Practice a 普通话 Doctor's Appointment
Visiting the doctor in 普通话 is high-stakes and high-value: getting your symptoms across precisely matters, and the medical vocabulary is mostly Latin-based across European languages. This scenario rehearses a general practitioner's appointment from check-in to prescription: describing symptoms with body parts and intensity, mentioning allergies and existing conditions, understanding the doctor's explanation, and reading a prescription. You'll practise the formal register doctors use, plus the verbs for pain, duration, and frequency. By the end, you'll handle a routine 普通话-speaking appointment without needing a translator.
Sample 普通话 conversation
你好！请进，坐下。今天来看什么？
Hello! Please come in and take a seat. What brings you in today?我这几天身体不太舒服。
I haven't been feeling well for a few days.很遗憾。能描述一下症状吗？有疼痛吗？
I'm sorry to hear that. Can you describe your symptoms? Do you have any pain?发烧、身体酸痛，而且感觉很累。
I have a fever, body aches, and I feel exhausted.让我量一下体温……38.5度。发烧多久了？
Let me take your temperature... 38.5 degrees. How long have you had the fever?大约两天了。晚上更严重。
About two days. It gets worse at night.
你将学到什么
- Check in at a 普通话-speaking clinic
- Describe symptoms with body parts, duration, and intensity
- Mention allergies, medications, and chronic conditions
- Understand basic diagnosis and treatment instructions
- Read a 普通话 prescription and ask follow-up questions
常见问题
How do I describe pain levels in 普通话?
Use the 普通话 equivalent of 'mild, moderate, severe', plus 'sharp', 'dull', 'stabbing'. The vocabulary list covers this nuanced spectrum.
Will my 普通话-speaking doctor speak English?
Often yes in big cities, often no in smaller towns. Even when they do, knowing the basic 普通话 medical vocabulary helps you describe symptoms more accurately.
How do I ask about side effects of medication in 普通话?
There's a specific construction — 'What are the side effects?' — that the scenario teaches. Pharmacists often answer this more thoroughly than doctors.
What's the 普通话 for 'I'm allergic to penicillin'?
A critical sentence to memorise. We include it verbatim in the vocabulary list and rehearse it in the scenario.