German Medical Words

It’s important to be prepared, especially when you’re traveling. You never know when some German medical words will come in handy. The Rocket German team has created this step-by-step audio lesson so you’ll know what to say if you ever need to see a German doctor or visit a German hospital or drugstore.

After this you’ll know how to describe your symptoms in German, and what to say in an emergency. We hope you’ll never need to use these words and phrases, but let’s get prepared just in case…

Resources for further reading:

How to pronounce German medical words

Common German medical words

Practice Your Pronunciation With Rocket Record

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Ich habe Schmerzen.

I'm in pain.

Ich habe Kopfschmerzen.

I have a headache.

Ich habe Bauchschmerzen.

I have a stomach ache.

Ich habe Halsschmerzen.

I have a sore throat.

Ich habe Zahnschmerzen.

I have a tooth ache.

Ich bin krank.

I'm sick.

Mir ist schlecht.

I'm feeling sick.

I need a prescription in German

The following phrases are useful when describing where it hurts…

Mein Arm tut weh.

My arm hurts.

Mein Bein tut weh.

My leg hurts.

Mein Kopf tut weh.

My head hurts.

Mein Knie tut weh.

My knee hurts.

Mein Hintern tut weh.

My bum hurts.

Mein Zahnfleish tut weh.

My gum hurts.

Mein Fuß tut weh.hurts.

My foot hurts.

Mein Finger tut weh.

My finger hurts.

Mein Zeh tut weh.

My toe hurts.

Mein Auge tut weh.

My eye hurts.

Meine Schulter tut weh.

My shoulder hurts.

Mein Rücken tut weh.

My back hurts.

When you go to the doctor he or she will ask you about your symptoms…

Was haben Sie für Symptome?

What kind of symptoms do you have?

Haben Sie Schmerzen?

Do you have pain?

Wo haben Sie Schmerzen?

Where do you have pain?

Haben Sie Fieber?

Do you have a fever?

Maybe you have an idea what’s wrong with you. You could say …

Ich habe eine Erkältung.

I have a cold.

Ich habe eine Grippe.

I have the flu.

Ich habe eine Infektion.

I have an infection.

Ich habe einen Virus.

I have a virus.

Ich habe eine Allergie.

I have an allergy.

Ich habe Heuschnupfen.

I have hay fever.

Ich habe Periodenschmerzen.

I have cramps / period pain.

Maybe you cut yourself and all you need is a bandage, you might need some sleeping pills for a long haul flight or cough syrup. Here is what you have to say…

Ich brauche einen Verband.

I need a bandage.

Ich brauche ein Pflaster.

I need a band-aid.

Ich brauche Schmerztabletten.

I need some pain killers.

Ich brauche Schlaftabletten.

I need some sleeping pills.

Ich brauche Hustensaft.

I need some cough syrup.

Ich brauche Halsbonbons.

I need some throat lozenges.

Ich brauche ein Rezept.

I need a prescription.

Ich brauche Verhütung.

I need some contraception.

I have a headache in German

Here are some more general phrases and words…

Die Apotheke

The pharmacy

Die Medizin

The medicine

Der Krankenwagen.

The ambulance

Rufen Sie einen Krankenwagen!

Call an ambulance!

Das Krankenhaus

The hospital

If you need to call an ambulance you need to know the number. In Switzerland or Austria you need to call 144, in Germany it’s 112.

If you want more on German words then check these out!

Bis bald!

Paul Weber: Rocket German

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