BicaUnit 13 of 16A25 lessons · 37 words
Health and the doctor in European Portuguese
Saúde
Say what hurts, describe your symptoms and get help at the pharmacy, the health centre and the hospital. This is an A2 unit of the Bica course, in the Portuguese spoken in Portugal: below are all its words, example sentences you can listen to, and the grammar notes.
Words and phrases
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
a cabeça | head |
a mão | handFeminine, unlike o pão or o cão. Plural: as mãos. |
o pé | footPlural: os pés. A pé = on foot. |
a perna | leg |
o braço | arm |
os olhos | eyesOne eye is o olho. |
a boca | mouth |
o corpo | body |
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
dói-me | it hurtsLiterally "it hurts me": Dói-me a cabeça. = My head hurts. |
doem-me | they hurtFor plural body parts: Doem-me os pés. = My feet hurt. |
a dor | painEu tenho dores de cabeça. = I have a headache. The plural dores is very common. |
a barriga | tummyDói-me a barriga. = I have a stomach ache. |
a garganta | throat |
as costas | backAlways plural: Doem-me as costas. = My back hurts. |
os dentes | teethOne tooth is o dente. |
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
estar constipadoalso estar constipada | to have a coldIt does not mean "constipated"! Estou constipada. = I have a cold. |
sentir-se | to feelEu sinto-me bem. = I feel fine. Como te sentes? = How do you feel? |
doente | illThe same for men and women: Estou doente. |
a febre | feverEu tenho febre. = I have a temperature. No article. |
a tosse | coughEu tenho tosse. = I have a cough. |
a gripe | flu |
cansadoalso cansada | tired |
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
o medicamento | medicine |
a receita | prescriptionAlso a recipe for cooking. From the doctor: a receita médica. |
o comprimido | pill |
o xarope | syrup |
o penso | plasterAlso called o penso rápido. |
o farmacêuticoalso a farmacêutica | pharmacist |
vezes por diaalso vezes ao dia | times a dayDuas vezes por dia = twice a day. |
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
o centro de saúde | health centreYour local public clinic, part of the national health service (SNS). |
a consulta | appointment |
marcar uma consulta | to make an appointment |
o médico de famíliaalso a médica de família | family doctor |
o número de utente | patient numberYour number in the national health service. You get it at the centro de saúde. |
as urgências | emergency roomAlways plural: ir às urgências = to go to the emergency room. |
o hospital | hospital |
a enfermeiraalso o enfermeiro | nurse |
Example sentences
- A Inês tem olhos verdes.Inês has green eyes.
- Eu lavo as mãos antes de comer.I wash my hands before eating.With body parts, Portuguese says as mãos ("the hands"), not "my hands".
- Abra a boca, se faz favor.Doctor: Open your mouth, please.A doctor usually adds extra respect: Abra a boca. To a friend or a child: Abre a boca.
- Dói-me a cabeça.My head hurts.Literally "the head hurts me". The pronoun me goes after the verb.
- Doem-me as costas.My back hurts.As costas is plural, so the verb is plural too: doem-me.
- Eu tenho dores de garganta.I have a sore throat.
- Eu estou constipada.I have a cold.Constipado means "having a cold". Women say constipada.
- Eu sinto-me mal.I feel unwell.The pronoun goes after the verb, even after eu: Eu sinto-me mal.
- Tu tens febre?Do you have a temperature?No article: ter febre, ter tosse.
- Eu queria um xarope para a tosse, se faz favor.I'd like a cough syrup, please.Xarope para a tosse = cough syrup.
- Este medicamento precisa de receita?Does this medicine need a prescription?Precisar de = to need.
- Tome um comprimido três vezes por dia.Pharmacist: Take one pill three times a day.A pharmacist usually adds extra respect: Tome (from tomar). To a friend: Toma.
- Eu queria marcar uma consulta.I'd like to make an appointment.Queria + infinitive is the polite way to ask for something.
- Eu ainda não tenho número de utente.I don't have a patient number yet.Ainda não = not yet. You get your número de utente at the centro de saúde.
- Doutor, dói-me aqui.Doctor, it hurts here.Patients often address doctors as senhor doutor or senhora doutora.
Every lesson page has all of its sentences: The body · What hurts? · Feeling ill · At the pharmacy · At the doctor's
Unit notes
Dói-me: saying what hurts
To say that something hurts, Portuguese turns the sentence around: the body part is the subject and you are the object. Dói-me a cabeça is literally "the head hurts me". The pronoun me goes after the verb, with a hyphen.
With a plural body part, the verb is plural too: dói-me o pé, but doem-me os pés. For other people, change the pronoun: Dói-te a garganta? (to a friend), Dói-lhe a barriga? (with extra respect).
After não, já and question words, the pronoun moves in front of the verb: Já não me dói. Onde é que te dói?
- Dói-me a cabeça.My head hurts.
- Doem-me as costas.My back hurts.
- Onde é que lhe dói?Where does it hurt? (with extra respect)
Estou constipado: a cold, not constipation
Estar constipado (or constipada) means "to have a cold". It is a classic false friend for English speakers. A cold is uma constipação.
For other illnesses, use ter or estar com, with no article: Eu tenho febre. Eu estou com tosse. Ela está com gripe.
For aches and pains, people often say dores, in the plural: Eu tenho dores de cabeça. Eu estou com dores nas costas.
- Eu estou constipada.I have a cold.
- Eu tenho tosse e febre.I have a cough and a temperature.
- Eu tenho dores de garganta.I have a sore throat.
The hand, not my hand
With body parts, Portuguese normally uses o, a, os, as instead of "my" or "his", because it is clear whose body it is: Eu lavo as mãos. ("I wash my hands.") Ele partiu o braço. ("He broke his arm.")
Watch the gender of a mão: it is feminine, unlike o pão or o cão. The plurals are as mãos, os pés, os olhos and os dentes. As costas (the back) is always plural.
- Eu lavo as mãos antes de comer.I wash my hands before eating.
- O Tiago partiu o braço.Tiago broke his arm.
Sinto-me bem: how do you feel?
Sentir-se (to feel) comes with a pronoun, like levantar-se: sinto-me, sentes-te, sente-se, sentimo-nos, sentem-se. Notice the i in sinto.
The pronoun goes after the verb, even after eu: Eu sinto-me mal. It moves in front after não, já and question words: Não me sinto bem. Já me sinto melhor. Como te sentes?
- Eu sinto-me mal.I feel unwell.
- Eu já me sinto melhor.I feel better now.
- Como se sente?How do you feel? (with extra respect)
Health care in Portugal
Everyone registered with the national health service (SNS) gets a número de utente. Your first stop is the local centro de saúde, where you can have a médico de família (family doctor) and marcar uma consulta (make an appointment).
In an emergency, go to as urgências of a hospital or call 112. For medical advice by phone, call SNS 24 on 808 24 24 24.
Prescriptions (receitas) usually arrive on your phone by text message. At night and at weekends, look for the farmácia de serviço, the duty pharmacy listed on every pharmacy door.
To say what someone has to do, use ter de + infinitive: Eu tenho de ir ao centro de saúde. Tem de tomar o xarope à noite. You will also hear ter que, with the same meaning.
- Eu queria marcar uma consulta.I'd like to make an appointment.
- Onde ficam as urgências?Where is the emergency department?
- Eu tenho de ir ao centro de saúde.I have to go to the health centre.