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How to Use Spanish in a Medical Emergency

You never know when you'll come across an accident or other emergency situation. If the person you're dealing with is Hispanic, you can aid in her comfort by speaking in Spanish. Following are some simple phrases you can use, followed by phonetic spelling in parentheses to help you approximate accurate Spanish sounds. Capital letters in the phonetic spelling indicates where you should stress the word more as you say it.

Instructions

  1. In a Car Accident

    • 1

      Instruct those who gather around to call 911. "Llame nueve uno uno" (YAH-may noo-AY-vay OO-noh OO-noh).

    • 2

      Determine where the victim feels pain by saying "¿Dónde le duele?" (DOHN-day lay DWAY-lay). If the victim can't point to the affected body part, he may try to tell you something that you can't understand. In that case, you can ask a yes/no question by saying "Does it hurt here?" and pointing. "¿Le duele aquí?" (lay DWAY-lay ah-KEE).

    • 3

      Tell people to watch out for gasoline, if necessary. "Cuidado, que hay gasolina" (kwee-DAH-doh kay ay gah-soh-LEE-nah).

    • 4

      Stop the bleeding if you can, or tell someone else to do so. "Pare la sangre" (PAH-ray lah SAHN-gray).

    • 5

      Ask for things to help you take care of the victim. "Bring me bandages" is "Tráigame vendajes" (TRAH-ee-gah-may ben-DAH-hays). You can substitute other items for "vendajes" as well: TOWELS-TOALLAS (toh-AH-yahs); BAND AIDS-TIRITAS (tee-REE-tahs); and MEDICINE-MEDICINA (meh-dee-SEE-nah).

    • 6

      Ensure the victim that the ambulance is coming by saying "La ambulancia viene" (lah ahm-boo-LAHN-see-ah bee-EH-nay).

    • 7

      Help the victim by telling him to remain calm and quiet. "Quédese tranquila" (KAY-day-say trahn-KEE-lah). If the victim is male, change the word "tranquila" to "tranquilo" (trahn-KEE-loh).

    Dealing With a Sick Person

    • 8

      Find out if the person is allergic to something by saying "¿Tiene alergia a algo?" (tee-EH-nay ah-LAIR-hee-ah ah AHL-goh).

    • 9

      Inform others that the person has lost consciousness by saying "Perdió la conciencia" (pair-dee-OH la cone-see-EHN-see-ah). Ask what the person has swallowed by saying "¿Qué ha tragado?" (kay ah trah-GAH-doh).

    • 10

      Ask others if they know where the victim's mother or father are by saying "¿Sabe dónde está su madre o su padre?" (SAH-bay DOHN-day eh-STAH soo MAH-dray oh soo PAH-dray).

    • 11

      Have someone to take the victim to the emergency room by saying "Llévele a la sala de emergencias" (YAY-bay-lay ah lah SAH-lah day ay-mare-HEN-see-ahs). In some places they substitute "emergencias" with "urgencias" (oor-HEN-see-ahs).

    • 12

      Inform the doctor that the victim has swallowed something specific by saying "Ha tragado..." (ah trah-GAH-doh). Some things that he could have swallowed include PILLS-PASTILLAS (pah-STEE-yahs); CAPSULES-CÁPSULAS (CAHP-soo-lahs); and POISON-VENENO (bay-NAY-noh).

    • 13

      Tell the doctor if the victim has injected anything by saying "Se ha inyectado..." (say ah een-yek-TAH-doh). If you know what the substance was, you can tell the doctor. HEROIN-HEROÍNA (ay-roh-EE-nah) and COCAINE-COCAÍNA (ko-kah-EE-nah) are 2 things you may need to mention.

    • 14

      Explain to the medical personnel that the victim has overdosed by saying "Sufre una sobredosis" (SOO-fray OO-nah soh-bray-DOH-sees).

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