Top Spanish COVID-related phrases

Are you going to Spain or another Spanish-speaking country in the near future?

Just as in English, there are lots of new Spanish phrases and words relating to COVID-19 that won’t be covered by your guidebook.

To make your life easier, we have put together some of these key phrases. We hope that they will help you feel safer during your visit to Spain. 

Check out the phrases below and then download the free printable to take with you on your holiday.

Useful COVID-related phrases in Spanish

ENGLISH	SPANISH
Where can I buy a mask please?	¿Dónde puedo comprar una mascarilla?
Where would I find the hand sanitiser please?	¿Dónde está el gel hidroalcohólico?
How many people are allowed in this shop?	¿Cuánta gente puede entrar en esta tienda?
Yes, I have received my COVID vaccination.	Sí, me he vacunado contra la covid.
Where is the nearest testing centre?	¿Dónde está el centro de pruebas más cercano?
Which tourist attractions are currently open to the public?	¿Qué lugares turísticos están abiertos al público?
What are the social distancing rules here?	¿Qué normas de distanciamiento social hay aquí?
Does your hotel/restaurant/bar have cleanliness standards in place? (e.g. are high touch areas such as the lobby/elevator/rooms/corridors/door handles/kitchens/tables/cutlery etc. cleaned more frequently?)	¿Ha implementado su hotel/restaurant/bar medidas de limpieza? (p.ej.: limpiar más a menudo zonas con mucho tráfico y superficies de contacto, como el vestíbulo, el ascensor, las habitaciones, los pasillos, los pomos, las cocinas, las mesas, los cubiertos, etc.).
Do my children need to wear masks?	¿Los niños tienen que llevar mascarilla?
I have forgotten my mask. What should I do?	Se me ha olvidado la mascarilla, ¿qué debo hacer?

Spanish glossary of COVID-related terms

COVID-19 has changed almost everything in our lives and language is no exception. Words and phrases like lockdown, self-isolation and R-rate are now in common use in the English language. The same is true of other languages too. To illustrate the point and to provide you with a handy guide to some terms you come across during your travels, we have compiled a glossary of an A-Z of COVID terms.

ENGLISH	SPANISH
Asymptomatic	Asintomático
Ban (travel, social gatherings etc.)	Prohibición (viaje, reuniones sociales, etc.)
Contact tracing	Rastreo de contactos
Distancing	Distancia/distanciamiento
Elbow tap	Choque de codos
Furlough	ERTE (expediente de regulación temporal de empleo)
Government guidelines	Recomendaciones del gobierno
Home testing kits	Kit de prueba doméstica/en casa
Incubation	Incubación
Job losses	Pérdida de empleo
Keyworkers	Trabajadores esenciales
Lockdown (1.0, 2.0, 3.0)	Confinamiento (1.0, 2.0, 3.0)
Masks	Mascarillas
Nightingale hospitals	Hospitales de campaña
Outbreak	Brote
Pandemic	Pandemia
Quarantine	Cuarentena
R rate	Número R
Self-isolation	Autoaislamiento
Track and trace	Rastreo de contactos
Underlying conditions	Enfermedades preexistentes
Vaccination centres	Centros de vacunación
Working from home	Teletrabajo/Trabajo desde casa
Xenophobia	Xenofobia
Yoga	Yoga
Zoom	Zoom