Spanish for Emergency Situations
Communicating When Every Second Counts
In an emergency, perfect Spanish does not matter.
Clear Spanish does.
You may need to ask for help, describe what has happened, tell someone where it hurts, or make another person understand that the situation is urgent.
A few direct phrases can make that much easier.
The aim is not elegance. It is understanding.
Key Emergency Phrases
¡Ayuda! / ¡Socorro!
[aˈʝuða] / [soˈkoro]
Help!
Ejemplo:
¡Ayuda! Alguien necesita un médico.
Help! Someone needs a doctor.
¿Puede ayudarme?
[ˈpweðe aʝuˈðarme]
Can you help me?
Ejemplo:
¿Puede ayudarme? Es una emergencia.
Can you help me? It’s an emergency.
Llame a la policía.
[ˈʝame a la poliˈsi.a]
Call the police.
Ejemplo:
Por favor, llame a la policía. Ha ocurrido un accidente.
Please call the police. There has been an accident.
Necesito un médico.
[neseˈsito un ˈmeðiko]
I need a doctor.
Ejemplo:
Necesito un médico urgentemente.
I need a doctor urgently.
Necesito una ambulancia.
[neseˈsito una ambuˈlansja]
I need an ambulance.
Ejemplo:
Necesitamos una ambulancia. Hay una persona herida.
We need an ambulance. Someone is injured.
Pronunciation varies naturally across the Spanish-speaking world. The transcriptions above give a broad Latin American pronunciation.
Describing an Emergency
Sometimes the most useful thing you can do is describe the situation simply.
Hay… — There is / There are…
Hay un incendio en el edificio.
There is a fire in the building.
Hay una persona herida.
There is an injured person.
Está… — He / She is…
Está inconsciente, pero respira.
He / She is unconscious, but breathing.
Está herido. / Está herida.
He / She is injured.
Tiene… — He / She has…
Tiene una herida en el brazo.
He / She has a wound on their arm.
Tiene mucho dolor.
He / She is in a lot of pain.
The important thing is to give clear, concrete information. If you are speaking to an emergency operator, explain what happened, give your location, answer the questions you are asked, and stay on the line until you are told to hang up.
Emergency Numbers
Emergency numbers vary between countries, so it is worth checking them before travelling.
Chile
131 — Ambulance / SAMU
132 — Firefighters
133 — Carabineros
Mexico
911 — General emergency number
Spain
112 — General emergency number
Practice Scenarios
Asking for Medical Help
¿Qué ocurre?
What happened?
Hay una persona herida. Necesitamos una ambulancia.
Someone is injured. We need an ambulance.
Useful vocabulary
ambulancia — ambulance
herido / herida — injured
médico / médica — doctor
dolor — pain
emergencia — emergency
Reporting a Fire
¿Qué está pasando?
What’s happening?
Hay un incendio en el tercer piso. Llame a los bomberos.
There is a fire on the third floor. Call the firefighters.
Useful vocabulary
incendio — fire
bomberos — firefighters
humo — smoke
salida — exit
evacuar — to evacuate
Responding to an Injury
¿Está bien?
Is he / she okay?
No. Está herido y tiene mucho dolor. Necesitamos una ambulancia.
No. He is injured and in a lot of pain. We need an ambulance.
Useful vocabulary
herida — wound
fractura — fracture
pierna — leg
brazo — arm
inconsciente — unconscious
Suspected Gas Leak
Huelo gas.
I smell gas.
No encienda ni apague interruptores eléctricos. Salgamos y pidamos ayuda desde afuera.
Do not turn electrical switches on or off. Let’s leave and call for help from outside.
If a gas leak is suspected, avoiding electrical switches and leaving the affected area are important safety measures; emergency calls should be made from outside the affected area.
Useful vocabulary
fuga de gas — gas leak
gas — gas
interruptor — switch
salir — to leave / go out
bomberos — firefighters
When Simple Words Matter
Emergency language does not need to be sophisticated.
Often, the most useful sentences are the shortest:
Necesito ayuda.
I need help.
Hay un accidente.
There has been an accident.
No puede respirar.
He / She cannot breathe.
Necesitamos una ambulancia.
We need an ambulance.
When something goes wrong, language has one immediate job: to move information from one person to another clearly enough for someone to respond.
A few words may be all you have.
Sometimes, they are all you need.
Stay prepared, stay calm—your words could be the key to saving a life!
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