Here are 50 Spanish words for the body and for being ill, from la cabeza to la tirita. Learn these five first: la cabeza (head), el médico (doctor), la farmacia (pharmacy), enfermo (ill) and doler (to hurt). Spanish says what hurts with me duele, which works like me gusta, so that pattern comes first below.
- Words
- 50: the body, illness and treatment
- Variety
- Spain Spanish, Latin American words noted
- Level
- A1–A2
- Read them in
- Contos stories (chapters 1–2 free)
50 Spanish words for the body and health
Body parts are listed with el or la, the way Spanish uses them in a sentence. This is the health pack the Contos web app uses for flashcard review.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| el cuerpo | body |
| la cabeza | head |
| la cara | face |
| la nariz | nose |
| la boca | mouth |
| el diente | tooth |
| la oreja | ear |
| el cuello | neck |
| la espalda | back |
| el brazo | arm |
| la pierna | leg |
| el pie | foot |
| el estómago | stomach |
| la piel | skin |
| la sangre | blood |
| el dolor | pain |
| el dolor de cabeza | headache |
| la fiebre | fever |
| el resfriado | common cold |
| la tos | cough |
| la gripe | flu |
| la alergia | allergy |
| el medicamento | medicine |
| la pastilla | pill |
| la farmacia | pharmacy |
| el hospital | hospital |
| el médico | doctor |
| el enfermero | nurse |
| la cita | appointment |
| la receta | prescription |
| la urgencia | emergency |
| la lesión | injury |
| enfermo | ill |
| sano | healthy |
| cansado | tired |
| doler | to hurt |
| descansar | to rest |
| respirar | to breathe |
| el sueño | sleep |
| el ejercicio | exercise |
| el ojo | eye |
| el corazón | heart |
| el dolor de muelas | toothache |
| la salud | health |
| el dentista | dentist |
| el dedo | finger |
| la rodilla | knee |
| estornudar | to sneeze |
| el pecho | chest |
| la tirita | sticking plaster |
How do you say what hurts? Doler works like gustar
English says "my head hurts" or "I have a headache". Spanish says me duele la cabeza: literally, "the head hurts me". The thing that hurts is the subject, so the verb is plural when more than one thing hurts.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| me duele la cabeza | my head hurts, I have a headache |
| me duelen los pies | my feet hurt |
| ¿te duele la espalda? | does your back hurt? |
| le duele el estómago | his or her stomach hurts |
| tengo dolor de muelas | I have toothache |
Notice la cabeza, not mi cabeza. With body parts, Spanish uses the article, because me already tells you whose head it is. The same goes for me lavo las manos (I wash my hands).
Cuando Amaia se levanta de repente, murmurando que le duele la cabeza, Jon la sigue después de unos minutos.Body words that need a closer look
Most of these nouns follow the gender rule (el cuello, el brazo, la pierna, la rodilla). The ones ending in a consonant or -e are worth learning with the article: la nariz, la piel, la sangre, la tos and la fiebre are feminine; el pie, el diente and el corazón are masculine.
- la oreja is the outer ear. An earache is dolor de oído, because el oído is the inner ear and the sense of hearing.
- el diente is a tooth, but a back tooth is la muela, which is why toothache is dolor de muelas.
- el dedo is a finger and also a toe: el dedo del pie.
- el sueño is sleep, and also a dream. Tengo sueño means I'm sleepy.
Stories use body words to show fear and tension more often than illness. These two lines come from A1 and A2 chapters:
Su corazón late rápido.Lorena siente un frío en la espalda.At the doctor's and the chemist's
In Spain you make an appointment (pedir cita) with el médico at your local centro de salud, and collect medicine from la farmacia, marked by a green cross. In an emergency you go to urgencias, the hospital's A&E. The list gives la urgencia; on signs and in speech the department is always plural.
Me encuentro mal.
I feel ill.
In Spain encontrarse means to feel, as well as to find yourself somewhere.
Tengo fiebre y me duele la garganta.
I have a temperature and a sore throat.
¿Tiene algo para la tos?
Do you have anything for a cough?
Quería pedir cita con el médico.
I'd like to make an appointment with the doctor.
Soy alérgico a la penicilina.
I'm allergic to penicillin.
| English | Spain | Much of Latin America |
|---|---|---|
| sticking plaster | la tirita | la curita |
| a cold | el resfriado, el catarro | el resfriado, el resfrío (Argentina, Chile) |
| A&E | urgencias | emergencias, la sala de emergencias |
| to go to the doctor | ir al médico | ir al médico, ir al doctor |
Meet these words in a story: tap any word in a Contos chapter to see what it means, and save the ones you want to keep.
Read free in your browserFrequently asked questions
How do you say "I have a headache" in Spanish?
Me duele la cabeza, literally "the head hurts me". You can also say tengo dolor de cabeza. For a part of the body in the plural, the verb changes: me duelen los pies.
Does constipado mean constipated?
No. In Spain estoy constipado means I have a cold. Constipated is estreñido. For a cold you can also say estoy resfriado or tengo un catarro.
What is the difference between oreja and oído?
La oreja is the outer ear you can see. El oído is the inner ear and the sense of hearing, so earache is dolor de oído, and "to say something in someone's ear" is decir algo al oído.
How do you say "I need a doctor" in Spanish?
Necesito un médico. In a real emergency in Spain, call 112, the European emergency number. If it can wait, say quiero pedir cita, "I want to make an appointment".