Which one should you use?
While médico is used for medical practitioners, the word doctor in Spanish can also refer to someone holding an academic doctorate or PhD. Additionally, the word doctor is frequently used as a formal title to address a medical professional directly.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
médico is a formal way to say doctor, whereas Doctorcito is an informal, affectionate or friendly way to refer to a doctor.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Argentina, médico is a commonly used term for a doctor.
How does it change in a sentence?
The term changes based on gender and number: médico refers to a male doctor, and it changes its ending to médica to refer to a female doctor. For plurals, use médicos for a group of male doctors, médicas for female doctors and doctoras or doctores for their respective genders.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈmediko/
Did you know?
- In some Latin American countries, a person may be called doctor as a courtesy title even if they have never attended medical school, such as lawyers.
- In some formal Spanish medical contexts, the term facultativo is used to refer to a doctor, which is a much more professional and institutional way of naming the profession.
- The term médico descends from the Proto-Indo-European root *med-, which originally meant 'to measure' or 'to heal'.
Examples in context
- Llamá a un médico.Call a doctor.This is useful for practicing the command to call a doctor using médico.Tatoeba #2418241 by hayastan, translation #2245023 by CK
- Mi padre es médico.My father is a doctor.This sentence shows how to state someone's profession using médico.Tatoeba #483521 by Shishir, translation #251657 by CK
- Usted es un médico.You are a doctor.This sentence demonstrates addressing someone as a doctor using médico.Tatoeba #531721 by Shishir, translation #20125 by CK
- Buenos días, doctor.Good morning, doctor.
- ¿Podría hablar con el médico, por favor?Could I speak with the doctor, please?
- doctor pediatraPediatrician
- médico cardiólogoCardiologist
- 372 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Daniel and María are talking about a hospital visit.
- Daniel¿Has visto al médico?Have you seen the doctor?
- MaríaSí, el médico es muy bueno.Yes, the doctor is very good.
- DanielQué bueno que el médico te ayudó.It is good that the doctor helped you.
- MaríaGracias, Daniel, me siento mejor ahora.Thanks, Daniel, I feel better now.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry médico, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
