German · Elementary (A2) · Chapter 3 of 12
At the doctor's
Beim Arzt
Say what hurts and since when at a German doctor's, use mir, dir and Ihnen, and understand simple advice like Sie sollten …
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Say what hurts and how you feel
- Say how long you've had a problem with seit
- Use the dative pronouns mir, dir, Ihnen
- Understand advice with müssen, dürfen and sollen
Listen
Thomas Becker has a cold and sees his GP, Dr Hoffmann, in Mainz. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Doctor
Guten Tag, Herr Becker. Was kann ich für Sie tun?
Hello, Mr Becker. What can I do for you?
Thomas
Mir geht es nicht gut. Ich habe Halsschmerzen und Husten.
I'm not well. I have a sore throat and a cough.
Doctor
Seit wann haben Sie die Halsschmerzen?
How long have you had the sore throat?
Thomas
Seit drei Tagen. Und heute tut mir auch der Kopf weh.
For three days. And today my head hurts too.
Doctor
Haben Sie Fieber?
Do you have a temperature?
Thomas
Ja, ein bisschen. 38 Grad.
Yes, a little. 38 degrees.
Doctor
Machen Sie bitte den Mund auf. Ja, der Hals ist sehr rot. Das ist eine Erkältung.
Please open your mouth. Yes, your throat is very red. It's a cold.
Thomas
Muss ich Tabletten nehmen?
Do I have to take tablets?
Doctor
Nein, die brauchen Sie nicht. Aber Sie sollten viel Tee trinken und zu Hause bleiben.
No, you don't need them. But you should drink a lot of tea and stay at home.
Thomas
Darf ich morgen wieder arbeiten?
Can I go back to work tomorrow?
Doctor
Nein, bitte bleiben Sie bis Freitag zu Hause. Ich schreibe Sie krank. Gute Besserung!
No, please stay at home until Friday. I'll give you a sick note. Get well soon.
Thomas
Vielen Dank. Auf Wiedersehen!
Thank you very much. Goodbye.
Understand
What hurts? Mir tut … weh
means “my head hurts”, literally “the head hurts to me”. The body part is the subject, and the person is in the dative: is the dative of . With a plural, the verb is plural too:
The other dative forms are (), (, ), (), (), (), (, they) and (). You also use them in and For some body parts you can say …schmerzen: , , , .
| German | English | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| head | ||
| throat, neck | ||
| mouth | ||
| stomach, belly | ||
| back | ||
| arm | ||
| leg | ||
| foot | ||
| eye | ||
| ear |
- Mir tut der Rücken weh.My back hurts.
- Tut dir der Bauch weh?Does your stomach hurt?
- Wie geht es Ihnen? – Danke, gut.How are you? – Fine, thanks.
Since when? seit + present tense
For something that started in the past and is still going on, German uses (since, for) with the present tense. English uses “have been” or “have had”: = I've had a cough for three days.
takes the dative, like and : , , (plural nouns add -n). To ask, say …?
- Seit wann haben Sie Fieber?How long have you had a temperature?
- Seit gestern.Since yesterday.
- Ich wohne seit einem Jahr in Mainz.I've been living in Mainz for a year.
müssen, dürfen, sollen: must, may, should
You know the modal verbs , and . Two more work the same way, with the second verb at the end: (may, to be allowed to) and (should, to be supposed to): Doctors often give advice with the softer form … (you should …):
Careful with “not”: means “not have to”, but means “must not”. is “you don't have to take tablets”; is “you mustn't work”.
Instructions start with the verb, as you know from : At the pharmacy () you can ask (Do you have something for a headache?).
| Person | (must) | (may) | (should) |
|---|---|---|---|
| / / | |||
| / |
- Sie sollten zu Hause bleiben.You should stay at home.
- Mit Fieber dürfen Sie nicht arbeiten.With a temperature you mustn't work.
- Nehmen Sie eine Tablette nach dem Essen.Take one tablet after meals.
More in the grammar: Modal verbs: können, müssen, wollen … · Personal pronouns: ich, du, Sie … · The present tense · The dative case · The imperative: Geh! Geht! Gehen Sie!
New words
- Was kann ich für Sie tun?What can I do for you? · = to do
- Mir geht es nicht gut.I'm not well. · = I'm fine.
- die Halsschmerzensore throat · plural; = throat, neck; = pain
- der Hustencough · masculine, no plural
- wehtunto hurt · separable: = My head hurts.
- das Fieberfever, (high) temperature · neuter, no plural; = 38 degrees
- ein bisschena little, a bit
- aufmachento open · separable:
- die Erkältungcold (illness) · feminine, plural:
- die Tablettetablet, pill · feminine, plural:
- zu Hauseat home
- dürfenmay, to be allowed to · , , ; = must not
- krankschreibento give someone a sick note · separable: ; = ill
- Gute Besserung!Get well soon.
Practise
1.Your head hurts. What do you say?
2.Complete the polite question with the dative pronoun.
How are you? (polite)
3.Write or .
I've had a cough for a week.
4.Complete with the right form of .
You mustn't play football with a temperature.
5.Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.My back hurts.
6.Match the parts of the body.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
Mir geht es nicht gut.
I'm not well.
Listen, then say it out loud, as close to the recording as you can.
Check
Five questions on this chapter. Then mark it as finished to add its words to your review deck.
0 of 5 answered.