Calling in sick in Spanish: the message to your boss, the sick note, and going back to work in Mexico, Spain, Colombia and Argentina
You wake up ill in a country where you work in Spanish, and the message has to go out before the day starts. In it you need to say that you cannot come in and roughly why. This page has the message, the phone call, the word for a sick note in each country, what your employer will ask for, and what people say to you when you come back, with Mexico, Spain, Colombia and Argentina named wherever they differ.
The first message
Most people write rather than ring, and short is correct.
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Good morning, I’m not well | Buenos días, no me encuentro bien. | Spain, Argentina |
| Good morning, I’m not feeling well | Buenos días, no me siento bien. | Everywhere |
| I woke up with a fever | Amanecí con fiebre. | Mexico, Colombia, Argentina |
| I’m ill | Estoy enfermo. / Estoy enferma. | Ending matches the speaker |
| I can’t come in today | Hoy no voy a poder ir a trabajar. | The core sentence |
| I won’t be able to come in | No voy a poder asistir hoy. | More formal |
| I’m going to the doctor this morning | Voy al médico esta mañana. | Spain, Argentina |
| I’m going to the doctor this morning | Voy al doctor en la mañana. | Mexico, Colombia |
| I’ll let you know how it goes | Le aviso cómo sigo. | usted |
| I’ll let you know how it goes | Te aviso cómo sigo. | tú and vos |
| Sorry for the short notice | Disculpe el aviso a última hora. | |
| I’ll send the sick note | Le mando el certificado. | See the next section for the right word |
A complete message, with nothing missing:
Buenos días, Ana. Amanecí con fiebre y no voy a poder ir hoy. Voy al médico en la mañana y le aviso. Disculpe. Good morning, Ana. I woke up with a fever and I won’t be able to come in today. I’m going to the doctor this morning and I’ll let you know. Sorry.
If you have to phone
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hello, is that Ana? | Hola, ¿Ana? | |
| Sorry to call so early | Perdón por llamar tan temprano. | |
| I’m calling to say I can’t come in | Le llamo para avisarle que hoy no puedo ir. | usted |
| I’m calling to say I can’t come in | Te llamo para avisarte que hoy no puedo ir. | tú, vos |
| I’ve been up all night | Pasé la noche mal. | |
| I’ll be back tomorrow, I hope | Espero volver mañana. | |
| Can you tell the team? | ¿Puede avisarle al equipo? | |
| Thank you, sorry again | Gracias, disculpe de nuevo. |
Saying what is wrong, briefly
Two sentences is plenty. Tengo for a condition, me duele for a part of the body.
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| I have a fever | Tengo fiebre. | |
| I have flu | Tengo gripe. (Spain, Argentina) / Tengo gripa. (Mexico, Colombia) | |
| I have a cold | Estoy resfriado. / Estoy resfriada. | Everywhere. Spain and Mexico also say tengo catarro, Argentina tengo un resfrío |
| I’ve got a stomach bug | Estoy mal del estómago. | |
| Upset stomach | Estoy descompuesto. | Argentina |
| I’ve been throwing up | He estado vomitando. (Spain) / Estuve vomitando. (Latin America) | |
| I have a migraine | Tengo migraña. | |
| My back is bad | Me duele la espalda. / Estoy mal de la espalda. | |
| I hurt my ankle | Me lastimé el tobillo. (Latin America) / Me he hecho daño en el tobillo. (Spain) | |
| I have Covid | Tengo covid. / Di positivo. | Di positivo, I tested positive |
| I picked up a bug | Me agarré un virus. (Latin America) / He pillado un virus. (Spain) | |
| I feel rotten | Tengo malestar general. | What the doctor writes down |
| My child is ill | Mi hijo está enfermo. / Mi hija está enferma. | |
| I have a medical appointment | Tengo cita médica. / Tengo turno con el médico. (Argentina) | Argentina says turno for an appointment |
Gripe and gripa are the same word. In Spain and Argentina people say gripe, in Mexico and Colombia gripa, and everyone understands both. Constipado in Spain means blocked up with a cold, so say estreñido if you mean constipated.
The sick note, country by country
This is the word learners most often get wrong, because the word is different in each country, and so are the systems behind it.
| Mexico | Spain | Colombia | Argentina | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The document | la incapacidad | la baja or el parte de baja | la incapacidad | el certificado médico |
| Who issues it | the IMSS or ISSSTE doctor | the doctor at your centro de salud | the doctor at your EPS | the doctor who sees you |
| To be on sick leave | estar incapacitado | estar de baja | estar incapacitado | estar con licencia médica |
| To go on sick leave | me dieron incapacidad | me han dado la baja | me incapacitaron | me dieron licencia |
| Going back | se venció la incapacidad | me han dado el alta | se acabó la incapacidad | vuelvo con el alta |
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| The doctor signed me off for three days | El médico me dio tres días. | |
| I have a sick note | Tengo el certificado. / Tengo la incapacidad. / Tengo el parte de baja. | |
| Where do I send it? | ¿A quién se lo mando? | |
| Do you need the original? | ¿Necesitan el original? | |
| I’ll bring it in tomorrow | Mañana lo llevo. | |
| Is a photo enough? | ¿Sirve una foto? | |
| How many days does it cover? | ¿Por cuántos días es? |
In Spain la baja is both the leave and the paper. Your doctor issues el parte de baja, you send it to the company, and you do not go back before el alta, the discharge, even if you feel fine. Coger la baja is what people say in conversation.
In Mexico the paper from an IMSS doctor is la incapacidad, and a private doctor’s note is no substitute for it on the social security side. Ask ¿me pueden dar la incapacidad? at the clinic.
In Colombia the EPS issues la incapacidad, and companies usually want it the same week. People say me incapacitaron por dos días.
In Argentina the ordinary case is a certificado médico handed to the employer. Companies are entitled to send their own doctor to check, so el médico de la empresa or a control médico turning up at your door is normal and not an accusation. Stay at home on the day you have called in.
Working from home instead
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| I’ll work from home | Voy a trabajar desde casa. | Everywhere |
| I’ll do home office today | Hoy hago home office. | Mexico, Colombia, Argentina. The English is the normal word |
| I’ll telework today | Hoy teletrabajo. | Spain |
| I can take calls | Puedo atender llamadas. | |
| I’d rather not be on camera | Prefiero no prender la cámara. (Latin America) / encender la cámara (Spain) | |
| I’ll connect after lunch | Me conecto después de comer. (Spain, Mexico) / después del almuerzo (Colombia, Argentina) | |
| I’ll be slow to answer today | Hoy voy a tardar en responder. | |
| Can we move the meeting? | ¿Podemos mover la reunión? | |
| Can someone cover for me? | ¿Alguien me puede cubrir? | |
| I’m handing over to Marta | Le paso todo a Marta. |
Coming back
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| I’m back | Ya estoy de vuelta. | |
| I’m much better | Ya estoy mucho mejor. | |
| The doctor cleared me | Ya me dieron el alta. | Spain especially |
| Thanks for covering | Gracias por cubrirme. | |
| What did I miss? | ¿Qué me perdí? | |
| Sorry for the mess | Perdón por el lío. (Spain) / Perdón por el desorden. | |
| I’ll catch up today | Hoy me pongo al día. | |
| Still a bit weak | Todavía estoy un poco débil. | |
| I’m taking it easy today | Hoy voy con calma. |
What you will hear
| What they say | Where | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| No te preocupes, mejórate. | Everywhere | Don’t worry, get well |
| Que te mejores. / Que te recuperes. | Everywhere | Get well soon |
| Mejórate pronto. | Mexico, Colombia | Get well soon |
| Cuídate. / Cuidate. | Everywhere / Argentina, the vos form | Take care |
| Tómate el día. / Tomate el día. | Spain / Argentina | Take the day |
| ¿Cómo sigue? / ¿Cómo sigues? / ¿Cómo seguís? | Colombia (usted) / Mexico / Argentina | How are you doing now |
| ¿Ya estás mejor? | Everywhere | Are you better now |
| Mandá el certificado cuando puedas. | Argentina | Send the note when you can |
| Necesitamos el parte de baja. | Spain | We need the sick note |
| ¿Nos mandas la incapacidad? | Mexico, Colombia | Will you send us the sick note |
| ¿Es por enfermedad común? | Spain | Is it ordinary illness, as opposed to a work accident |
| Tienes que justificar la falta. | Everywhere | You have to account for the absence |
| Te lo descontamos del sueldo. | Everywhere | It comes off your pay |
| Qué bueno que ya estás mejor. | Latin America | Good to see you better |
| Te echamos de menos. / Te extrañamos. | Spain / Latin America | We missed you |
| Bienvenido de vuelta. | Everywhere | Welcome back |
HR is Recursos Humanos in all four, written RRHH in Spain and RH in Mexico. The person who chases your paperwork will say falta justificada for an absence you have covered and falta injustificada for one you have not. El justificante is the Spanish word for the piece of paper that proves it.
Tú, usted and vos with your boss
| Mexico | Spain | Colombia | Argentina | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Default with a manager | usted at first, tú once they use it with you | tú, from day one | usted, and it stays usted | vos, from day one |
| Written message | usted is safe | tú | usted | vos |
| With a much older boss | usted | usted | usted | usted |
Spanish offices are tú all the way up, and writing le aviso to a Spanish line manager sounds stiff. In Colombia usted is normal between colleagues who get on well, and in Bogotá people keep it between friends.
Ten sentences you can say tomorrow
- Buenos días, no me siento bien y hoy no voy a poder ir. Good morning, I’m not well and I can’t come in today.
- Amanecí con fiebre, voy al doctor en la mañana. I woke up with a fever, I’m going to the doctor this morning. (Mexico, Colombia)
- Me dieron la baja por tres días, te mando el parte. I’ve been signed off for three days, I’ll send you the note. (Spain)
- Me incapacitaron hasta el jueves. I’m signed off until Thursday. (Colombia, Mexico)
- Te mando el certificado médico por WhatsApp. I’ll send you the medical certificate on WhatsApp. (Argentina)
- Estoy mal del estómago, prefiero no ir. I have a stomach bug, I’d rather not come in.
- Hoy hago home office, puedo atender llamadas. I’ll work from home today, I can take calls.
- ¿Alguien me puede cubrir la reunión de las diez? Can someone cover the ten o’clock meeting for me?
- Ya estoy mejor, mañana vuelvo. I’m better, I’ll be back tomorrow.
- Gracias por cubrirme. Hoy me pongo al día. Thanks for covering. I’ll catch up today.
Questions people ask
How do I say “sick leave” in Spanish? It depends on the country. Spain: la baja. Mexico and Colombia: la incapacidad. Argentina: licencia médica, with el certificado médico as the paper. Licencia por enfermedad is understood everywhere.
Do I have to ring, or can I text? A message is normal in all four, and most of it happens on WhatsApp. Ring if your shift starts within the hour, if you work somewhere a missing person causes a problem, or if your manager has asked you to.
How much detail do I give? One line. Estoy mal del estómago or tengo fiebre is enough. Nobody expects symptoms, and in Spain and Argentina people take a long medical description as over-explaining.
What is “el alta”? The discharge that ends sick leave, most used in Spain. Me han dado el alta means the doctor has cleared you to work. In Spain you should not return before it, even if you feel fine.
Can I use a private doctor’s note? In Argentina a private certificate is the ordinary case. In Spain the official parte de baja comes from the public health system, and a private note is no substitute for it. In Mexico, the IMSS document is the only one that counts.
What do I say when I get back? Ya estoy mejor, gracias and gracias por cubrirme. Expect ¿ya estás mejor? from half the office and qué bueno que volviste from the rest.
Is “estoy enfermo” too strong for a cold? No. You can use it for everything from a heavy cold upwards. Estoy malo is the Spanish everyday version and sounds lighter.
How do I ask for the day off for a medical appointment? Tengo cita médica el martes a las diez, ¿puedo salir antes? In Argentina, tengo turno médico el martes.
Practise these words
enfermo, fiebre, gripe, médico, incapacidad, baja, certificado, avisar, faltar, cubrir, mejorar, descansar, sueldo. Vozelu is a free website for practising Spanish, and it has each of these. You see a sentence with one word missing, you type the word, and a native voice reads the sentence back. Practise the words on this page.