01 · The opener
¡Ayuda! ¡Necesito ayuda!
Help! I need help!
Two short words, nothing to build. These are the ones to reach for before you have time to think in Spanish at all.
andbefluent.com/spanish/emergency
Emergency
Call for help, say where you are, and describe what happened, calmly and out loud.
You don't need many words, just the right order: where you are, what happened, how many people. Dispatchers are trained to guide you, so short and clear beats fast — Estoy cerca del parque central (I'm near the central park), Ha habido un accidente (there's been an accident), Hay una persona herida (there's an injured person). And know the number before you need it: 112 in Spain, 911 in Mexico and Central America, 123 in Colombia.
Below: the phrases for each part of the call, and a way to walk through a whole one out loud — calmly, before it ever matters.
The warm-up pack
The phrases that get you help, in the order a dispatcher needs them — ready before you ever need them.
01 · The opener
¡Ayuda! ¡Necesito ayuda!
Help! I need help!
Two short words, nothing to build. These are the ones to reach for before you have time to think in Spanish at all.
02 · If you don't know the number
¿Cuál es el número de emergencias?
What's the emergency number?
It's fine not to know it. Ask a bystander and someone will tell you, or dial anyway and the operator will redirect you.
03 · Ask for the right help
¡Llame a una ambulancia!
Call an ambulance!
Short and direct is exactly right here — you don't need more words than this.
04 · Where you are, roughly
Estoy cerca del parque central.
I'm near the central park.
A landmark is enough. Dispatchers ask follow-up questions precisely so you don't need a perfect street address up front.
05 · If you genuinely don't know
No sé la dirección exacta.
I don't know the exact address.
Saying this is completely fine — it tells the dispatcher to guide you with landmarks instead, which is exactly what happens next.
06 · What happened
Ha habido un accidente de coche.
There's been a car accident.
State it plainly, in this order: this, then where, then who. The structure carries you — you don't need extra words.
07 · The detail that matters most
Hay una persona herida.
There's an injured person.
This is the piece dispatchers listen for hardest. Say it as soon as you have it, even before the rest of the story.
08 · A fixed phrase for a hard moment
La persona no respira.
The person isn't breathing.
This is a set phrase, not something you construct in the moment — you're recalling it, not composing it, which is exactly the point of learning it now.
09 · How many
Hay dos personas heridas.
There are two injured people.
Swap the number for whatever's true. Simple counting, said clearly, is genuinely useful information.
10 · At the police station, after
Quiero poner una denuncia.
I want to file a report.
Said calmly, later, once the emergency itself is over — this is the administrative follow-up, not another crisis.
11 · Closing the paperwork
Necesito un informe para mi seguro.
I need a report for my insurance.
A practical, unhurried line for the very end of the process — proof you made it through the part that mattered.
FLUENT
Finally, someone to talk to in Spanish.
Ten-minute spoken lessons. A teacher who answers back — and gently fixes what you got wrong.
First 10 lessons freeandbefluent.com/spanish/emergencyRegional Spanish
Textbooks teach one word. Locals use several — pick your region's and stay consistent.
| English | Mexico | Argentina | Colombia |
|---|---|---|---|
| emergency number | 911 | 911 | 123 |
| file a police report | levantar un acta | hacer una denuncia | vengo a denunciar |
| giving your location | sobre la avenida, a la altura del número… | en la esquina de Corrientes y Callao | en la carrera 10 con calle 20 |
Watch out
The part no phrase list can do
Isabella
Your conversation teacher for this pack
In the final lesson you make the call. Isabella answers the 112 line — calm, methodical, trained to walk anyone through exactly this. She asks short, clear questions (¿dónde se encuentra?, ¿hay heridos?) and repeats each answer back before the next one, so you're never racing. Your part is simply to tell her where you are, what's happened, and how many people need help, one piece at a time, out loud:
Blank mid-sentence and nothing bad happens — she waits. That's the practice, without unnecessary judgement.
Finish the 5 lessons and Emergency is yours — earned, not given.
First 10 lessons free · 10-minute spoken lessons · your AI coaching team remembers you
Quick answers
It depends where you are: 112 in Spain and most of Europe, 911 in Mexico and Central America, and 123 in Colombia. Worth learning your destination's number before you travel.
¡Ayuda! ¡Necesito ayuda! (help, I need help) works anywhere; in Mexico ¡Auxilio! is just as common. To call an ambulance: ¡Llame a una ambulancia!
Give a street and number if you have one — Estoy en la calle Mayor, número doce — and landmarks if you don't: Es en la esquina de la farmacia (it's on the corner by the pharmacy).
That's fine, and common. Say No sé la dirección exacta (I don't know the exact address) and point to what's around you: Estoy cerca del parque central or estoy frente al parque (I'm across from the park).
At the station, start with Quiero poner una denuncia (I want to file a report), then explain: Me robaron el teléfono en el metro. For insurance, ask Necesito un informe para mi seguro.