Learning how to talk about nausea in Spanish is an essential skill for beginners studying medical Spanish. Knowing the right vocabulary helps you to understand stomach discomfort clearly and confidently in real-life situations. Check out the reels to learn all about how to diagnose your patients using important vocabulary and high frequency questions.
In this guide, you’ll learn simple and practical Spanish words and phrases to talk about nausea in Spanish, as well as common stomach illness related symptoms. Expect all the vocabulary and phrases to be beginner-friendly and focused on everyday medical conversations, making it easier to understand patients. So next time you have a Spanish-speaking patient that has an upset stomach, you can put these words and phrases into practice!
If this beginner-friendly blog has sparked your interest in learning Spanish, check out CGI´s mastering medical Spanish courses, available even for beginners, here. In this 11-week course, you´ll cover the essential grammar, vocabulary and phrases to feel more confident talking to your patients in Spanish. Even as a beginner, learning the basics can help you build rapport and extend compassion to your patients. Each course is designed for you, the medical professional, and combines asynchronous video lessons, essential vocabulary, exercises, quizzes and live group classes to communicate more effectively, whatever your level.
How to Say Stomach in Spanish
In Spanish, there are different words to describe the stomach, including belly, abdomen, and womb. Check the reel to learn 5 ways to say stomach in Spanish.
| Stomach | El estómago |
| Belly | La panza |
| Belly | La barriga |
| Abdomen | El abdomen |
| Womb | El vientre |
Both panza and barriga refer to the belly, and are often used when patients are experiencing an upset stomach. It’s also worth mentioning that panzona, in some contexts, may also refer to a pregnant woman (because her belly is so big!). Additionally, parents and medical professionals alike will often refer to a child’s belly as a barriguita or pancita, both of which use the diminutive forms to add an extra layer of kindness and affection.
On the other hand, el vientre literally translates to womb in English, but in Spanish, women might say me duele el vientre when they are experiencing pelvic-area pain or cramping.
How to Talk about Nausea in Spanish
Having an upset stomach and feeling nauseous is a chief complaint by many patients. Regardless of age or gender, everyone experiences feeling sick to their stomach at some point or another and probably many times throughout their lives. Check the reel to learn 5 common symptoms associated with stomach issues and nausea in Spanish.
Talking about nausea symptoms in Spanish using TENER
In Spanish, you can use the verb tener (to have) to describe many symptoms. Fortunately, tener works with nouns so you also don´t have to change anything if it´s a masculine or feminine word, which can trip up beginners. You just need the subject, the verb tener conjugated, and then the symptom you want to ask about.
| Do you have… [insert symptom] | Usted tiene… [síntoma] |
| I have… [symptom] | Yo tengo… [síntoma] |
Now that you can ask the critical question, it´s time to learn about some key symptoms related to nausea in Spanish. Check the table below to learn more important nausea-related vocabulary words:
| Stomach ache | Dolor de estómago |
| Vomiting | Vómito(s) |
| Diarrhea | Diarrea |
| To feel like vomiting / throwing up | Ganas de vomitar |
| Nausea | Náusea(s) |
| Upset stomach | Malestar estomacal |
| Menstrual cramps | Cólicos |
| Stomach cramps | Retortijones/retorcijones |
| Loss of appetite | Falta de apetito |
| Bloating | Hinchazón abdominal |
| Mareo | Dizziness / motion sickness |
Notice that both Náusea(s) and Vómito(s) can be used optionally as plurals. Both singular and plural forms are correct. Another key piece of vocabulary that´s worth noting is the word mareo. While the traditional definition of mareo is dizziness, sometimes patients describe feeling nauseated as tengo mareo or estoy mareado/o. This feeling of sickness is often related to the nausea experienced on a boat or in a car, what we would call motion sickness. As a result, some patients will talk about nausea using mareo instead.
How to Talk About Nausea in Spanish: High Frequency Questions
So, now that you’ve learned the nausea-related symptoms in Spanish, here are some high frequency questions to help diagnose your patients. All these questions to talk about nausea in Spanish are very beginner-friendly, even if sometimes they use more intermediate-level tenses, such as the past and present perfect. Check the reel to listen to four important questions and see the short dialogue below to see how to employ them in your next consultation.
| Doctor: ¿Qué síntomas tiene usted? What symptoms do you have? |
| Paciente: Tengo náuseas y ganas de vomitar. I have nausea and I feel like throwing up. |
| Doctor: ¿Por cuánto tiempo ha tenido náuseas? For how long have you had nausea? |
| Paciente: Desde ayer. Since yesterday. |
| Doctor: ¿Cuándo empezó? When did it start? |
| Paciente: Anoche. Last night. |
| Doctor: ¿Con qué frecuencia tiene vómitos? How often have you been vomiting? |
| Paciente: Hoy, dos veces. Today, twice. |
| Doctor: ¿Qué lo hace peor? What makes it worse? |
| Paciente: Después de comer, me duele más el estómago. After eating, my stomach hurts more. |
| Doctor: ¿Qué lo hace mejor? What makes it better? |
| Paciente: Cuando descanso en la cama, me siento un poco mejor. When I rest in bed, I feel a little better. |
