On holiday in the Spanish-speaking Canary Islands I got a mouth ulcer. I knew the home remedy from experience and my dentist.
So I asked for salt and tap water.
I also have pills which must be taken at home or in hotels on holiday with plain water, not mineral water.
Firstly, the greeting is not Buenos dias or tarde. It it is shortened to Buenos.
Spanish Agua del grifo - tap water (I had trouble remembering the Spanish - gives you grief trying to get it from a grifo).
I googled possible causes of mouth ulcers and these included lack of sleep and stress. I had had stress from minor irritations in the parador hotel on La Palma in the Canaries. I had no bedroom slippers nor towelling robe.
Savanna - slippers, bedroom towelling slippers in a hotel.
When I tried to communicate slippers by pointing to a towel Toalla and to my feet I was offered a bath mat.
Finally, I achieved my objective. Salt water rinse. Fine for a couple of hours. But, at tea time, the mouth ulcer was still there.
Later I found a Farmacia - pharmacy, and pointed to my inner lip.
The pharmacist understood toothache. Eventually she understood.
She offered me Aloclair.
10.50 Euros. Expensive
Cheaper than a doctor.
Peace of mind.
Unlike Bonjela in the UK, Aloclair came with an applicator.
The instructions were in Spanish.
.
Spanish - English
agua - water
aguas - waters
agua sin gas - still water (bottled water, not fizzy)
banos - toilets / bathrooms
buenas - hello / good day (any time)
cerrado - closed
de - of
doloroso - sore
entrada - entrance
farmacia - pharmacy
gracias - thanks
grave - serious
(de) nada/ nada - it's nothing / not at all / you're welcome, literally of nothing
mas - more
medico - doctor
Muy - very
necesito - I need
no - not / don't
pain - dolor (noun)
quiero - I want
no - no /not
servicios - toilets / services
si - yes
tienda - shop
toalla - towel
úlcera - ulcer
English - Spanish
pain - dolor (noun)
painful - doloroso
-ends-
Updated with vocabulary when I was back at my desk on June 12th 2026.
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