Spanish Medical Terms for Minor Illnesses, Injuries, and Medical Conditions
List 1 - Conditions, Illnesses
- ache, pain - el dolor
- bite (insect) - _la picadura_
- broken bone - el hueso roto
- chest cold - el resfriado de pecho
- constipation - el estreñimiento
- cut (in skin) - la cortadura
- dental cavity - el caries
- earache - el dolor de oídos
- flu - la gripe
- hay fever - el fiebre del heno
- head cold - el resfriado de cabeza
- headache - el dolor de la cabeza
- heartburn - la acedía
- injury - la herida
- motion sickness - el mareo
- nosebleed - la hemorragia nasal
- rash - la erupción
- sore (noun) - la llaga
- stomach ache - el dolor de estómago
List 2 - Medical Symptoms
- bleeding - la sangría
- bloody - ensangrentado/a
- bruise - el moretón
- cough - la tos (toser)
- diarrhea - la diarrea
- dizziness - el vértigo
- fatigue - la fatiga
- fever - la fiebre calentura
- infection - la infección
- nausea - la náusea,
- runny nose - la nariz mucosa
- sneeze - el estornudo
- sore (adjective) - dolorido
- sore throat - el dolor de garganta
- swelling - la hinchazón
- throbbing pain - el dolor pungent
- tonsillitis - la amigdalitis
List 3 - Cures, Remedies, and Treatments
- antacid - el antiácido
- antihistamine - el antihistamínico
- Anti-itch creme - la crema para comezón
- antiseptic - el antiséptico
- aspirin - la aspirina
- band-aid - el esparadrapo
- bandage - la venda
- cough syrup - el antitusivo
- dental filling - la obturación
- first aid - los primeros auxilios
- laxative - el laxante
- plaster cast - el yeso
- emergency room - la sala de emergencia
- shot - la inyección
- tonsillectomy - la tonsilectomía
Suggested Classroom Activities
Divide the class into three groups. Give each student one of the three listings above. Individual students will circulate and confer with students who have different lists. The goal is for reach student to gather and record related medical words from the other lists and add them to the original list. For example, el dolor en el estómago (stomach ache) (List 1) is related to el antácido (antacid), since an antacid would be a cure (List 3). Relationships need not be direct, but students should be prepared to explain their reasons for adding words to their list. A sample student worksheet follows this section.
Poll the class to determine which students were able to garner the most additional vocabulary words. Review each term individually to see the results of the exercise. Consider adding a vocabulary matching quiz to a regularly scheduled quiz. (See also the suggested matching quiz in the next section.)
Materials for Classroom Activities
Downloadable Vocabulary Sheet
A downloadable version of the medical vocabulary in this article is available at Spanish Medical Vocabulary Handout.
A downlaodable sample quiz for Vocabulary for Occupations is available. Substitute vocabulary from this article to use the quiz for this vocabulary lesson
Additional Medical Spanish Information
- Spanish Vocabulary and Expressions: Una Visita al Médico
- Online Spanish Medical Dictionary
- Spanish Medical Vocabulary
This post is part of the series: Teaching Spanish Medical Vocabulary
Spanish students can enrich their vocabulary by focusing on specialized terms. This series provides specialized Spanish vocabulary lists relating to conditions, occupations and specialized equipment relating to the medical field. Also included are classroom handouts and sample classroom activities.
