Sneezing in Spanish

What it means

A sneeze is a sudden, forceful, uncontrolled burst of air through the nose and mouth. Sneezing is caused by irritation to the mucous membranes of the nose or throat. It can be very bothersome, but it is rarely a sign of a serious problem. According to MedlinePlus, sneezing can be due to an allergy to pollen (hay fever), mold, dander, or dust; to the common cold, the flu, or COVID-19; or to triggers such as dust, air pollution, dry air, spicy foods, strong emotions, certain medicines, and powders. At a visit, a provider will look at the nose and throat and may ask when the sneezing started, whether there are other symptoms, and whether the person has allergies. In some cases, allergy testing may be needed to find the cause.

Spanish term: Estornudos
Gender and article: masculine: los estornudos (singular: el estornudo)
Pronunciation: es-tor-NOO-dohs

Other Spanish terms	Where it is used	Note
estornudo	General	Singular form; the MedlinePlus en español encyclopedia article defines the symptom in the singular (el estornudo).
esternución	General	Listed by MedlinePlus en español under 'Nombres alternativos' in its article on sneezing; the English article lists 'Sternutation' in the same place.

The headword estornudos is a plural. MedlinePlus en español defines the singular, el estornudo, as una explosión de aire súbita, forzada e involuntaria a través de la nariz y la boca; the noun is masculine. The verb is estornudar: the same article lists cuándo empezó a estornudar where the English article has "when the sneezing started". Among its alternative names the article gives esternución, and the English list gives "Sternutation".

The plural appears in the symptom list of the MedlinePlus en español page on hay fever: Estornudos, a menudo con congestión o romadizo nasal, where the English page has "Sneezing, often with a runny or clogged nose". Hay fever itself is rinitis alérgica on that page, with fiebre de heno given under other names. Related words from the sneezing article are alérgeno (something that causes an allergic reaction), polen (pollen), moho (mold), caspa (dander) and polvo (dust).

Phrases for an appointment

What a patient or a clinician might say, in English and Spanish:

Who	English	Spanish
Patient	I have been sneezing all day, and my nose is runny.	He estado estornudando todo el día, y me gotea la nariz.
Clinician	When did the sneezing start?	¿Cuándo empezaron los estornudos?
Patient	About two weeks ago, and it gets worse when I am outdoors.	Hace unas dos semanas, y empeora cuando estoy al aire libre.
Clinician	Do you have other symptoms, such as itchy eyes, a cough, or a fever?	¿Tiene otros síntomas, como picazón en los ojos, tos o fiebre?
Patient	My eyes itch, but I do not have a fever.	Me pican los ojos, pero no tengo fiebre.
Clinician	Do you have any allergies, for example to pollen, dust, or animal dander?	¿Tiene alguna alergia, por ejemplo al polen, al polvo o a la caspa de animales?
Clinician	I am going to look at your nose and throat.	Voy a revisarle la nariz y la garganta.
Clinician	We may need allergy testing to find the cause.	Es posible que necesitemos pruebas de alergia para encontrar la causa.

In 9 languages

Language	Term
English	Sneezing
Spanish (Español)	Estornudos
Chinese (中文)	打噴嚏
Korean (한국어)	재채기
Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)	Hắt xì
Filipino (Tagalog)	Pagbahing
Portuguese (Português)	Espirros
Thai (ภาษาไทย)	จาม
Japanese (日本語)	くしゃみ

Where you'll see it

chartintake formmedical record

Related ICD-10-CM category

ICD-10-CM code: R06 → Abnormalities of breathing

Related terms

Your right to an interpreter in the United States

If English is not your primary language and you have difficulty communicating in English, you may need an interpreter or a translated document when you visit a doctor or dentist, go to the emergency room or pick up a prescription. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights states that two federal laws, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, require programs that receive its funding to provide language access services free of charge.

You can ask when you make the appointment or at the front desk: "I need an interpreter, please." «Necesito un intérprete, por favor.»

More terms: Blood and immune system

All terms in this area: Blood and immune system — Sangre y sistema inmunitario

Sources

This page is a language reference. It is not medical advice.