Japanese · Elementary (A2) · Chapter 3 of 12
At the doctor's
病院でByōin de
Tell a doctor in Japanese what hurts and since when, and understand advice: the ない-form, ～ないでください and ～たほうがいいです.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Say what hurts and since when
- Make the ない-form and understand ～ないでください (-naide kudasai)
- Understand advice with ～たほうがいいです (-ta hō ga ii desu)
- Understand how to take medicine
Listen
Mizuno Kaori sees Dr Hashimoto at a small clinic in Sendai. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Dr Hashimoto
どうしましたか？
Dō shimashita ka?
What seems to be the problem?
Mizuno
頭とのどが痛いです。
Atama to nodo ga itai desu.
I have a headache and a sore throat.
Dr Hashimoto
いつからですか？
Itsu kara desu ka?
Since when?
Mizuno
昨日からです。熱も少しあります。
Kinō kara desu. Netsu mo sukoshi arimasu.
Since yesterday. I have a slight fever too.
Dr Hashimoto
咳は出ますか？お腹はどうですか？
Seki wa demasu ka? Onaka wa dō desu ka?
Do you have a cough? How's your stomach?
Mizuno
咳は少し出ますが、お腹は痛くないです。
Seki wa sukoshi demasu ga, onaka wa itakunai desu.
I have a bit of a cough, but my stomach doesn't hurt.
Dr Hashimoto
風邪ですね。この薬を一日三回、食後に飲んでください。
Kaze desu ne. Kono kusuri o ichinichi sankai, shokugo ni nonde kudasai.
It's a cold. Take this medicine three times a day, after meals.
Mizuno
明日、会社に行ってもいいですか？
Ashita, kaisha ni itte mo ii desu ka?
May I go to work tomorrow?
Dr Hashimoto
いいえ、二、三日休んだほうがいいです。
Iie, ni-sannichi yasunda hō ga ii desu.
No, you should rest for two or three days.
Mizuno
わかりました。お風呂は大丈夫ですか？
Wakarimashita. Ofuro wa daijōbu desu ka?
I see. Is it all right to take a bath?
Dr Hashimoto
今日は入らないほうがいいです。お酒も飲まないでください。お大事に。
Kyō wa hairanai hō ga ii desu. Osake mo nomanaide kudasai. Odaiji ni.
Better not today. And please don't drink alcohol. Take care.
Mizuno
はい。ありがとうございました。
Hai. Arigatō gozaimashita.
All right. Thank you very much.
Understand
Where it hurts: ～が痛いです
(itai) is an い-adjective meaning “painful”. Put the body part + (ga) before it: (atama ga itai desu), I have a headache, literally “my head is painful”. For a fever, say (netsu ga arimasu); for a cough, (seki ga demasu), literally “a cough comes out”.
The doctor asks (itsu kara desu ka), since when? Answer with (kara): (kinō kara desu), since yesterday; (mikka mae kara desu), since three days ago. Japanese keeps the verb or adjective in the present here, where English says “I've had…”.
| Japanese | Meaning | Japanese | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| (atama) | head | (me) | eye |
| (nodo) | throat | (mimi) | ear |
| (onaka) | stomach | (ha) | tooth |
| (senaka) | back | (koshi) | lower back |
| (te) | hand | (ashi) | foot, leg |
Don't: the ない-form and ～ないでください
The ない-form is the plain “don't” form of a verb. Ru-verbs swap -ru for -nai: (taberu) → (tabenai). U-verbs change their last sound from -u to -a and add -nai: (nomu) → (nomanai). Verbs ending in -u alone take -wanai: (kau) → (kawanai). The irregular verbs: (shinai), (konai).
Add (de kudasai) and you have “please don't”: (nomanaide kudasai), please don't drink it. The doctor says (osake mo nomanaide kudasai): (osake) is alcohol in general as well as Japanese sake, and you “drink” medicine too, so (kusuri o nomimasu) is “I take medicine”.
| Dictionary form | ない-form | Please don't… |
|---|---|---|
| (taberu), eat | (tabenai) | (tabenaide kudasai) |
| (nomu), drink | (nomanai) | (nomanaide kudasai) |
| (hairu), go in | (hairanai) | (hairanaide kudasai) |
| (iku), go | (ikanai) | (ikanaide kudasai) |
| (suru), do | (shinai) | (shinaide kudasai) |
| (kuru), come | (konai) | (konaide kudasai) |
Advice: ～たほうがいいです
The た-form is the te-form with -a instead of -e: (yasunde) → (yasunda), (itte) → (itta). It is the plain past (chapter 4), but it is also used for advice: た-form + (hō ga ii desu), “you'd better, you should”.
For “you'd better not”, use the ない-form instead: (hairanai hō ga ii desu). Medicine instructions use (ichinichi sankai), three times a day, and (shokugo ni), after meals.
- 二、三日休んだほうがいいです。Ni-sannichi yasunda hō ga ii desu.You should rest for two or three days.
- 今日はお風呂に入らないほうがいいです。Kyō wa ofuro ni hairanai hō ga ii desu.You'd better not take a bath today.
- 今日は十時に寝たほうがいいです。Kyō wa jūji ni neta hō ga ii desu.You should go to bed at ten tonight.
- この薬を一日二回、食後に飲んでください。Kono kusuri o ichinichi nikai, shokugo ni nonde kudasai.Take this medicine twice a day, after meals.
More in the grammar: Advice and obligation · Requests and permission
New words
- どうしましたか？Dō shimashita ka?What's the matter? · what doctors and nurses ask first
- 頭atamahead · あたま
- のどnodothroat
- 痛いitaipainful, sore · いたい; い-adjective
- 熱netsufever, temperature · ねつ; (netsu ga arimasu), I have a fever
- 咳sekicough · せき; (seki ga demasu), I have a cough
- お腹onakastomach, tummy · おなか
- 風邪kazea cold · かぜ
- 薬kusurimedicine · くすり; you “drink” medicine: (kusuri o nomimasu)
- 一日～回ichinichi … kai… times a day · いちにち～かい; (ichinichi sankai), three times a day
- 食後shokugoafter meals · しょくご; (shokuzen), before meals
- 休むyasumuto rest; to take time off · やすむ; u-verb: (yasumimasu), (yasunde)
- お風呂ofurobath · おふろ; (ofuro ni hairu), to take a bath
- お大事にodaiji nitake care (to someone who is ill) · おだいじに
Practise
1.Your stomach hurts. What do you tell the doctor?
2.What is the ない-form of (kau), to buy?
3.Put the words in order: say you've had a headache since yesterday.
Tap the words below in the right order.I've had a headache since yesterday.
4.Match the Japanese with the English.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
5.The doctor tells you not to drink alcohol. What does the doctor say?
6.Put the words in order: the doctor says you should rest.
Tap the words below in the right order.You should rest for two or three days.
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
昨日から頭が痛いです。
Kinō kara atama ga itai desu.
I've had a headache since yesterday.
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.