Practice a German Doctor's Appointment
Visiting the doctor in German 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 German-speaking appointment without needing a translator.
Sample German conversation
Hallo! Bitte kommen Sie herein und nehmen Sie Platz. Was führt Sie heute zu mir?
Hello! Please come in and take a seat. What brings you in today?Ich fühle mich seit ein paar Tagen nicht gut.
I haven't been feeling well for a few days.Das tut mir leid zu hören. Können Sie Ihre Symptome beschreiben? Haben Sie Schmerzen?
I'm sorry to hear that. Can you describe your symptoms? Do you have any pain?Ich habe Fieber, Gliederschmerzen und fühle mich total erschöpft.
I have a fever, body aches, and I feel exhausted.Lassen Sie mich Ihre Temperatur messen... 38,5 Grad. Wie lange haben Sie schon Fieber?
Let me take your temperature... 38.5 degrees. How long have you had the fever?Seit etwa zwei Tagen. Nachts wird es schlimmer.
About two days. It gets worse at night.
What you'll learn
- Check in at a German-speaking clinic
- Describe symptoms with body parts, duration, and intensity
- Mention allergies, medications, and chronic conditions
- Understand basic diagnosis and treatment instructions
- Read a German prescription and ask follow-up questions
Frequently asked questions
How do I describe pain levels in German?
Use the German equivalent of 'mild, moderate, severe', plus 'sharp', 'dull', 'stabbing'. The vocabulary list covers this nuanced spectrum.
Will my German-speaking doctor speak English?
Often yes in big cities, often no in smaller towns. Even when they do, knowing the basic German medical vocabulary helps you describe symptoms more accurately.
How do I ask about side effects of medication in German?
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 German 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.