Spanish · B1 (Intermediate)
Medical in Spanish: Words & Phrases
Quick answer: The most useful Spanish words for medical are el seguro médico (health insurance), el médico de cabecera (the GP / family doctor) and recetar (to prescribe). The full Spanish medical phrase list with example sentences is below.
The essential Spanish vocabulary for medical, with example sentences and English translations. This is B1 (Intermediate) material — exactly the kind of practical language you need when you're learning Spanish to live, work, or settle abroad.
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Key medical vocabulary
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| el seguro médico | health insurance |
| el médico de cabecera | the GP / family doctor |
| recetar | to prescribe |
| la receta | the prescription |
| la derivación | the referral (to specialist) |
| el especialista | the specialist |
| la mutua | the private health insurer |
| la tarjeta sanitaria | the health card |
| urgencias | A&E / emergency |
| alérgico/a | allergic |
Example sentences
Estoy asegurado con la Seguridad Social.
I am covered by Social Security.
Tengo cita con el médico de cabecera.
I have an appointment with my GP.
El médico me ha recetado antibióticos.
The doctor prescribed me antibiotics.
Necesito recoger la receta en la farmacia.
I need to collect the prescription at the pharmacy.
¿Tiene la tarjeta sanitaria?
Do you have your health card?
Soy alérgico a la penicilina.
I am allergic to penicillin.
How to actually learn these
Reading a vocabulary list is not the same as being able to use the words when it counts. Research on adult language acquisition consistently shows that vocabulary retained through contextual use — hearing a word, producing it under mild pressure, and being corrected when you get it wrong — transfers to real speech far more effectively than passive list review. The fastest way to make vocabulary like this stick is to practise it in the actual conversations where it comes up: not drills, but a real back-and-forth where you have to retrieve the word and say it aloud. Language Lab turns vocabulary like this into voiced, real-life scenarios with Sonia, a live AI language tutor who holds real conversations, corrects you in context, and remembers the specific words you keep getting wrong across sessions. The vocabulary stops being something you read and becomes something you say — automatically, under pressure, when you actually need it.
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