← Portuguese from zero to A1
A1
Lesson 4. No médico e na farmácia: what hurts and what to ask at the pharmacy
I can make a doctor's appointment, say what hurts and since when, mention a fever and a cough, understand the doctor's questions, and ask at the pharmacy for something for what's bothering me.
No médico e na farmácia
No médico e na farmácia
Three steps: make an appointment, tell the doctor what hurts, buy medicine at the pharmacy. Speak to the doctor formally: a senhora doutora, o senhor doutor.
What hurts is a set phrase: one thing, “Dói-me…”; several, “Doem-me…”: the verb agrees with the body part. -me goes after the verb, with a hyphen.
Use the article with body parts, not “my”: Dói-me a cabeça (“my head hurts”). Say cabeça, garganta, joelho always with o or a.
States: ter with no article (unlike English “a fever”): “Tenho febre”, “Tenho tosse”, “Tenho dores de garganta”. Or estar: “Estou doente”, “Estou constipado”, meaning “I have a cold”, not “I'm constipated” (“I'm cold” is “Tenho frio”).
The doctor asks: “O que é que tem?” and “Desde quando?” Answer: “Desde ontem” or “Desde sexta-feira”. And to reassure you: “Não é nada de grave.”
Pharmacies sell a lot without a prescription: “Tem alguma coisa para a tosse?” For a cough you get o xarope; for a fever, o comprimido.
To make an appointment: “Queria marcar uma consulta, se faz favor.”
O ouvido is the inner ear, the one you hear with: it hurts inside. A orelha is the outer ear, which gets cold in the wind.
Common mistakes:
• NOT “Dói-me a minha cabeça” → “Dói-me a cabeça.”: no “my”.
• NOT “Dói-me as mãos” → “Doem-me as mãos.”: plural verb.
• NOT “Eu sou doente” → “Estou doente.”
• NOT “Tenho uma febre” → “Tenho febre.”
One thing hurts — several things hurt
Body parts take the article, not “my”: a mão, not a minha mão.
| How many | How to say it | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| one place | Dói-me a mão. | My hand hurts. |
| several places | Doem-me as mãos. | Both my hands hurt. |
What to ask for at the pharmacy
A lot is sold without a prescription in a Portuguese pharmacy.
| For what | What they give you | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| cough | o xarope | Tem alguma coisa para a tosse? |
| fever | o comprimido | Tem alguma coisa para a febre? |
| doctor's appointment | a consulta | Queria marcar uma consulta, se faz favor. |
Lesson notes
No médico e na farmácia
Three steps: make an appointment, tell the doctor what hurts, buy medicine at the pharmacy. Speak to the doctor formally: a senhora doutora, o senhor doutor.
What hurts is a set phrase: one thing, “Dói-me…”; several, “Doem-me…”: the verb agrees with the body part. -me goes after the verb, with a hyphen.
Use the article with body parts, not “my”: Dói-me a cabeça (“my head hurts”). Say cabeça, garganta, joelho always with o or a.
States: ter with no article (unlike English “a fever”): “Tenho febre”, “Tenho tosse”, “Tenho dores de garganta”. Or estar: “Estou doente”, “Estou constipado”, meaning “I have a cold”, not “I'm constipated” (“I'm cold” is “Tenho frio”).
The doctor asks: “O que é que tem?” and “Desde quando?” Answer: “Desde ontem” or “Desde sexta-feira”. And to reassure you: “Não é nada de grave.”
Pharmacies sell a lot without a prescription: “Tem alguma coisa para a tosse?” For a cough you get o xarope; for a fever, o comprimido.
To make an appointment: “Queria marcar uma consulta, se faz favor.”
O ouvido is the inner ear, the one you hear with: it hurts inside. A orelha is the outer ear, which gets cold in the wind.
Common mistakes:
• NOT “Dói-me a minha cabeça” → “Dói-me a cabeça.”: no “my”.
• NOT “Dói-me as mãos” → “Doem-me as mãos.”: plural verb.
• NOT “Eu sou doente” → “Estou doente.”
• NOT “Tenho uma febre” → “Tenho febre.”