Do you know how to evaluate chest pain in Spanish? 

Last updated: May 28, 2026

By  Doc Molly

Woman with chest pain holder her chest.


Explore how to describe chest pain in Spanish through a clinical encounter. Improve your medical Spanish skills today.

In this lesson, you will hear an excerpt from a clinical encounter where a patient presents to the ER with chest pain. As we practice interpreting the encounter in Spanish, we will learn how to ask about the quality, aggravating factors, and location of the pain.

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LEVEL - UPPER INTERMEDIATE

Clinical Encounter

1:21

D: ¿Cómo es el dolor? ¿Es agudo o le presiona?

P: El dolor me presiona.

D: ¿Empeora el dolor cuando se recuesta?

P: No.

D: ¿Cambia el dolor cuando se mueve?

P: No, no cambia al moverme.

D: ¿Empeora cuando respira profundo?

P: No noto ningún cambio al tomar una respiración profunda.

D: Señáleme donde tiene el dolor exactamente.

P: Está aquí en medio del pecho.

Interpret

Quality (Cualidad)

2:02

D: ¿Cómo es el dolor? ¿Es agudo o le presiona?
What is the pain like? Is it sharp or pressure?

agudo
sharp

P: El dolor me presiona.
The pain is like a pressure.

la sensación de opresión / aprieto en el pecho
chest pressure

Aggravating factors (Factores agravantes)

3:38

empeorar
to get worse

recostarse
to lie back

D: ¿Empeora el dolor cuando se recuesta?
Does the pain get worse when you lie back?

D: ¿Cambia el dolor cuando se mueve?
Does the pain change when you move?

P: No, no cambia al moverme.
No, it doesn’t change when I move.

We use the PRONOMINAL form of the verbs mover and recostar, moverse y recorstarse, when the verb is INTRANSITIVE.
When moving = cuando se mueve = al moverse
When + gerund = cuando + verbo conjugado = al + infinitivo

D: ¿Empeora cuando respira profundo?
Does it get worse when you take a deep breath?

profondo = profundamente

P: No noto ningún cambio al tomar una respiración profunda.
I don’t notice any change when I take a deep breath.

Location (Ubicación)

7:00

D: Señáleme dónde tiene el dolor exactamente.
Show me exactly where you have pain.

en medio de
in the middle of

P: Está aquí en medio del pecho.
It’s here in the middle of my chest.


Gracias por escuchar.

Member? Go to the Spanish for Emergencies course to take the quiz and mark this lesson complete!


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Self-Paced Courses – Learn at your own speed and track your progress.

🎧 400+ Interactive Audio Lessons – Learn anytime, anywhere by engaging with the audio.

📄 Quizzes & Downloadable PDFs – Reinforce learning with interactive quizzes and lesson notes.

🌱 Always Growing – New lessons, fresh tips, and updated content every month!

🩺 Interpret Clinical Encounters – Build confidence through authentic medical scenarios.

👩‍⚕️ Patient & Provider Interviews – Hear real conversations and improve comprehension.

📚 Master Spanish Grammar – Improve fluency by learning grammar through clinical conversations.

💬 Ask Questions, Get Answers – Get responses to your Spanish questions within 24 hours!

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