Wherever in the world you’re reading this from, we’ve had a collectively unusual experience over the past several months. So today we’re having a break from grammar and looking at some vocabulary that should be useful in these weird COVID times.
Spanish words being used during a pandemic
It’s not often we’re faced with pandemics like the one we’re going through right now. Here’s some vocab that might come in handy!
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| la pandemia | pandemic (noun) |
| pandémico/a | pandemic (adjective) |
| la epidemia | epidemic |
| el brote | outbreak |
| detener la propagación de gérmenes | to stop/reduce the spread of germs |
| la infección | infection |
| los infectados | people infected |
| contagioso/a | contagious |
| infeccioso/a | infectious |
| el/la portador/a | carrier |
| vulnerable | vulnerable |
| de (alto) riesgo | high-risk |
| proteger | to protect |
| el virus | virus |
| el coronavirus | coronavirus |
| el/la* COVID-19 | COVID-19 |
| la evidencia | evidence |
| las pruebas los análisis | tests |
| hacer un test hacer una prueba | to test |
| la cura | cure |
| la investigación | research |
| los ensayos clínicos | clinical trials |
| el tratamiento | treatment |
| la vacuna | vaccine |
| el/la científico/a | scientist |
| la enfermedad | illness |
| las muertes | deaths/fatalities |
| el distanciamiento social | social distancing |
| la reunión social | social gathering |
| la cuarentena | quarantine/lockdown |
| los espacios cerrados | enclosed spaces |
| 2 metros | 2 meters/6 feet |
| mantener una distancia | to maintain a distance |
| la mascarilla | mask |
| el cubrebocas (used in Mexico) | face covering |
| la higiene | hygiene/cleanliness |
| la inmunidad | immunity |
| la inmunidad de grupo | herd immunity |
| la casa | household |
| la burbuja | bubble |
*You might see “COVID-19” used as masculine sometimes and feminine sometimes. The gender in this case is a little complicated, as it’s influenced by the fact that it’s a new and medical term borrowed from English, which itself comes from a bunch of other words smooshed together (“CO” from “corona,” “VI” from “virus,” “D” from “disease,” and “19” from “2019”)!
Some example dialogue and sentences:
(There has been an outbreak of COVID-19. It is a pandemic.)
(All of this is making me anxious.)
(The scientists are researching the virus and doing clinical trials.)
(“I hope they manage to create a vaccine or find a cure soon.”)
(Me too. But don’t forget that it’s okay to be a little anxious.)
(In some countries, it’s obligatory to wear a face mask in certain public places. In other countries, they’re focusing on social distancing.)
Spanish Medical Terms Related to COVID-19
Let’s get scientific!
| la salud | health |
| la salud física | physical health |
| la salud mental | mental health |
| padecer de | to suffer from |
| médico/a medicinal clínico/a | medical |
| el síntoma | symptom |
| presentar síntomas mostrar síntomas | to display symptoms |
| la tos | cough |
| la fiebre | fever |
| la pérdida de | loss of |
| el sentido del gusto | sense of taste |
| el sentido del olfato | sense of smell |
| respirar | to breathe |
| Me cuesta respirar. | I’m struggling to breathe. |
| los pulmones | lungs |
| la pulmonía la neumonía | pneumonia |
| condición de salud subyacente | underlying health conditions |
| vulnerable | vulnerable |
| el respirador el ventilador mecánico | ventilator |
| intubar | to intubate |
| la muestra el frotis | swab |
| la garganta | throat |
| la nariz | nose |
| la muestra de saliva | saliva sample |
| la vacuna | vaccine |
| los anticuerpos | antibodies |
| la droga | drug |
| el medicamento | medication |
Sample dialogue:
(Do you want to go to the park?)
“I’d rather not go to places with lots of people. I suffer from lots of illnesses, so I’m vulnerable.”
(COVID-19 isn’t serious. My sister caught it and hardly had symptoms.)
(Yes, it can be serious. It depends on the person. My father caught it and was intubated. He had to breathe via a ventilator for days.)
Making sense of the news
It’s pretty difficult to look at/listen to the news nowadays without seeing/hearing something about COVID-19. It can feel overwhelming at times, and even more so if you’re watching/reading/listening to the news in a different language!
We’re giving you a list of some Spanish terms you might come across in the news. Hopefully this makes it at least a little bit less daunting.
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| la suma de infectados | total number infected |
| la tasa de infección | infection rate |
| número R (número reproductivo) | R number (reproduction number) |
| la tasa de mortalidad | death rate |
| el aislamiento preventivo | shielding/preventive isolation |
| la cuarentena | quarantine/lockdown |
| tomar medidas | to take measures |
| las nuevas reglas | new rules |
| la precaución | precaution |
| Fase 0, 1, 2, etc. | Phase 1, 2, etc. (System of easing lockdown in Spain) |
| las políticas gubernamentales | governmental policies |
| secretaría de salud/ministro de salud | health secretary/health minister |
| el gobierno | government |
| el/la asesor/a científico/a | scientific adviser |
| la OMS (La Organización Mundial de la Salud) | WHO (World Health Organization) |
| el SNS (Servicio Nacional de Salud) | NHS (National Health Service—health system in the UK) |
| la tendencia mundial | global trend |
| la conferencia de prensa la rueda de prensa | press conference |
| la sesión informativa diaria | daily briefing |
| el asesoramiento científico | scientific advice |
Some example sentences you’ll likely find in the news:
Spanish Phrases for requesting assistance in COVID-related emergencies
Some people experience only mild symptoms with COVID, but for others, it can be more serious. Here’s how to get help in an emergency.
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| el/la médico/a | doctor |
| la cita | appointment |
| el/la enfermero/a | nurse |
| el/la policía | police officer |
| la ambulancia | ambulance |
| ¡Socorro! ¡Ayuda! ¡Ayúdenme! | SOS! Help! |
| Llama al hospital, por favor. | Call the hospital, please. |
| 112 (in Spain and much of Europe) 911 (in much of Latin America) | 911/999 |
| urgencias la sala de urgencias | ER/A&E |
| la emergencia la urgencia la crisis | emergency |
| Es urgente. | It’s urgent. |
| la UCI (Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos) | ICU (Intensive Care Unit) |
| el hospital | hospital |
| ¿Dónde está el hospital? | Where is the hospital? |
* If you’re already on the phone to your doctor’s office, then it’s obvious that the “cita” you want is a medical appointment. But “cita” can also mean “date,” so in some situations (e.g. telling your friend you had a “cita por teléfono”), you’ll need to make clear whether you’re talking about a medical telephone appointment or a modern romantic date!
Here’s a short dialogue as an example:
(I need an appointment with the doctor.)
(If you have symptoms, don’t come to the clinic.)
How to Report a COVID-19 incident in Spanish
If you have or suspect a case of COVID, you may have to let someone know, whether it’s to seek medical help, update your family, or just cancel your coffee plans!
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| Ha pasado … . | … has happened. |
| ¿Desde cuándo tiene síntomas? | How long has s/he had symptoms? |
| ¿Cuáles síntomas tiene? | What symptoms does s/he have? |
| dar positivo para COVID | to test positive for COVID |
| No puedo venir al trabajo. | I can’t come to work. |
| Papá, no deberías visitarme este fin de semana. Tengo una tos. | Dad, you shouldn’t visit me this weekend. I have a cough. |
| Perdona, ¡tengo que cancelar nuestra cita! | Sorry, I have to cancel our date! |
| el autoaislamiento | self-isolation |
| Mis abuelos van aislándose. | My grandparents are shielding. |
Spanish phrases for calling the hospital to inquire
If you need to call the hospital to ask after someone, here are some phrases that could be useful.
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| el hospital | hospital |
| la recepción | reception |
| el/la recepcionista | receptionist |
| el número de teléfono | phone number |
| llamar | to call |
| preguntar por alguien | to ask after someone |
| el/la paciente | patient |
| ser ingresado/a | to be admitted |
| la sala | ward |
| las horas de visita | visiting hours |
| el/la visitante | visitor |
Example dialogue:
(Good afternoon, I’m calling to ask after my granddad. He was admitted last night with COVID symptoms but I don’t know which ward he’d be in. What are the visiting hours?)
(You can’t visit COVID patients yet. It’s too dangerous. I can give you the phone number for the COVID ward so you can speak to the doctors.)
Spanish Phrases related to COVID-19 Quarantine
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| el EPP (equipo de protección personal) | PPE (personal protective equipment) |
| la mascarilla | mask |
| la máscara quirúrgica | surgical mask |
| los guantes | gloves |
| gafas de protección | goggles |
| el delantal desechable | disposable apron |
| Al entrar en la zona de cuarentena, es imprescindible llevar el EPP. | On entering the quarantine zone, it’s essential to be wearing PPE. |
| PROHIBIDO EL PASO NO PASAR NO ENTRAR | NO ENTRY |
| entrar | to enter |
| ¿Puedo entrar? | May I come in? |
| salir | to leave |
| una persona a la vez | one person at a time |
| limpiar | to clean |
| esterilizar | to sterilize |
| desinfectar | to disinfect |
| descontaminar | to decontaminate |
| Al salir de la zona, hay que desinfectar todo. | On leaving the zone, everything must be disinfected. |
| lavarse los manos | to wash one’s hands |
| el agua | water |
| el jabón | soap |
| el gel desinfectante | hand gel |
| no tocar nada | to not touch anything |
| no tocarse la cara | to not touch one’s face |
| tener cuidado | to be careful |
Here’s an example conversation:
(Daddy, I want to see Grandma.)
(Son, you’re too young to go into the quarantine zone with me, but even so, you have to be careful around the hospital. Wash your hands frequently with soap and water, and try not to touch your face. Take a bottle of hand gel in your backpack.)
Stay safe!
We hope this article has given you some of the tools you might need when communicating about COVID in Spanish. ¡Hasta la proxima! Until next time, let’s take care of each other and ourselves!
Annabel , thank you so much for your helpful and caring guide.