Portuguese · Elementary (A2) · Chapter 3 of 12
At the doctor's
No médico
Tell a Brazilian doctor what's wrong and since when, say what hurts with dói and doem, and understand simple advice.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Say what's wrong with estar com: estou com febre, com dor de garganta
- Say what hurts with dói and doem
- Say since when or for how long with desde and há
- Understand advice with tem que, deve and é melhor
Listen
Seu Walter, in his sixties, sees Dra. Luana at a public health clinic (posto de saúde) in Goiânia. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Dra. Luana
Bom dia, seu Walter. O que o senhor está sentindo?
Good morning, Seu Walter. What seems to be the problem?
Walter
Bom dia, doutora. Estou com dor de garganta e com febre.
Good morning, doctor. I've got a sore throat and a temperature.
Dra. Luana
Desde quando o senhor está com febre?
Since when have you had a temperature?
Walter
Desde sábado. Estou com febre há três dias. E hoje também estou com tosse.
Since Saturday. I've had a temperature for three days. And today I've got a cough too.
Dra. Luana
O senhor tomou algum remédio?
Have you taken any medicine?
Walter
Tomei um remédio para febre ontem à noite, mas hoje de manhã a febre voltou.
I took something for the fever last night, but this morning the fever came back.
Dra. Luana
Hum… É, a garganta está muito vermelha. Dói quando o senhor come?
Hmm… Yes, your throat is very red. Does it hurt when you eat?
Walter
Dói, sim. E as costas estão doendo um pouco.
Yes, it does. And my back hurts a bit.
Dra. Luana
Não é grave, é uma infecção de garganta. Aqui está a receita. O senhor tem que tomar o antibiótico três vezes por dia, por sete dias.
It's not serious, it's a throat infection. Here's the prescription. You have to take the antibiotic three times a day for seven days.
Walter
Posso trabalhar amanhã?
Can I work tomorrow?
Dra. Luana
É melhor descansar dois ou três dias. E o senhor deve tomar muita água.
It's better to rest for two or three days. And you should drink plenty of water.
Walter
Tá bom. Muito obrigado, doutora.
All right. Thank you very much, doctor.
Understand
Estou com febre: saying what's wrong
To say what's wrong, use + a noun: (I've got a temperature), (I've got a cough). For pain, say + the part of the body: (I've got a headache), (I've got a sore throat). For the back, say (backache).
To say that something hurts, use for one thing and for more than one: (It hurts here), (My feet hurt). You'll also hear (is hurting): (back) is always plural.
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
| head | |
| throat | |
| stomach, belly | |
| back | |
| arm | |
| leg | |
| foot |
Since when? For how long?
+ a point in time means “since”: , . or + a length of time means “for”: (for three days).
Portuguese uses the present here, where English says “have had” or “have been”: (I've had a temperature for three days). With the preterite, means “ago”, as in chapter 1: (I went to the doctor three days ago).
- Estou com tosse desde ontem.I've had a cough since yesterday.
- Estou com dor nas costas faz uma semana.I've had backache for a week.
Advice: tem que, precisa, deve, é melhor
Doctors and pharmacists give advice with these phrases + an infinitive. (has to) is the strongest: means “needs to”: (should) and (it's better to) sound like a recommendation:
At the pharmacy, ask Você tem alguma coisa para…? (Do you have something for…?) with the problem: , , .
More in the grammar: Ter and haver: have, there is, ago
New words
- o que o senhor está sentindo?what seems to be the problem? (polite) · literally “what are you feeling?”; to a friend:
- estar com dor de…to have a …ache, to have a sore… · : pain; : I've got a headache
- a gargantathroat · feminine
- a febretemperature, fever · feminine; : to have a temperature
- desdesince
- a tossecough · feminine;
- o remédiomedicine · masculine; : to take a medicine
- dói / doemhurts / hurt · : is hurting
- as costasback (of the body) · feminine, always plural
- graveserious
- a receitaprescription · feminine; also means “recipe”
- ter queto have to · : you have to take
- descansarto rest
- é melhor…it's better to… · + infinitive: = it's better to rest for two or three days ( = or)
Practise
1.How do you say “I've got a temperature”?
2.Your feet hurt. Complete the sentence.
My feet hurt.
3.Complete: “I've had a cough for two days.”
I've had a cough for two days.
4.Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.It's better to rest for two or three days.
5.Match the parts of the body.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
6.At the pharmacy, you want something for a headache. What do you say?
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
Estou com dor de garganta e com febre.
I've got a sore throat and a temperature.
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.