How to Say I'm Sick in Spanish

You wake up in Lima or Madrid with a scratchy throat and a pounding head, and you need to tell someone you feel awful. If you search for how to say I'm sick in Spanish, you will find that the answer is not one phrase but three, and picking the wrong one can change your meaning completely.

Why "I'm sick" is tricky in Spanish

English uses one little word, "sick," for everything from a mild cold to a serious illness. Spanish splits the idea up. You can be sick (a state), have an illness (a thing you carry), or feel unwell (a sensation). Learners who translate word for word usually end up with "Soy enfermo" (I am a sick person by nature), which sounds like a permanent condition.

This matters on a real trip. At a pharmacy in Bogotá, with a host family in Seville, or when calling in sick to a Spanish-speaking boss, you want to be understood on the first try. The good news is that three patterns cover almost every situation.

The main way: estar enfermo/a

The most direct translation is estar enfermo (to be sick). Spanish uses estar, not ser, because being ill is a temporary state, not a permanent trait. Make the adjective match your gender: enfermo for a man, enfermas for a group of women, and so on.

Key Phrases

• Estoy enfermo / Estoy enferma (ess-TOY en-FEHR-moh / en-FEHR-mah) — I'm sick
• Estoy un poco enfermo/a (ess-TOY oon POH-koh) — I'm a little sick
• Mi hijo está enfermo (mee EE-hoh ess-TAH en-FEHR-moh) — my son is sick
• Estuve enfermo toda la semana (ess-TOO-veh) — I was sick all week

[AUDIO: Estoy enfermo]

Grammar Note

Use estar for temporary states and ser for lasting identity. Estoy enfermo means you are ill right now. Soy enfermo would suggest you are chronically ill, which is almost never what you mean. Common mistakes:

• Saying Soy enfermo instead of Estoy enfermo
• Forgetting to change enfermo to enferma when a woman is speaking

In many countries, estar mal is just as common as estar enfermo. In Mexico and Colombia you will hear Ando mal del estómago (my stomach is off) all the time. Spanish speakers love to be specific about which part of the body is complaining.

Say what you have: tener + illness

English says "I have a cold," and Spanish does exactly the same with tener (to have). For most everyday illnesses this is the most natural option, and it is more specific than estoy enfermo. Notice that the illness takes no article: tengo gripe, not tengo una gripe.

Key Phrases

• Tengo gripe (TEHN-goh GREE-peh) — I have the flu
• Tengo un resfriado (rehs-free-AH-doh) — I have a cold (catarro in some countries)
• Tengo fiebre (fee-EH-breh) — I have a fever
• Tengo tos (tohs) — I have a cough
• Tengo dolor de cabeza (doh-LOR deh kah-BEH-sah) — I have a headache
• Tengo dolor de estómago — I have a stomachache
• Me duele la garganta (meh DWEH-leh lah gar-GAHN-tah) — my throat hurts

The pattern dolor de + body part is a handy template. Learn it once and you can describe pain anywhere: dolor de espalda (back), dolor de muelas (toothache), dolor de oído (earache).

Say how you feel: sentirse and encontrarse

When you do not have a specific illness, describe the sensation. Sentirse (to feel) is a reflexive verb, so remember the me: me siento mal (I feel bad). In Spain you will also hear encontrarse, as in no me encuentro bien (I don't feel well).

Key Phrases

• Me siento mal (meh see-EN-toh mahl) — I feel bad/unwell
• No me siento bien — I don't feel well
• Me siento mareado/a (mah-reh-AH-doh) — I feel dizzy
• Tengo náuseas (NOW-seh-ahs) — I feel nauseous
• Estoy resfriado/a — I have a cold (literally "I am colded")

Grammar Note

Be careful with me siento versus estoy. Me siento mal is about how you feel, while estoy mal can also mean you are in a bad situation. Also, never say Me siento enfermo de comer demasiado for "I'm sick of this"; that idea needs estar harto de (to be fed up with).

• Estoy harto de la lluvia — I'm sick of the rain
• Estoy enfermo de la gripe sounds odd; just say Tengo gripe

In Argentina and Uruguay, a mild illness is often shrugged off with estoy engripado (I've got the flu), and a cup of mate or tea is the standard remedy. In Mexico, a té de manzanilla (chamomile tea) shows up at the first sneeze.

Practical Application

Here is how a short conversation might go at a pharmacy (farmacia), which is usually your first stop in the Spanish-speaking world, since pharmacists can recommend many treatments without a prescription.

• Farmacéutico: Buenas tardes. ¿En qué puedo ayudarle? (Good afternoon. How can I help you?)
• Tú: Buenas tardes. Me siento mal. Tengo fiebre y me duele la garganta. (I feel unwell. I have a fever and my throat hurts.)
• Farmacéutico: ¿Desde cuándo está enfermo? (How long have you been sick?)
• Tú: Desde ayer. (Since yesterday.)

To call in sick, use the polite formula Hoy no puedo ir porque estoy enfermo/a (Today I can't come because I'm sick). If a friend is unwell, say ¡Que te mejores! (Get better soon!) or Ojalá te mejores pronto (I hope you get better soon).

Practice Exercises

• Fill in the blank with ser or estar: Mi hermana ___ enferma hoy.
• Translate: I have a fever and a cough.
• Choose the correct sentence: (a) Soy enfermo. (b) Estoy enfermo. (c) Tengo enfermo.
• Translate: My stomach hurts.
• Fill in the blank: No me ___ bien. (sentirse)
• Translate: I'm sick of the rain.

Answer Key

• está (temporary state: Mi hermana está enferma hoy)
• Tengo fiebre y tos.
• (b) Estoy enfermo.
• Me duele el estómago. or Tengo dolor de estómago.
• siento (No me siento bien)
• Estoy harto/a de la lluvia.

Conclusion

Now you know that saying you are sick in Spanish is really a choice among three tools. Keep these takeaways handy:

• Use estar enfermo/a for a general, temporary "I'm sick."
• Use tener + illness (tengo gripe) or me duele + body part to be specific.
• Use me siento mal to describe how you feel, and save estar harto de for "I'm sick of."

Ready to keep going? Try our lesson on body parts vocabulary so you can point to exactly what hurts, then leave a comment with your own sentence using tengo or me duele. ¡Buen estudio y que te mejores pronto!