Italian · Elementary (A2) · Chapter 3 of 12
At the doctor's
Dal medico
Tell an Italian doctor what hurts and since when, understand simple advice with deve, and name the parts of the body.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Say what hurts and how you feel
- Say how long you've been ill
- Understand the doctor's advice
- Ask for something at the pharmacy
Listen
Martina Bianchi isn't well. She goes to see her doctor, Dottor Russo, in Trieste. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Dottor Russo
Buongiorno, signora Bianchi. Si accomodi. Mi dica.
Good morning, Ms Bianchi. Please take a seat. What seems to be the problem?
Martina
Buongiorno, dottore. Non mi sento bene. Ho mal di testa e mi fa male la gola.
Good morning, doctor. I don't feel well. I have a headache and my throat hurts.
Dottor Russo
Da quando?
Since when?
Martina
Da tre giorni. E ieri sera ho avuto la febbre a trentotto.
For three days. And last night I had a temperature of thirty-eight.
Dottor Russo
Ha anche la tosse?
Do you have a cough too?
Martina
Sì, un po'.
Yes, a bit.
Dottor Russo
Allora, ha l'influenza. Deve stare a casa tre o quattro giorni e bere molta acqua.
Right, you've got flu. You need to stay at home for three or four days and drink lots of water.
Martina
Devo prendere delle medicine?
Do I need to take any medicine?
Dottor Russo
Sì, uno sciroppo per la tosse, tre volte al giorno.
Yes, a cough syrup, three times a day.
Martina
Posso andare al lavoro lunedì?
Can I go to work on Monday?
Dottor Russo
Se la febbre passa, sì.
If the fever goes, yes.
Martina
Va bene. Grazie, dottore.
All right. Thank you, doctor.
Understand
Saying what hurts
The easiest way is + the body part, with no article: (I have a headache), (I have a sore throat), (I have toothache).
You can also say + the body part with its article. It works like : use for one thing and for more than one. The doctor asks (Where does it hurt?).
| Body part | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| head | ||
| throat | ||
| stomach | ||
| back | ||
| tooth, teeth | ||
| arm, arms | ||
| leg | ||
| hand, hands | ||
| foot |
Since when? Da + the present
To say how long something has been going on, Italian uses the present tense with : means “I've had a cough for three days”. English uses “have had” here, but Italian doesn't.
also means “since” with a day or time: , . To ask, say (Since when?) or (For how long?).
- Ho mal di testa da ieri.I've had a headache since yesterday.
- Da quanto tempo ha la febbre?How long have you had a temperature?
- Non mi sento bene da una settimana.I haven't felt well for a week.
Advice with dovere
You know (must, to have to) from A1. Doctors use it for advice, often in the form: (You need to stay at home). With , it means “mustn't”: (You mustn't work).
At the pharmacy, ask with : (I'd like something for a cough).
| Person | |
|---|---|
| / / | |
More in the grammar: Present tense: regular verbs · If-clauses: se + present, se + congiuntivo imperfetto
New words
- Si accomodi.Please take a seat. / Please come in. · polite
- il dottore / la dottoressadoctor · also: ; before a name:
- Non mi sento bene.I don't feel well. · from (to feel)
- il mal di testaheadache · masculine; = I have a headache
- Mi fa male…My… hurts. · with more than one thing: …
- Da quando?Since when?
- la febbrefever, temperature · feminine; = I have a temperature
- la tossecough · feminine
- l'influenzaflu · feminine
- bereto drink · irregular: …
- la medicinamedicine · feminine
- lo sciropposyrup (medicine) · masculine
- tre volte al giornothree times a day · = time (occasion)
- seif · = if the fever goes away
Practise
1.Your head hurts. What do you say?
2.Complete with or .
My feet hurt.
3.Say you've had a cough for three days.
I've had a cough for three days.
4.Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.Do I need to take any medicine?
5.The doctor tells Martina (Lei) that she must stay at home. Complete: “___ stare a casa.”
6.Match the Italian with the English.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
Non mi sento bene.
I don't feel 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.