say what hurts
- Me duele la garganta. My throat hurts.
- Tengo fiebre. I have a fever.
- Me siento mal del estómago. My stomach feels bad.
- ¿Tiene algo para la tos? Do you have something for a cough?
Back to situations 
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food + errands
pharmacy and doctor Spanish when you feel awful
This is the page you want before fever brain turns Spanish into soup: symptoms, medicine, dosage, and asking for help.
Use This First
- Learn me duele, tengo fiebre, ¿cada cuánto?, receta, and algo para.
- At a pharmacy, describe symptoms simply instead of diagnosing yourself.
- Use doctor or doctora for the person, farmacia for the place, and medicamento for the medicine.
Memorize these first
understand instructions
- ¿Cada cuánto lo tomo? How often do I take it?
- ¿Con comida? With food?
- ¿Necesito receta? Do I need a prescription?
- Aguas con la dosis. Be careful with the dose.
One-screen cheat sheet
💊
pharmacy / doctor cheat sheet Screenshot this before you go.
| Spanish | English | Use case | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|
| Me duele la garganta. | My throat hurts. | symptom | safe |
| Tengo fiebre. | I have a fever. | symptom | safe |
| Me siento mal del estómago. | My stomach feels bad. | symptom | safe |
| ¿Tiene algo para la tos? | Do you have something for a cough? | pharmacy ask | safe |
| ¿Cada cuánto lo tomo? | How often do I take it? | dosage | safe |
| ¿Con comida? | With food? | dosage detail | safe |
| ¿Necesito receta? | Do I need a prescription? | prescription | safe |
| Aguas con la dosis. | Be careful with the dose. | warning | local |
the gringo trap
Do not say this by default
don't say this
Do not translate I am nauseous as estoy nauseoso and stop there.
say this
Say me siento mal del estómago or tengo náusea.
In a pharmacy, plain symptom Spanish beats dramatic medical Spanish.
safe / local / spicy
Pick your register
safe
Me duele la garganta.
local
Traigo la garganta fatal.
spicy
Ando bien madreado de la garganta.
Do not use the spicy version with a doctor unless the vibe is very casual.
How it sounds
at the pharmacy
Buenas, ¿tiene algo para la tos? Hi, do you have something for a cough?
¿Tiene fiebre? Do you have a fever?
Poquita, y me duele la garganta. A little, and my throat hurts.
Le puedo dar este jarabe. I can give you this syrup.
dosage
¿Cada cuánto lo tomo? How often do I take it?
Cada ocho horas, con comida. Every eight hours, with food.
Perfecto, gracias. Perfect, thanks.
Que se mejore. Hope you feel better.
Practice cards
three fast taps before you try it outside.
You need cough medicine at a pharmacy.
You need the safest version for pharmacy / doctor. What do you pick first?
Which move avoids the gringo trap?
Words you'll hear
Deep dives
FAQ
What should I memorize first for pharmacy / doctor?
Start with Me duele la garganta., Tengo fiebre., Me siento mal del estómago., ¿Tiene algo para la tos?, ¿Cada cuánto lo tomo?. These cover the fastest moments on the page.
Is this pharmacy / doctor Spanish safe to use as a foreigner?
Yes. Start with the safe phrases, then use the local phrases with friends or people your age. Treat spicy phrases as context-dependent, not universal.
How should I practice this situation?
Read the cheat sheet out loud, run the mini-dialogues once in Spanish and once in English, then answer the practice card before you go out in CDMX.