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Seeking medical help abroad is a common thing today. Unfortunately, language difficulties can directly affect your health. Therefore, we recommend that you thoroughly prepare for the visit, and learn a few phrases in advance for a dialogue with the doctor in English.
Doctor's appointment in English
The most common question is “How do you feel?” - you can hear from the doctor in these variations:
- How do you feel (today)?
- How are you feeling?
- Is everything okay?
This question can be answered in different ways:
- I'm fine. - I'm fine.
- I feel sick. - I am sick.
- Not so good. - Not very good.
- Not very well. - Not very good.
- I don't feel well. - I feel bad.
- I'm sick. - I am sick.
Hearing the answer about your poor health, the doctor will most likely ask about the reason for your ailment:
- What's the matter?
- What's wrong?
- What seems to be the problem?
Symptoms and well-being in English. We explain to the doctor
To explain to the doctor the reason for your poor health, you will have to use the following constructions:
- I have ... (+ health condition) – У меня…
- I've got ... (+ health condition) – У меня…
- I have a headache - I have a headache
- I've got a sore throat. - I have a sore throat
What symptoms/discomfort/feelings/pain do you experience? In other words, what to put after have / have got? Try to describe them in the following words.
Table 1. Diseases in English
| Symptom/Pain | Transcription | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| asthma | | Writing | | asthma |
| a backache | | ˈBækeɪk | | backache |
| a broken leg | | ˈBroʊken leɡ | | leg is broken |
| a cold | | koʊld | | the common cold |
| a cough | | kɔːf | | cough |
| an earache | | ˈꞮreɪk | | earache |
| a fever | | ˈFiː and | | fever |
| the flu | |fluː| | the common cold |
| a headache | | ˈHɛdeɪk | | headache |
| heartburn | | ˈHɑːtbəːn | | heartburn |
| (the) measles | | ˈMiːz (ə) lz | | measles |
| a rash | | ræʃ | | rash |
| a sore throat | | sɔː θरʊt | | sore throat |
| a stomachache (US), stomach ache (Brit) | | ˈStʌmək ˌeɪk | | sick stomach |
| sunburn | | Ʌsʌnbəːn | | sunburn |
| a toothache | |ˈtuːθeɪk| | toothache |
For a more accurate diagnosis, you need to describe your condition in more detail. This will require more advanced phrases from you.
Table 2. Phrases for a dialogue with a doctor in English
| Expression in English | Translation into Russian |
|---|---|
| I have an upset stomach. | I have an upset stomach. |
| I have a wheezing cough. | I have a dry cough. |
| I have a rash on my neck. | I have a rash on my neck. |
| I'm having chest pains. | I have chest pains. |
| I'm having trouble sleeping. | I have sleep problems. |
| I've been having excruciating sinus headaches for the last few days. | For the last few days I have had a pressing headache in the bridge of my nose. |
| I'm short of breath. | I'm suffocating. |
| My muscles are sore. | I am weakened. |
| I get this sharp pain in my shoulder whenever I raise my arm. | I have shooting pains in my shoulder when I raise my arm. |
| I sometimes get dull, throbbing headaches. | I have constant throbbing headaches. |
| I feel lightheaded. | I'm dizzy. |
| I feel kind of nauseous. | I'm sick. |
| I'm feeling under the weather. | Makes me sick. |
| My ankle is red and swollen. | My ankle is red and swollen. |
| It hurts when I apply pressure to it. | She/he is in pain when exercising. |
| My stomach hurts. | I have a stomach ache. |
| My nose is stuffy. | I have a stuffy nose. |
| I'm running a fever of … degrees. | My temperature is … degrees. |
| I've been vomiting for the last 12 hours. | I've been vomiting for the last 12 hours. |
| I've been waking up in the middle of the night every night. | Every night I wake up in the middle of the night. |
| I suffered a neck injury in a motorcycle accident last year. | Last year I injured my neck in a motorcycle accident. |
| I never fully recovered from the accident. | I never recovered from the accident. |
| My allergies are killing me! | My allergies got me! |
| My arthritis is acting up. | My arthritis got worse. |
