Pain is one of the first things you assess and one of the easiest to get wrong across a language gap. This guide gives you plain, neutral Latin American Spanish for each step of a pain assessment, organized the way you already chart: OLDCARTS, the 0 to 10 scale, descriptors, and reassessment. The phrases use the formal "usted," which is safe in every region.
Set up the conversation first
Three habits make the phrases below work better.
- Ask one question at a time. Stacked questions get partial answers.
- Let the patient point. "¿Puede señalar dónde le duele?" removes vocabulary from the equation.
- Confirm the language. Some patients speak an Indigenous language first and Spanish second. A simple "¿En qué idioma prefiere hablar de su salud?" (In what language do you prefer to talk about your health?) avoids a long misunderstanding.
OLDCARTS questions in Spanish
| OLDCARTS | English | Spanish |
|---|---|---|
| Onset | When did the pain start? | ¿Cuándo empezó el dolor? |
| Onset | Did it start suddenly or slowly? | ¿Empezó de repente o poco a poco? |
| Location | Where does it hurt? Can you point to it? | ¿Dónde le duele? ¿Puede señalarlo con el dedo? |
| Duration | How long does it last? | ¿Cuánto tiempo le dura? |
| Character | How would you describe the pain? | ¿Cómo describiría el dolor? |
| Aggravating | What makes the pain worse? | ¿Qué hace que el dolor empeore? |
| Relieving | What makes the pain better? | ¿Qué hace que el dolor mejore? |
| Timing | Is it constant, or does it come and go? | ¿Es constante o va y viene? |
| Severity | How strong is the pain? | ¿Qué tan fuerte es el dolor? |
| Radiation (if you ask) | Does the pain spread anywhere else? | ¿El dolor se extiende a otra parte del cuerpo? |
Using the 0 to 10 scale in Spanish
Give the anchors every time, not just the numbers:
"En una escala del 0 al 10, donde 0 es sin dolor y 10 es el peor dolor que pueda imaginar, ¿qué número le daría a su dolor?"
Then ask for three numbers, because a single score hides the pattern.
| Purpose | English | Spanish |
|---|---|---|
| Current pain | And right now? | ¿Y ahora mismo? |
| Worst pain | And at its worst? | ¿Y en su peor momento? |
| Best pain | And when it is best? | ¿Y cuando está mejor? |
| Faces scale | Point to the face that shows how much it hurts. | Señale la carita que muestra cuánto le duele. |
Faces scales are usually used for children (often age 3 and up) and for adults who find numbers hard; use the version and instructions your facility has adopted. If a number is hard for the patient, offer words: "sin dolor, poco, moderado, mucho, el peor dolor posible." Record both the number and the words the patient chose.
Describing the pain
Patients often answer in their own words. These are the Spanish terms you are most likely to hear, with a yes/no question you can use to confirm.
| Patient may say | English | Your confirming question |
|---|---|---|
| ardor | burning | ¿Es como ardor o quemazón? |
| punzante, punzadas | sharp, stabbing | ¿Es punzante, como piquetes o una puñalada? |
| presión, opresión | pressure, tightness | ¿Siente presión, como un peso encima? |
| cólico | cramping, in waves | ¿Le viene en cólicos, como olas? |
| latidos, pulsante | throbbing | ¿Siente como latidos? |
| hormigueo | tingling | ¿Siente hormigueo? |
| adormecimiento, entumecimiento | numbness | ¿Siente adormecimiento? |
| descarga eléctrica | electric, shooting | ¿Es como una descarga eléctrica? |
Reassessment after treatment
| English | Spanish |
|---|---|
| Have you taken anything for the pain? What and when? | ¿Ha tomado algo para el dolor? ¿Qué tomó y a qué hora? |
| Did it help? | ¿Le ayudó? |
| How is your pain now, from 0 to 10? | ¿Cómo está su dolor ahora, del 0 al 10? |
| Do you feel dizzy or nauseated? | ¿Se siente mareado/a o con náuseas? |
| I will come back in [number] minutes to check on you. | Voy a regresar en [número] minutos para ver cómo está. |
| Press the call button if the pain gets worse. | Presione el botón de llamada si el dolor empeora. |
When the patient cannot answer easily
For a child, many clinicians switch to the informal "tú": "¿Te duele algo? ¿Dónde?" Follow the family's lead on register. For a patient who cannot speak, try: "Apriete mi mano una vez para sí y dos veces para no." (Squeeze my hand once for yes and twice for no.)
Regional variants worth knowing
- Pronouns: "usted" works everywhere. Some regions (parts of Central America, Argentina, Uruguay) use "vos" casually, but you do not need it.
- "Qué tan fuerte": common in Mexico and much of Latin America. "Cuán fuerte" or "cuánto le duele" are equally understood.
- "Adolorido/a" (sore, achy): widely used; some patients prefer "me duele todo el cuerpo."
- "Piquete" (prick, sting): especially common in Mexico. "Punzada" is more widely understood.
- Minimizing pain: some patients say "aguanto" or avoid "molestar." A neutral line helps: "No es molestia. Es importante que me diga cómo se siente."
Keep the phrases at the bedside
If you want these phrases on a lanyard instead of in a browser tab, the bedside badge card set includes the pain scale, pain questions, and descriptors in Spanish with English underneath, designed by a family medicine physician & certified medical interpreter. If you want pain, triage, vitals, and discharge phrases in one place, the Medical Spanish Kit bundles a pocket guide, badge cards, and flashcards. Building Spanish steadily over several weeks? See the medical Spanish study plan.
When to bring in a qualified interpreter
A phrase list gets you through routine pain checks. Use a qualified medical interpreter for a new or complex pain history, opioid or medication teaching, consent, and any conversation where a misunderstanding could change care.
Related guides
- If you are rooming patients rather than doing bedside care: Spanish for medical assistants
- For the first questions at the front door of the ER: ER triage Spanish phrases
- When pain comes with sudden weakness or speech trouble: Stroke assessment in Spanish
These phrases support routine communication and do not replace a qualified medical interpreter in clinical care. This article is general education, not medical advice.