Speaking Spanish
How to describe a symptom at the pharmacy, in Spanish
If you are in the chair right now
Me duele el estómago desde ayer. ¿Me puede recomendar algo?
My stomach has hurt since yesterday. Can you recommend something?
If that gets brushed off
No sé cómo se dice, pero tengo una molestia aquí.
I don't know how to say it, but I have a discomfort here.
In Spanish the body part is the subject and it hurts to you: me duele el estómago, not mi estómago duele. Point while you say it — a pharmacist is used to that and it removes half the vocabulary you would otherwise need. In Spain a farmacia handles minor complaints directly and will often save you a doctor's appointment.
In Spain and much of Latin America the pharmacy is the first stop for anything minor, and the pharmacist will often sort you out without a doctor at all. The catch is that describing a symptom is exactly where your vocabulary runs out, and the grammar here is not shaped the way English is.
If you need more than one line
neutral
Me duele el estómago.
My stomach hurts. Swap in: la cabeza, la garganta, la espalda, el oído. Plural things take duelen: me duelen los ojos.
neutral
Desde ayer. / Desde hace tres días.
Since yesterday. / For three days now. The first thing they will ask.
softest
No sé cómo se llama, pero es aquí.
I don't know what it's called, but it's here. Entirely acceptable, and faster than searching for the word.
firmest
¿Necesito receta para eso?
Do I need a prescription for that? Worth knowing before you are sent to a doctor.
Two things worth knowing
The vocabulary is findable. The sentence shape is what catches people.
Things hurt to you, they do not hurt
Doler works like gustar: the body part is the subject and you are the indirect object. So me duele la cabeza, literally «the head hurts to me». Mi cabeza duele is comprehensible and instantly marks you as translating. One thing hurting takes duele, several take duelen — me duelen los ojos. Getting this one pattern right does more for how you sound than a page of medical vocabulary.
You do not need the word for it
Pharmacists spend all day decoding vague descriptions, in every language. Me arde (it burns), me pica (it itches), me molesta (it bothers me) and a hand on the spot will get you further than a dictionary search, and are what a Spanish speaker without the technical word would use anyway.
What Isabel actually said
What you have to get done
- Explain the issue without naming it
- Share what you have already tried to resolve it
- Confirm how to use what they provide
Isabel
Hello, what can I help you with today?
You
Hello, Isabel. I have a discomfort in my stomach that I can't describe in a single word, and I've tried resting and drinking water, but it hasn't improved. What do you recommend?
Isabel
I see, that sounds uncomfortable. For stomach upset I'd recommend an antacid. Have you tried any other remedy for this?
You
No, I haven't tried other remedies, but I'd like to know how I should take the antacid you recommend. Is it better before or after meals?
Isabel
You should take the antacid after meals. I hope you feel better soon. Take care!
The whole conversation, unedited
A real run in the app, nothing scripted on the pharmacist's side. The transcript above is taken from this recording, and the objectives tick off on screen as they are met.
Turn sound on to hear it.
Now say it yourself
Reading that is not the same as producing it with someone waiting, which is the entire difficulty. You can have this exact conversation in the app: Isabel is a third of the way through, and you have three things to get done.
It is free, it takes about a minute to start, and the first attempt is allowed to be terrible.
Practise this conversation
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- Practise speaking Spanish