At the Pharmacy in Spanish: A Real Conversation
An example conversation to study — read the Spanish line by line, check the English underneath. A page shows you what to say; saying it out loud is what makes it yours.
- Pharmacist
Buenos días, ¿qué necesita?
Good morning, what do you need?
- You
Buenos días. Tengo dolor de garganta desde ayer. ¿Me puede recomendar algo?
Good morning. I've had a sore throat since yesterday. Can you recommend something?
- Pharmacist
¿Tiene fiebre o solo el dolor?
Do you have a fever, or just the pain?
- You
Fiebre no. Solo me duele al tragar, y estoy un poco congestionado.
No fever. It only hurts when I swallow, and I'm a bit congested.
- Pharmacist
Entiendo. ¿Es alérgico a algún medicamento?
I see. Are you allergic to any medication?
- You
No, a ninguno.
No, none.
- Pharmacist
Le doy estas pastillas para la garganta y un ibuprofeno. Una pastilla cada cuatro horas.
I'll give you these throat lozenges and some ibuprofen. One lozenge every four hours.
- You
Perfecto. ¿El ibuprofeno lo tomo con comida?
Perfect. Should I take the ibuprofen with food?
- Pharmacist
Sí, mejor con comida. Si en tres o cuatro días no mejora, vaya al médico.
Yes, better with food. If it doesn't improve in three or four days, see a doctor.
- You
Muy bien. ¿Cuánto es todo?
Alright. How much is everything?
- Pharmacist
Son nueve con veinte. ¿Algo más?
That's nine twenty. Anything else?
- You
Nada más, gracias. ¡Hasta luego!
Nothing else, thanks. Goodbye!
What's happening in this conversation
The pharmacy is the ideal first "real Spanish" errand: the whole exchange runs on two patterns — tengo + symptom and me duele + body part — plus the magic question "¿me puede recomendar algo?", which hands the hard work to the professional.
Notice the pharmacist uses usted ("¿qué necesita?", "¿es alérgico?") — health contexts stay formal — but your own lines barely change for it.
Key phrases to steal
| Spanish | English | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Tengo dolor de garganta | I have a sore throat | The symptom formula: tengo dolor de + part |
| Me duele al tragar | It hurts when I swallow | me duele + al + verb = pain on action |
| ¿Me puede recomendar algo? | Can you recommend something? | The question that does all the work |
| Desde ayer / desde hace tres días | Since yesterday / for three days | How long — always asked |
| No soy alérgico/a a nada | I'm not allergic to anything | Have this one ready |
| ¿Lo tomo con comida? | Do I take it with food? | Checking the instructions |
Make it yours
- The symptom: "tengo tos" (cough), "tengo fiebre", "me duele la cabeza / el estómago", "estoy mareado/a" (dizzy).
- Asking for a known product: "¿Tiene paracetamol?" — brand names differ between countries, active ingredients don't.
- Understanding the dosage: listen for "cada X horas" (every X hours) and "X veces al día" (X times a day) — repeat it back to confirm: "¿Una cada cuatro horas?"
If it's beyond the counter, that's a different conversation — the serious-situation vocabulary lives in our guide to Spanish for emergencies and medical situations, and the routine follow-up in a doctor's appointment.
A regional note
In Spain the pharmacy is la farmacia with its green cross, and "congestionado" is universally understood. In Mexico you'll also hear "gripa" for a cold/flu (Spain: "gripe" or "resfriado"), and in several countries the person at the counter may ask "¿algo más en que le pueda servir?" — the warm long version of "¿algo más?". Same structure everywhere: symptom, questions, product, dosage, price.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I describe pain in Spanish?
Two patterns cover almost everything: 'tengo dolor de' + body part ('tengo dolor de cabeza / garganta / estómago') and 'me duele' + body part ('me duele la garganta'). Add when it started — 'desde ayer' (since yesterday), 'desde hace tres días' (for three days) — and the pharmacist has what they need.
Can pharmacists in Spanish-speaking countries actually recommend medicine?
Yes — much more than in the US or UK. In Spain and most of Latin America the pharmacy is the first stop for minor issues, and '¿me puede recomendar algo?' is exactly what the counter is for. Many medicines that need prescriptions elsewhere are sold directly ('sin receta').
What if my problem is more serious than a sore throat?
Then the pharmacy isn't the right script — for anything urgent you want 'necesito un médico' (I need a doctor) or 'es una emergencia'. Our guide to Spanish for emergencies and medical situations covers that vocabulary; this page is for the everyday counter visit.
You've read it. Now say it out loud.
Conversations like this one happen every week in live classes with native teachers. That's where reading turns into speaking.
Practice It Live