How to Say “I caught a cold” in Spanish

Introduction

Learning to talk about common situations like catching a cold is essential for any Spanish learner. Whether you’re traveling in a Spanish-speaking country, communicating with Spanish-speaking friends, or simply expanding your vocabulary, knowing how to express that you’re feeling under the weather will prove invaluable in everyday conversations.

The Most Common Way to Say I Caught a Cold in Spanish

The most widely used expression across the Spanish-speaking world is me resfrié. This phrase literally translates to I caught a cold and comes from the reflexive verb resfriarse. The verb is in the preterite tense, which indicates a completed action in the past.

Here’s how you would use it in a sentence:
Me resfrié el fin de semana pasado. (I caught a cold last weekend.)
Creo que me resfrié en la fiesta. (I think I caught a cold at the party.)

This expression works perfectly in both formal and informal situations, making it your go-to phrase when discussing your recent illness with anyone from your doctor to your Spanish-speaking colleague.

Alternative Expressions for Catching a Cold

Me dio un resfriado

Another common way to express this idea is me dio un resfriado, which translates more literally to a cold gave itself to me or I got a cold. This construction uses the verb dar (to give) in a reflexive form that’s extremely common in Spanish for describing things that happen to you.

Example usage:
Con este clima, me dio un resfriado. (With this weather, I caught a cold.)
Me dio un resfriado terrible esta semana. (I caught a terrible cold this week.)

Me acatarrée

In Spain, you’ll often hear me acatarrée, which comes from the verb acatarrarse. This term is particularly popular in European Spanish, though it’s understood throughout the Spanish-speaking world. The word catarro refers to a cold or upper respiratory infection.

Regional examples:
Me acatarrée durante las vacaciones. (I caught a cold during vacation.)
Parece que me acatarrée otra vez. (It seems I caught a cold again.)

Me agarré un resfriado

Latin American Spanish speakers frequently use me agarré un resfriado, especially in Mexico, Central America, and parts of South America. The verb agarrar means to grab or to catch, and this construction feels very natural in conversational Spanish.

Common usage:
Me agarré un resfriado jugando bajo la lluvia. (I caught a cold playing in the rain.)
Creo que me agarré un resfriado en el autobús. (I think I caught a cold on the bus.)

Describing Your Current Cold Symptoms

Once you’ve explained that you caught a cold, you’ll likely want to describe how you’re feeling now. For this, you’ll use the present tense with the verb estar resfriado or estar acatarrado.

Present tense examples:
Estoy resfriado desde el lunes. (I’ve been sick with a cold since Monday.)
Todavía estoy resfriada. (I’m still sick with a cold.)

Note the gender agreement: men say resfriado while women say resfriada. This adjective agreement is crucial for sounding natural in Spanish.

Common Cold Symptoms Vocabulary

To fully express your condition, you’ll want to know vocabulary for common cold symptoms. Here are the essential terms you’ll need:

Tengo tos – I have a cough
Tengo dolor de garganta – I have a sore throat
Tengo mocos – I have a runny nose (informal)
Tengo congestión nasal – I have nasal congestion
Me duele la cabeza – My head hurts / I have a headache
Estoy estornudando mucho – I’m sneezing a lot

You can combine these with your main phrase:
Me resfrié y ahora tengo mucha tos. (I caught a cold and now I have a bad cough.)
Estoy resfriada y me duele mucho la garganta. (I have a cold and my throat hurts a lot.)

Regional Variations and Cultural Notes

Spain vs Latin America

While me resfrié is universally understood, certain regions have strong preferences. In Spain, me acatarrée and estoy acatarrado dominate everyday speech. Meanwhile, Mexican Spanish speakers gravitate toward me agarré un resfriado or me dio un resfriado.

Understanding these regional preferences will help you sound more natural when speaking with people from specific countries. However, don’t worry too much about this as a beginner—any of these expressions will be understood everywhere.

Formal vs Informal Settings

When speaking with your doctor or in professional settings, you might want to use slightly more formal language. Instead of the casual tengo mocos, you could say tengo secreción nasal (I have nasal discharge). Similarly, padezco un resfriado (I’m suffering from a cold) sounds more formal than estoy resfriado.

Talking About Someone Else Who Caught a Cold

The conjugation changes when discussing others:

Third person singular:
Él se resfríó. (He caught a cold.)
Ella se acatarró. (She caught a cold.)
Mi hijo se agarró un resfriado. (My son caught a cold.)

Third person plural:
Ellos se resfriaron. (They caught a cold.)
Los niños se acatarraron en la escuela. (The children caught a cold at school.)

Useful Related Phrases and Expressions

Expand your conversational abilities with these related expressions:

Cuídate mucho – Take good care of yourself
Que te mejores pronto – Get well soon
Tomar medicina – To take medicine
Ir al médico – To go to the doctor
Guardar reposo – To rest / stay in bed
Beber muchos líquidos – To drink plenty of fluids

Natural conversation example:
¿Cómo estás? (How are you?)
No muy bien, me resfrié. (Not very well, I caught a cold.)
¡Qué mal! Cuídate mucho y que te mejores pronto. (That’s too bad! Take care and get well soon.)

Common Mistakes to Avoid

English speakers often make predictable errors when learning these expressions. The most common mistake is trying to translate I caught a cold word-for-word, leading to incorrect phrases like cogí un frío or agarré un frío. Remember that frío means cold temperature, not the illness.

Another frequent error is forgetting the reflexive pronoun me. You cannot simply say resfrié—you must include the reflexive pronoun to indicate that the action happened to you.

Gender agreement is also important. Women must say estoy resfriada (not resfriado), while men use the masculine form. This applies to acatarrada/acatarrado as well.

Practice Exercises for Mastery

To internalize these expressions, try creating your own sentences. Start with simple statements, then add details about when, where, or how you caught the cold. Practice both talking about yourself and describing others who are sick.

Try varying your vocabulary by using different expressions for the same situation. This flexibility will make your Spanish sound more natural and less rehearsed. For instance, instead of always saying me resfrié, alternate with me dio un resfriado or me agarré un resfriado depending on the context.

Conclusion

Mastering how to say I caught a cold in Spanish opens doors to more authentic conversations about daily life and personal experiences. Whether you choose me resfrié, me acatarrée, or me agarré un resfriado, you now have the tools to communicate effectively when feeling under the weather. Remember that practice makes perfect, and don’t hesitate to use these phrases in real conversations with native speakers.