medicina
standard
In Mexican Spanish medicine in the sense of a drug is medicina or the more formal medicamento. People often say the plural, las medicinas, for the pills and syrups they have to take. It is also called medicinas.
Meaning: a drug used to treat illness (noun)
Ways to say it
| Mexican | Note |
|---|---|
| medicina | standard |
| medicamento | formal |
| medicinas | everyday, plural |
Tomar la medicina means to take your medicine. At a pharmacy you can ask ¿Tiene este medicamento?
Which one should you use?
Medicina also names the field of study, as in estudiar medicina. Medicamento only means the drug itself.
When do people say it?
Pharmacies in Mexico are called farmacias, and many have a doctor's office next door.
Did you know?
- Medicina is the word for both the drug and the science, so medicina alone is usually clear from the sentence.
Examples in context
- Tengo que tomar mi medicina.I have to take my medicine.
- ¿Dónde compro este medicamento?Where do I buy this medicine?
- Mi hermana estudia medicina.My sister studies medicine.
Example conversation
Don Raúl speaks with a pharmacist in a farmacia in Mérida.
- Don RaúlBuenos días. Busco esta medicina.Good morning. I am looking for this medicine.
- Farmacéutica¿Tiene la receta?Do you have the prescription?
- Don RaúlSí, aquí está.Yes, here it is.
