Mayday in Spanish | What To Say When Seconds Count

“Mayday” stays the standard distress word on Spanish radio, while everyday Spanish cries for help include “¡Socorro!” and “¡Auxilio!”.

When fear hits, language can slip. You might speak Spanish well and still blank on the mic. Or you might speak Spanish daily and wonder if “Mayday” changes when the other side speaks Spanish.

On aviation and maritime radios, the distress procedure word is still MAYDAY. After that opener, you can give the details in Spanish with short, plain lines. Off the radio, in normal speech, Spanish has its own words for “Help!” that work in a crowd, on a phone call, or in a text.

What “Mayday” Means On The Air

MAYDAY is reserved for a life-threatening emergency. It signals that people face grave danger and need help right now. It takes priority over routine traffic, so other stations should stop transmitting and listen.

Why It Doesn’t Get Translated

Procedure words work because everyone expects the same sound. Translation slows recognition and invites confusion. Spanish-speaking controllers, rescue services, and mariners train for MAYDAY as a fixed signal, just like PAN-PAN for urgent situations that are serious but not immediately life-threatening.

Mayday In Spanish For Aviation And Maritime Radio

Keep the opener as MAYDAY. Then switch to short Spanish that carries the facts: who you are, where you are, what’s wrong, what you need, and how many people are at risk.

A Simple Radio Script You Can Copy

Say it slowly. Breathe between lines.

• MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY.
• Este es [nombre de la embarcación / matrícula de la aeronave].
• Mi posición es [coordenadas / rumbo y distancia a un punto conocido]. Repítelo.
• Tengo [fuego / vía de agua / fallo de motor / pérdida de control].
• Necesito [rescate inmediato / asistencia médica / ayuda para llegar a puerto].
• Personas a bordo: [número]. Heridos: [número].
• Descripción: [color, tipo, humo, luces].

If you can add one more line, add what you’ll do next: “Voy a…” so responders can predict your movement.

Everyday Spanish Words For “Help”

When you’re not using formal radio phraseology, Spanish speakers usually shout short words. “¡Socorro!” and “¡Auxilio!” are common. “Necesito ayuda” works for calls and texts. The Spanish Royal Academy lists “socorro” as aid given in a moment of danger. RAE’s dictionary entry for “socorro” matches the everyday use.

How To Choose Between MAYDAY And PAN-PAN

Hesitation wastes time. Ask one question: “Is anyone likely to die or be seriously harmed if help doesn’t arrive soon?” If yes, use MAYDAY.

If the situation is urgent but not yet life-threatening, PAN-PAN fits. In aviation, the FAA’s Aeronautical Information Manual lays out distress and urgency procedures and the use of MAYDAY and PAN-PAN in voice communications. FAA AIM 6-3 Distress And Urgency Procedures is a clear reference for priorities and call structure.

What A Complete Distress Call Needs

Stress makes people skip the basics. Your first transmission should carry the facts rescuers can act on right away.

Identity

Say your vessel name, call sign, or aircraft registration clearly. Repeat it if you can. If you don’t have a call sign ready, use any identifier you can: “Lancha blanca con techo azul” plus where you are can still get you found.

Location

Location is the difference between a fast rescue and a long search. Give coordinates if you have them. If not, give a bearing and distance from something known, then a plain description: “a una milla al sur del puerto” or “cerca del faro”.

Nature Of The Emergency

Name the problem in plain Spanish: “fuego”, “se hunde”, “hombre al agua”, “sin gobierno”, “pérdida de potencia”. Add one detail that shapes the rescue: smoke color, rate of flooding, whether you’re drifting, whether you can steer.

People At Risk

Say how many people are on board and whether there are injuries. That number drives urgency and resource choices.

What You Need Next

Ask for the help that matches the problem: evacuation, medical help, tow, firefighting assistance. In aviation, add your intent: land immediately, divert, ditch.

Distress Call Cheat Sheet By Scenario

This table is built for real radio use: short phrases you can say with shaky hands.

Situation	Signal Word	What To Say First
Boat taking on water fast	MAYDAY	“Se está hundiendo; necesito rescate.”
Fire on board, spreading	MAYDAY	“Fuego a bordo; hay humo; necesito ayuda.”
Man overboard, sight lost	MAYDAY	“Hombre al agua; última posición…”
Engine failure, drifting near rocks	MAYDAY	“Sin motor; deriva hacia rocas; posición…”
Engine failure, clear sea room	PAN-PAN	“Sin motor; solicito asistencia / remolque.”
Medical problem, stable	PAN-PAN	“Pasajero enfermo; solicito ayuda médica.”
Aircraft engine failure, forced landing likely	MAYDAY	“Fallo de motor; voy a aterrizar de emergencia.”
Aircraft lost but controlled, fuel OK	PAN-PAN	“Desorientado; solicito vectores / ayuda.”
Smoke in cockpit	MAYDAY	“Humo en cabina; aterrizaje inmediato.”

How To Speak So You Get Understood

The best distress call sounds plain. You want slow, clean words that survive static and accents.

Keep Lines Short

Use one fact per line. If you catch yourself adding details, stop, breathe, and return to position and problem.

Handle Numbers Like They’re Fragile

Say critical numbers twice: coordinates, people on board, altitude, heading. If you’re mixing English and Spanish, state numbers in the language you can say cleanly.

Choose Common Verbs

Regional slang can misfire. Stick to widely understood verbs: “necesito”, “tengo”, “voy a”, “estoy”.

On the water, many radio cards reinforce the same order: call, identity, position, distress, people. The U.S. Coast Guard’s Emergency Radio Procedures sheet shows a clean MAYDAY sequence, including repeating position and stating people on board.

Pronunciation Tips That Save Time

Accents aren’t the enemy. Speed and mumbling are. If Spanish is your first language, you may clip the final “y” sound in MAYDAY. Stretch it a little: “MAY-DAY.” You want a two-beat rhythm that cuts through noise.

For Spanish lines, stress the words that carry action: “POSICIÓN”, “HUNDiendo”, “FUEGO”, “HERidos”. If your voice shakes, slow down even more. A slow call that lands beats a fast call that needs repeating.

What To Do If You Don’t Get A Reply

Silence after a distress call is scary, yet it happens. The other station may be weak, busy, or out of range. Don’t stop after one attempt.

• Repeat the MAYDAY call and your position.
• Try a second channel if you know one monitored in your area, then return to the distress channel.
• If you have a phone signal, call local emergency services and give the same facts in Spanish.
• If you’re at sea with DSC, press the distress button if you can do it safely, then follow with the voice call.

If another vessel answers before a coast station, treat it like a lifeline. Give the full message anyway. Ask them to relay if your signal is weak: “No me oyen bien; repita mi MAYDAY.”

One Transmission Version When Time Is Tight

Sometimes you get one short window to transmit before power fails or the radio antenna goes under. In that case, cut it to the bones.

MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY. Este es [nombre]. Posición [coordenadas]. Emergencia: [fuego / se hunde]. Personas: [número]. Necesito rescate.

Mini Phrasebook For A Distress Call

These are the phrases people often scramble for. Read them once now, then keep them near your radio.

Spanish Phrase	English Meaning	When To Use It
Mi posición es…	My position is…	Start of location line
Estoy a … millas de …	I’m … miles from …	When you have a landmark
Necesito rescate inmediato	I need immediate rescue	Life-threatening danger
Se está hundiendo	It’s sinking	Rapid flooding
Fuego a bordo	Fire on board	Any onboard fire
Hombre al agua	Man overboard	Person in the water
Hay heridos	There are injuries	Medical triage info
Estamos a la deriva	We’re adrift	No propulsion or control
Voy a aterrizar de emergencia	I’m making an emergency landing	Aviation intent
No puedo mantener altitud	I can’t maintain altitude	Aviation performance loss

How To Work With Rescuers After The Call

Once someone answers, your job shifts from “raise alarm” to “stay easy to find.” Keep your radio on, keep replies short, and repeat your position if you drift. If you must switch channels, repeat the new channel number twice.

Useful Spanish replies are simple: “Recibido” (received), “Repito” (I repeat), “No tengo más datos” (no more details), “Estoy cambiando a…” (I’m switching to…). If your battery is low, say it. A rescue unit may ask you to transmit briefly every few minutes so they can home in on your signal.

A Checklist To Keep Near The Radio

This is short enough to read in panic and complete enough to get rescuers moving.

1. Say MAYDAY three times.
2. Say who you are: name, call sign, registration.
3. Say your position twice.
4. Say what’s wrong in one line.
5. Say people on board and injuries.
6. Say what help you need and what you’ll do next.
7. Keep listening. Answer questions. Update position if you drift.

Once an alert is sent, there are also set procedures for how ships respond to digital distress alerts in the GMDSS system. The International Maritime Organization publishes that flow in IMO circular MSC.1/Circ.1657 on responding to DSC distress alerts.

Practice once when you’re calm. Read the script out loud. Your mouth learns the shapes of the words. When stress hits, that muscle memory buys you time.