What to say at the pharmacy in Spanish
Tengo tos y me duele la garganta.
“I have a cough and my throat hurts.”
When: Your first line at the counter
The moment
You wake up in your Madrid flat with a sore throat and a cough. You walk into the farmacia on the corner to explain how you feel and get something for it.
A2 · Unit 3 · Daily life
The lines
Naming your symptoms
Spaniards open with tengo plus the symptom, and add me duele for a body part: "Tengo tos y me duele la garganta." That one line is the whole opening move.
Tengo tos y me duele la garganta.
“I have a cough and my throat hurts.”
When to use it: Your first line at the counter
What you’ll hear back: ¿Le duele al tragar? (Does it hurt when you swallow?)
Asking what they recommend
In Spain the pharmacist is the first stop for small problems, so hand them the decision: "¿Qué me recomienda para el resfriado?" Use the usted form recomienda at the counter.
¿Qué me recomienda para el resfriado?
“What do you recommend for a cold?”
When to use it: Right after describing how you feel
What you’ll hear back: Puede tomar esto, es un antigripal. (You can take this, it's a cold remedy.)
Words for this scene
| Spanish | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| ¿Cada cuánto me lo tomo? | KAH-dah KWAHN-toh meh loh TOH-moh | How often do I take it? |
Vale, ¿y cada cuánto me lo tomo? Okay, and how often do I take it? Tip: Expect "cada ocho horas" — repeat it back to be sure. | ||
| ¿Hace falta receta? | AH-theh FAHL-tah reh-THEH-tah | Do I need a prescription? |
Para el ibuprofeno de 600, ¿hace falta receta? For the 600mg ibuprofen, do I need a prescription? Tip: Ibuprofeno 600 needs a prescription in Spain; 400 does not. | ||
| Soy alérgico al polen | soy ah-LEHR-hee-koh al POH-len | I'm allergic to pollen |
Soy alérgico al polen y en primavera estoy fatal. I'm allergic to pollen and in spring I feel awful. Tip: Women say alérgica; mention allergies before they hand you anything. | ||
Your objective
Describe two symptoms and since when; when they suggest something you can’t take, ask for something else and how to take it.
- two symptoms
- asking for something else
- how to take it
Lines that get it done
- Tengo tos y me duele la garganta.
- ¿Qué me recomienda para el resfriado?
- ¿Cada cuánto me lo tomo? · How often do I take it?
In the live scene the objective stays on screen, and the Replay afterwards says whether you got it done.
Check yourself
1. How do you ask the pharmacist what he suggests for your cold?
- ¿Qué me recomienda para el resfriado?
- ¿Qué recomiendo para el resfriado?
- ¿Cómo me recomienda el resfriado?
- ¿Qué me gusta para el resfriado?
Show the answer
¿Qué me recomienda para el resfriado?
Recomienda is the usted form, and me shows the advice is for you.
2. The pharmacist answers "cada ocho horas". What did you just ask?
- ¿Cada cuánto me lo tomo?
- ¿Hace falta receta?
- ¿Cuánto cuesta?
- ¿Dónde está la farmacia?
Show the answer
¿Cada cuánto me lo tomo?
"Every eight hours" answers how often to take the medicine.
3. You have a cough and a sore throat. How do you open the conversation?
- Tengo tos y me duele la garganta.
- Estoy tos y tengo dolor garganta.
- Tengo la garganta y me duelo la tos.
- Me duele tos y tengo la garganta.
Show the answer
Tengo tos y me duele la garganta.
Symptoms take tengo, and body parts take me duele plus the article.