longer get antibióticos without a written, original prescription. Although there have been more restrictions regarding the purchase of some medicines, they continue to be much less expensive than in the States.
When you’re buying pain relievers, you need to specify the amount of milligrams (the US ibuprofen usually sold in 200mg tablets. In Mexico, you need to let the pharmacist know if you’d like your medicine in 400, 600, 800mg tablets).
Medicina
/mā dē SĒ nah/
Medicine
Medicamento
/meh dē cah MEN tō/
Medicine
Alergias a medicamentos
/ah LER gē ahs ah mā d/
Allergies to medicines
Receta médica
/rā SĀ tah MĒ dē cah/
Prescription
Tratamiento
/trah tah mē EN tō/
Treatment
Antes
/AHN tās/
Before
Después
/dās PWĀS/
After
Inyección
/ēn yāk sē ŌN/
Injection / Shot
Pastilla
/pah STĒ yah/
Pill / Tablet
Antibióticos
/ahn tē bē Ō tē kōs/
Antibiotics
Aliviar los síntomas.
/ah lē vē ar los SĒN tō mahs/
To relieve the symptoms.
Prevenir
/prā vā nēr/
To prevent
Desinflamatorio
/dās ēn flah mah TŌR ē ō/
Anti-inflammatory
Hielo
/ē Ā lō/
Ice
Laboratory tests
If you feel that you need bloodwork taken or have stool and/or urine samples, many of these laboratories are separate from the doctor offices and don't require prescriptions. You just need to to know what you're asking to be tested for:
Muestra de heces
/moo es trah dā ā sās/
Stool sample
Muestra de orina
/moo es trah dā ōr ēn ah/
Urine sample
Muestra de COVID
/moo es trah dā CŌ vēd/
COVID test
Amibas
/ah MĒ bahs/
Amoebas
Lombrices
/lōm brē sās/
Worms
Muestra de sangre
/moo es trah dā SAHN grā/
Blood work
Análisis de sangre completo
/ah NAHL ē sēs dā SAHN grā kōm PLĀ tō/
Complete blood work
Muestra de sangre para detectar:
Blood work to check for:
Salmonela
Salmonella
Colesterol
Cholesterol
Tipo de sangre
Blood type
While we hope you never need to use any of these terms, learning to communicate basic medical needs can turn a potentially vacation-stress into a much smoother experience where you get better as quickly as possible!
Is there another Spanish language topic that you are struggling with or would like to read an article about? Let us know at communications@naatikmexico.org. You can find our other Spanish language blogs here.
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If you would like to take the next step in your language journey, Na’atik offers a unique nonprofit language immersion program, where your Spanish or Maya lessons are enhanced by a homestay experience in the town of Felipe Carrillo Puerto. Sharing meals and spare time with local and Indigenous people makes this a unique opportunity to see authentic Mexico. Online classes are also available. Every visit and online package helps us to provide life-changing educational opportunities to local children.Visit our Immersion page or contact us on say@naatikmexico.org to find out more.