farmacia
everyday, Mexico
In Mexico a pharmacy is a farmacia. The older word botica still exists but sounds dated in most of the country.
Meaning: shop that sells medicine (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | Note |
|---|---|
| farmacia | everyday, Mexico |
| botica | dated |
You find a farmacia on almost every main street, and many stay open late. To ask where one is, say ¿Dónde hay una farmacia?
Which one should you use?
The word botica is still common in some other countries, while in Mexico people understand it but rarely use it.
How does it change in a sentence?
The person who works there is the farmacéutico or farmacéutica, and the medicine is medicina or medicamento.
Did you know?
- The word botica comes from the Greek word for a storehouse, which is why old shops of this kind carried that name.
Examples in context
- ¿Dónde hay una farmacia cerca?Is there a pharmacy nearby?
- Voy a la farmacia por unas pastillas.I am going to the pharmacy for some pills.
- La farmacia abre a las ocho.The pharmacy opens at eight.
Example conversation
Tourist Emma asks the hotel receptionist Luis where she can find a pharmacy in Oaxaca.
- EmmaDisculpe, ¿dónde hay una farmacia?Excuse me, where is there a pharmacy?
- LuisHay una a dos cuadras, en la esquina.There is one two blocks away, on the corner.
- EmmaMuchas gracias.Thank you very much.
