A hospital stay in Spanish: admission, the ward, nurses, visiting, tests and discharge in Mexico, Spain, Colombia and Argentina
A stay in hospital means days of Spanish with busy staff and words like the ward, the drip, the discharge letter and the insurer’s authorisation. Below: admission, life on the ward, talking to nurses and doctors, tests, visiting, discharge and the insurance words, for Mexico, Spain, Colombia and Argentina. The emergency itself, the call and the emergency room, is in the emergencies post; a normal appointment is in the doctor post.
Being admitted
The verb for being admitted is the first thing that changes.
| Mexico | Spain | Colombia | Argentina | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| He’s been admitted | Lo internaron. / Está hospitalizado. | Lo han ingresado. / Está ingresado. | Lo hospitalizaron. / Está hospitalizado. | Lo internaron. / Está internado. |
| Admission (the process) | el ingreso / la admisión | el ingreso | el ingreso / la admisión | la internación |
| The admissions desk | admisión | admisión | admisiones | admisión |
In Spain un internado is mainly a boarding school, and a hospital patient is ingresado. In Mexico and Argentina, internado is the ordinary word for an in-patient.
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| They’re going to admit me | Me van a internar. (Mexico, Argentina) / Me van a ingresar. (Spain) / Me van a hospitalizar. (Colombia) | |
| Here is my passport | Aquí tiene mi pasaporte. | |
| I have insurance | Tengo seguro médico. / Tengo seguro de viaje. | |
| Here is my policy number | Este es mi número de póliza. | |
| Who should we contact in an emergency? | ¿A quién avisamos en caso de emergencia? | What the admissions desk asks |
| My emergency contact is… | Mi contacto de emergencia es… | |
| I’m allergic to… | Soy alérgico / alérgica a… | Say it at admission and again on the ward |
| I take these medicines | Tomo estos medicamentos. | Bring the boxes |
| How long will I be in? | ¿Cuántos días voy a estar internado / ingresado? |
Private hospitals in Mexico ask for money up front when you have no insurer they work with. The words are un depósito or un anticipo, and ¿cuánto hay que dejar de depósito? is the question. With an insurer, ask ¿trabajan con mi aseguradora?
The ward and the room
| You want | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| the ward | la sala / la planta (Spain) / el piso | Planta and piso are the floor, which is how people give directions |
| the room | la habitación / el cuarto (Mexico) | |
| a private room | una habitación individual / un cuarto privado (Mexico) | |
| the bed | la cama | Beds are numbered: la cama doce |
| the call button | el timbre / el botón | |
| intensive care | la UCI (Spain, Colombia) / terapia intensiva (Mexico, Argentina) | UCI is said as a word, u-ci |
| the operating theatre | el quirófano | |
| the nurses’ station | el control de enfermería / la estación de enfermería | |
| the private hospital | el hospital privado / la clínica / el sanatorio (Argentina) | Clínica and sanatorio usually mean private |
Sanatorio in Argentina is an ordinary private hospital, not a place for long convalescence. Clínica in Spain, Colombia and Argentina is also usually a private hospital, not a small practice.
Talking to the nurses
The nurses are the people you will see most. Enfermero and enfermera everywhere.
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Excuse me, nurse | Disculpe, enfermera. / Perdone. (Spain) | In Colombia patients often call a qualified nurse jefe or jefa |
| I’m in pain | Me duele mucho. / Tengo mucho dolor. | |
| Can you give me something for the pain? | ¿Me puede dar algo para el dolor? | |
| I feel sick | Tengo náuseas. / Estoy mareado / mareada. | |
| I need to go to the toilet | Necesito ir al baño. | |
| Can you help me get up? | ¿Me ayuda a levantarme? | |
| I’m cold | Tengo frío. ¿Me trae otra manta? / …otra cobija? (Mexico, Colombia) / …otra frazada? (Argentina) | Three words for a blanket |
| The drip is beeping | El suero está sonando. / El gotero está pitando. (Spain) | |
| It hurts where the needle is | Me duele donde está la vía. | |
| When is the doctor coming? | ¿A qué hora pasa el médico? | |
| Can I eat? | ¿Puedo comer? | |
| Can I drink water? | ¿Puedo tomar agua? / ¿Puedo beber agua? (Spain) | |
| Can I have a shower? | ¿Me puedo bañar? (Latin America) / ¿Me puedo duchar? (Spain) |
The drip is el suero in Mexico, Colombia and Argentina, and el gotero in Spain, where suero is the fluid. La vía is the line in your arm everywhere. In Mexico, putting it in is canalizar: la van a canalizar, they’re going to put a line in.
What the nurse and the doctor will say
| You will hear | It means |
|---|---|
| ¿Cómo se siente? / ¿Cómo amaneció? (Latin America) | How are you feeling? How did you wake up? |
| Del uno al diez, ¿cuánto le duele? | On a scale of one to ten, how much does it hurt? |
| ¿Ya fue al baño? / ¿Ha ido al baño? (Spain) | Have you been to the toilet? |
| Le voy a tomar la presión. / …la tensión. (Spain) | I’m going to take your blood pressure |
| Le voy a tomar la temperatura. | I’m going to take your temperature |
| Le voy a sacar sangre. | I’m going to take blood |
| Le voy a poner una inyección. | I’m going to give you an injection |
| Tiene que estar en ayunas. | You must not eat or drink |
| No se levante solo / sola. | Don’t get up on your own |
| Vamos a esperar los resultados. | We’ll wait for the results |
| Está evolucionando bien. | You’re recovering well |
| Va a quedar en observación. | You’ll stay under observation |
Tomar la presión in Latin America, tomar la tensión in Spain: both are blood pressure.
Pasar planta in Spain is the doctors’ ward round. Elsewhere people ask when the doctor comes by: ¿a qué hora pasa el médico?
Tests
| You want | Mexico | Spain | Colombia | Argentina |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blood test | unos análisis / unos estudios de sangre | una analítica / un análisis de sangre | unos exámenes de sangre | un análisis de sangre |
| Urine test | un examen de orina | un análisis de orina | un examen de orina | un análisis de orina |
| X-ray | una radiografía / una placa | una radiografía / una placa | una radiografía / unos rayos X | una radiografía / una placa |
| Ultrasound | un ultrasonido | una ecografía | una ecografía | una ecografía |
| CT scan | una tomografía | un TAC / un escáner | un TAC / una tomografía | una tomografía |
| MRI | una resonancia | una resonancia | una resonancia | una resonancia |
| Tests in general | estudios | pruebas | exámenes | estudios |
Una analítica is Spain’s everyday word for a blood test. Ultrasonido is Mexico’s ultrasound, and ecografía is the word in Spain, Colombia and Argentina.
| You want to say | Spanish |
|---|---|
| What is this test for? | ¿Para qué es este estudio? / ¿Para qué es esta prueba? (Spain) |
| When will the results be ready? | ¿Cuándo están los resultados? |
| Can you explain the results? | ¿Me puede explicar los resultados? |
| Is it serious? | ¿Es grave? |
| Do I need an operation? | ¿Me tienen que operar? / ¿Necesito una operación? |
| What are the risks? | ¿Cuáles son los riesgos? |
| Can you speak more slowly? | ¿Puede hablar más despacio, por favor? |
Before an operation you will be asked to sign el consentimiento informado, the consent form. Ask ¿me lo puede explicar antes de firmar? if anything is unclear.
Visiting and staying with a patient
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| What are the visiting hours? | ¿Cuál es el horario de visitas? | |
| How many visitors are allowed? | ¿Cuántas visitas se permiten? | |
| Can someone stay the night? | ¿Se puede quedar alguien por la noche? | |
| I’m her son / daughter | Soy su hijo / hija. | |
| I’m his partner | Soy su pareja. | |
| Which room is Ana García in? | ¿En qué habitación está Ana García? | Give the full name |
| Can I bring food? | ¿Puedo traerle comida? | Ask first |
A companion is common. In all four countries a relative often stays with the patient, sometimes overnight in a chair. The word is el acompañante. Public hospitals may limit it to one person, so ask on the ward.
Visiting rules vary by hospital and by ward, and intensive care has short fixed times. Read the sign or ask the nurses’ station.
Discharge
El alta is discharge in all four countries. It is feminine, and has el because it starts with a stressed a.
| You want to say | Spanish |
|---|---|
| When will I be discharged? | ¿Cuándo me dan el alta? |
| They discharged me | Me dieron el alta. / Me han dado el alta. (Spain) |
| Can I have the discharge report? | ¿Me da el informe de alta? / ¿Me da la epicrisis? (Colombia) |
| Can I have a copy of my medical record? | ¿Me puede dar una copia de mi historia clínica? |
| What medication do I take at home? | ¿Qué medicamentos tengo que tomar en casa? |
| When do I come back for a check-up? | ¿Cuándo vuelvo a control? / ¿Cuándo tengo la revisión? (Spain) |
| When can I fly? | ¿Cuándo puedo viajar en avión? |
| Can I have a sick note? | ¿Me da un justificante? (Spain) / ¿Me da una incapacidad? (Colombia) / ¿Me da un certificado médico? (Mexico, Argentina) |
Keep every paper. The discharge report, the invoice and your historia clínica are what an insurer or your own doctor at home will ask for. In Colombia the discharge summary is la epicrisis.
Insurance and paying
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| my insurer | mi aseguradora | |
| policy | la póliza | |
| Do you work with my insurer? | ¿Trabajan con mi aseguradora? | |
| Can you bill the insurer directly? | ¿Pueden facturar directamente a la aseguradora? / ¿Tienen pago directo? (Mexico) | |
| I’ll pay and claim it back | Pago yo y luego pido el reembolso. | |
| I’m paying privately | Voy a pagar como particular. | |
| the deductible | el deducible (Mexico, Colombia) / la franquicia (Spain) | |
| the co-payment | el copago | |
| authorisation | la autorización | Insurers often have to approve a stay or a test first |
| an itemised bill | una factura detallada | |
| a receipt | un recibo / una factura |
Mexico. Public care is through institutions such as el IMSS for workers. Visitors use private hospitals and pay or claim through an insurer.
Spain. The public system is la sanidad pública, and residents have la tarjeta sanitaria. Visitors from the European Union use la tarjeta sanitaria europea at public hospitals. Private cover is un seguro privado, often called by the insurer’s name.
Colombia. Residents are covered through an EPS, entidad promotora de salud. Private plans on top are medicina prepagada. A visitor goes private and pays or claims.
Argentina. Workers are covered by an obra social, and private plans are prepagas. Emergency care cannot be refused to anyone. Since 2025, for other care, hospitals run by the national state can ask a non-resident for health insurance or payment first, so ask at admission.
Ten sentences you can say tomorrow
- Tengo seguro médico. Este es mi número de póliza. I have health insurance. This is my policy number.
- Soy alérgico a la penicilina. I’m allergic to penicillin.
- Me duele mucho. ¿Me puede dar algo para el dolor? It hurts a lot. Can you give me something for the pain?
- ¿A qué hora pasa el médico? What time does the doctor come round?
- Está internado en el tercer piso. He’s in hospital, on the third floor. (Mexico, Argentina)
- Mi madre está ingresada en planta. My mother is on the ward. (Spain)
- ¿Cuándo están los resultados de la analítica? When will the blood test results be ready? (Spain)
- ¿Se puede quedar alguien conmigo por la noche? Can someone stay with me overnight?
- ¿Cuándo me dan el alta? When will I be discharged?
- ¿Me da la epicrisis y la factura? Can I have the discharge summary and the invoice? (Colombia)
Questions people ask
How do you say “admitted to hospital” in Spanish? Ingresado in Spain, internado in Mexico and Argentina, hospitalizado in Colombia and understood everywhere. Lo ingresaron and lo internaron both mean they admitted him.
What is “el alta”? Discharge from hospital. Me dieron el alta means I was discharged.
How do you say “ward” in Spanish? La sala, or in Spain la planta, the floor. People usually give the floor and the room number.
What is “suero” in a hospital? The drip, in Mexico, Colombia and Argentina. In Spain the drip is el gotero and suero is the fluid in it.
How do you say “intensive care” in Spanish? La UCI, unidad de cuidados intensivos, in Spain and Colombia. Terapia intensiva in Mexico and Argentina.
Can family stay overnight in a Spanish or Latin American hospital? Often yes, one person, in a chair beside the bed. Rules differ by hospital and ward, so ask at the nurses’ station.
What is a “historia clínica”? Your medical record. Ask for a copy before you leave if you will need it for an insurer or a doctor at home.
Practise these words
hospital, ingresar, enfermero, cama, dolor, análisis, resultado, operación, visita, seguro, factura, internar, alta. 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.