Language/German/Vocabulary/Talking-About-Health

German Vocabulary → Health and Body → Talking About Health

As a German language teacher with 20 years of experience, I believe that learning how to talk about health issues is crucial for effective communication in day-to-day situations. In this lesson, we will cover common health-related vocabulary and expressions in German. By the end of this lesson, you will be able to describe common health issues and know how to seek the appropriate medical help you need.

Vocabulary

Let's start by learning some common health-related vocabulary in German:

German	Pronunciation	English
die Gesundheit	dee guh-ZOON-hight	health
krank	krahngk	ill
die Krankheit	dee KRAHNK-hyt	illness
der Schmerz	dair shmayrts	pain
der Kopfschmerz	dair KOHFP-shmairts	headache
die Übelkeit	dee YOO-bell-kite	nausea
die Verletzung	dee fair-LET-soong	injury
der Schnupfen	dair SHNOOP-fen	cold, (nasal) congestion
das Fieber	dahs FEE-bair	fever
der Husten	dair HOOS-ten	cough

Expressions

In addition to the vocabulary above, there are certain phrases and expressions that are useful to know when talking about health issues:

• Wie geht es Ihnen? - How are you feeling?
• Mir ist schwindelig. - I feel dizzy.
• Ich habe Kopfschmerzen. - I have a headache.
• Ich fühle mich schwach. - I feel weak.
• Ich brauche ärztliche Hilfe. - I need medical help.
• Ich muss ins Krankenhaus. - I need to go to the hospital.
• Können Sie mir bitte helfen? - Can you please help me?
• Wo ist die nächste Apotheke? - Where is the nearest pharmacy?

Dialogues

To put the vocabulary and expressions we just learned into context, here are a few sample dialogues:

Dialogue 1:

A: Wie geht es Ihnen? B: Mir geht es nicht gut. Ich fühle mich schwach. A: Was fehlt Ihnen denn? B: Ich habe Fieber, Kopfschmerzen und Husten.

Translation:

A: How are you feeling? B: I'm not feeling well. I feel weak. A: What's wrong with you? B: I have a fever, headache, and cough.

Dialogue 2:

A: Kann ich Ihnen helfen? B: Ja, bitte. Meine Freundin ist krank und braucht Medizin. A: Natürlich. Gibt es etwas, was sie besonders benötigt? B: Sie hat starke Schmerzen und Fieber.

Translation:

A: Can I help you? B: Yes, please. My friend is sick and needs medicine. A: Of course. Is there anything specific she needs? B: She has strong pain and fever.

Grammar Tips

When talking about health issues in German, it is important to remember that the verb "haben" (to have) is often used. In the examples above, you saw "Ich habe Kopfschmerzen" (I have a headache) and "Ich habe Fieber" (I have a fever). This is different from English, where we simply say "I am sick" or "I have a cold."

In addition, the verb "fühlen" (to feel) can be used to describe how a person is feeling. For example, "Ich fühle mich schwach" means "I feel weak."

Finally, it's important to remember that German nouns have genders. In the vocabulary table above, we used "die" for feminine nouns (i.e. "die Gesundheit," "die Krankheit," "die Übelkeit") and "der" for masculine nouns (i.e. "der Schmerz," "der Kopfschmerz").

Practice

Now it's time to practice what you have learned! Try to translate the following phrases from English to German:

1. I have a cold.
2. My stomach hurts.
3. She needs to go to the hospital.
4. He feels dizzy.
5. Where is the nearest pharmacy?

Answers:

1. Ich habe Schnupfen.
2. Mir tut der Magen weh.
3. Sie muss ins Krankenhaus.
4. Er fühlt sich schwindelig.
5. Wo ist die nächste Apotheke?

Sources

• German Health Care System
• German Phrases on Wikipedia

Table of Contents - German Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

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Basic Sentence Structures

• Subject and Verb
• Noun and Gender

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Greetings and Introduction

• Greetings and Goodbyes
• Introducing Yourself

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Definite and Indefinite Articles

• Gender and Articles
• Plural Forms
• Cases: Nominative and Accusative

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Numbers, Dates and Time

• Numbers 1-100
• Days of the Week and Months
• Telling Time

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Verbs and Conjugation

• Verb Forms
• Present Tense
• Separable Verbs

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Family and Friends

• Family Members
• Talking About Your Friends

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Prepositions

• Using Prepositions
• Two-Way Prepositions

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Food and Drinks

• Food and Meals
• Drinks and Beverages

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Germany and German-Speaking Countries

• Geography and Landmarks
• Cuisine and Traditions

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Pronouns and Possessives

• Personal Pronouns
• Possessive Pronouns

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Travel and Transportation

• Booking a Trip
• Public Transportation

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Modal Verbs

• Expressing Abilities
• Talking About Obligations

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Shopping and Clothes

• Shopping for Clothes
• Buying Groceries

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Music and Entertainment

• Popular Musicians and Genres
• Movies, TV and Literature

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Adjectives

• Descriptive Adjectives
• Comparative and Superlative Forms

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Health and Body

• Talking About Health
• Body Parts

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Time and Temporal Prepositions

• Using Time Expressions
• Temporal Prepositions

Related Lessons

• Drinks and Beverages
• Greetings and Goodbyes
• Colors
• Public Transportation
• Idiomatic Expressions
• longest word
• Shapes
• Education
• At Home