Join Luis and me as we review symptoms of the ears, nose, throat, and chest in Spanish.

Watch the video version of this lesson on YouTube.

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Related Lessons

• Flu Symptoms in Spanish
• Asking About Chest Pain in Spanish
• Asthma Questions in Spanish
• Spanish for Dentistry
• Spanish for Eye Care

Gracias a Luis Almeida, de Venezuela, por ayudarnos con el español de esta lección.

Síntomas

Ears (and Eyes)

watery eyes
los ojos llorosos

ringing in the ears
el zumbido en los oídos
el tintineo en los oídos

When referring to the sensory apparatus of the ear, we say OÍDO. When referring to the outer part of the ear or the auricle, we say OREJA.

plugged ear
el oído tapado

Mouth

toothache
el dolor de muelas
el dolor de dientes

MUELAS specifically refers to the molars, but it is very common to use DOLOR DE MUELAS when referring to a toothache.

bleeding gums
las encías sangrantes

mouse sores
las llagas en la boca

dry mouth
la boca seca

Nose

congestion
la congestión

congested or stuffy nose
la nariz congestionada
la nariz tapada
la nariz constipada

Cuidado con CONSTIPADO. It means CONGESTIONADO, not constipated.

runny nose
mucha secreción nasal
(los) mocos
la nariz suelta*

The last one, LA NARIZ SUELTA, is not in the audio lesson. 

nosebleed
el sangrado por/de la nariz
la hemorragia nasal

Throat

sore throat
el dolor de garganta

scratchy or itchy throat
la picazón en la garganta
la comezón en la garganta

change in voice
el cambio en la voz

hoarseness
la ronquera

snoring
los ronquidos

cough
la tos

cough with phlegm or productive cough
la tos con flemas

lots of phlegm
mucha flema

blood in the phlegm
la sangre en las flemas

Cold and Flu

cold, as in upper respiratory infection
el catarro
el resfriado

flu or bad cold
la gripe
la gripa

When you hear someone say, “Tengo gripe” or “Tengo gripa,” they’re usually saying that they have a bad cold and are not referring specifically to LA INFLUENZA.

Chest

chest pain
el dolor de pecho
el dolor en el pecho

Often, people with angina will deny having chest pain. Instead, they’ll describe a discomfort or pressure in the chest.

chest discomfort
las molestias en el pecho

chest pressure
la presión en el pecho

rapid heartbeat
los latidos rápidos del corazón

irregular heartbeat
los latidos irregulares del corazón

palpitations
las palpitaciones

difficulty breathing, shortness of breath
la dificultad para respirar
la falta de aire

wheezing
la sibilancia
el silbido

Not all patients will know the word SIBILANCIA, so you could also use another word for wheezing, which also means whistle.

Gracias por escuchar.