I can go in to see the doctor, say what hurts and for how many days, understand the doctor's instructions, buy medicine and ask how to take it, and wish a sick person a quick recovery.
At the doctor's and at the pharmacy
At the doctor's and at the pharmacy
You see a doctor by appointment: randevu. Enter the office with Girebilir miyim? The doctor asks: Neyiniz var? Answer as in the lesson on the body: Boğazım ağrıyor “My throat hurts” — “my” is the ending. A fever is ateş: Ateşim var “I have a fever”. How long: Kaç günden beri? — İki günden beri “for two days”. Learn the answer as a whole and change only the number.
The doctor speaks briefly, with siz: Ağzınızı açın. What not to do takes -ma / -me: Sigara içmeyin. English “take medicine” is ilaç içmek in Turkish, literally “drink”.
At the pharmacy, ask with the familiar Sizde … var mı? A prescription is reçete (not a recipe); without one, reçetesiz. How to take it: Nasıl kullanacağım? — Günde üç tane, yemekten önce. Günde — “a day”, yemekten önce — “before meals”, yemekten sonra — “after meals”.
At night and on weekends the on-duty pharmacy is open: nöbetçi eczane; its address is posted on the door of every closed pharmacy. The sign Acil at a hospital is the emergency entrance. To someone sick, or after any trouble, say Geçmiş olsun; the reply is Teşekkür ederim or Sağ olun.
Common mistakes:
• NOT “Benim baş ağrıyor” → Başım ağrıyor
• NOT “İlaç yiyorum” → İlaç içiyorum
• NOT “İki gün beri” → İki günden beri (English “for two days”: beri takes -dan)
Complaints and medicines
Words you'll meet at the doctor's office and at the pharmacy.
| In Turkish | In English |
|---|---|
| ateş | fever |
| grip | flu |
| nezle | runny nose |
| öksürük | cough |
| ilaç | medicine |
| hap | pill |
| ağrı kesici | painkiller |
| reçete | prescription |
Lesson notes
At the doctor's and at the pharmacy
You see a doctor by appointment: randevu. Enter the office with Girebilir miyim? The doctor asks: Neyiniz var? Answer as in the lesson on the body: Boğazım ağrıyor “My throat hurts” — “my” is the ending. A fever is ateş: Ateşim var “I have a fever”. How long: Kaç günden beri? — İki günden beri “for two days”. Learn the answer as a whole and change only the number.
The doctor speaks briefly, with siz: Ağzınızı açın. What not to do takes -ma / -me: Sigara içmeyin. English “take medicine” is ilaç içmek in Turkish, literally “drink”.
At the pharmacy, ask with the familiar Sizde … var mı? A prescription is reçete (not a recipe); without one, reçetesiz. How to take it: Nasıl kullanacağım? — Günde üç tane, yemekten önce. Günde — “a day”, yemekten önce — “before meals”, yemekten sonra — “after meals”.
At night and on weekends the on-duty pharmacy is open: nöbetçi eczane; its address is posted on the door of every closed pharmacy. The sign Acil at a hospital is the emergency entrance. To someone sick, or after any trouble, say Geçmiş olsun; the reply is Teşekkür ederim or Sağ olun.
Common mistakes:
• NOT “Benim baş ağrıyor” → Başım ağrıyor
• NOT “İlaç yiyorum” → İlaç içiyorum
• NOT “İki gün beri” → İki günden beri (English “for two days”: beri takes -dan)