A bedside reference in Latin American Spanish
Medical Spanish phrases for nurses and clinicians
The everyday bedside phrases worth knowing cold: greetings, pain assessment, daily check-ins, comfort, and urgent care.
For everyday comfort conversations. For consents, diagnoses, and care plans, always use a certified medical interpreter.
Greetings & getting oriented
- Hello, I'm your nurse.
- Hola, soy su enfermero/a.
- How are you feeling?
- ¿Cómo se siente?
- I'm here to help you.
- Estoy aquí para ayudarle.
- Do you speak English?
- ¿Habla inglés?
- I speak a little Spanish.
- Hablo un poco de español.
- One moment, please.
- Un momento, por favor.
Pain & symptoms
- Where does it hurt?
- ¿Dónde le duele?
- Does it hurt here?
- ¿Le duele aquí?
- From one to ten, how bad is the pain?
- Del uno al diez, ¿qué tan fuerte es el dolor?
- Is the pain sharp or dull?
- ¿El dolor es agudo o sordo?
- When did it start?
- ¿Cuándo empezó?
- Do you feel nauseous?
- ¿Tiene náuseas?
- Are you dizzy?
- ¿Está mareado/a?
- Do you have trouble breathing?
- ¿Tiene dificultad para respirar?
Daily check-in
- Did you sleep well?
- ¿Durmió bien?
- Are you hungry?
- ¿Tiene hambre?
- Are you thirsty?
- ¿Tiene sed?
- Do you need to use the bathroom?
- ¿Necesita ir al baño?
- Can you stand up?
- ¿Puede pararse?
- Do you need help walking?
- ¿Necesita ayuda para caminar?
- Did you take your medication?
- ¿Tomó su medicamento?
Comfort & reassurance
- Everything is going to be okay.
- Todo va a estar bien.
- You're doing very well.
- Lo está haciendo muy bien.
- I'm right here with you.
- Estoy aquí con usted.
- Take a deep breath.
- Respire profundo.
- Tell me if you need anything.
- Dígame si necesita algo.
- I'll be back soon.
- Regreso pronto.
Urgent & emergency
- Can you hear me?
- ¿Me escucha?
- Squeeze my hand.
- Apriete mi mano.
- Stay calm.
- Mantenga la calma.
- The doctor is on the way.
- Ya viene el doctor.
- Do you have chest pain?
- ¿Tiene dolor en el pecho?
- Are you allergic to any medication?
- ¿Es alérgico/a a algún medicamento?
Talking with family
- Are you family?
- ¿Es familiar?
- The doctor will speak with you soon.
- El doctor hablará con usted pronto.
- Please wait here.
- Por favor, espere aquí.
- Only two visitors at a time.
- Solo dos visitantes a la vez.
Knowing a phrase isn't the same as being able to say it
You can read every line on this page and still freeze the first time a patient in front of you needs it. Using the language in a real conversation is a different skill, and it takes practice. That's what FluentPath is for. You talk through real healthcare situations with an AI tutor, starting from wherever your Spanish is now, and build up the conversations you'll actually have on shift.