D for doctors
After a short break we're back with the alphabet and as promised, this time it's the letter D and doctors. Unfortunately we all get ill sometimes, and - even though we may not enjoy it - we have to go to the doctors. Today we give you a few basic expressions that should help you to get over the communication barrier in a doctor's surgery.
Hello and welcome to the ABC of Czech. Today I'm here with Vladimir Tax. After a short break we're back with the alphabet and as promised, this time it's the letter "D" and doctors.
Unfortunately we all get ill sometimes, and - even though we may not enjoy it - we have to go to the doctors. Today we give you a few basic expressions that should help you to get over the communication barrier in a doctor's surgery.
The word for medical doctor is lékaø. It is related to the word léèit which means to treat or heal. But you can always get away with the international word doktor. If you need to consult a dentist, you should look for zubní lékaø, the word zub meaning tooth. In the worst possible scenario, you may find yourself at a casualty unit, which in Czech is pohotovost, meaning emergency. You may even need to call an ambulance or sanitka. But be careful, the Czech word ambulance usually has a different meaning than the English word - ambulance translates as out patients department. But if you do need to call a sanitka, the number is 155 in the Czech Republic. A pharmacy is lékárna, because that's where you can buy your léky, or medicine. Hospitals are called nemocnice in Czech because that's where one goes when one is ill or nemocný. A doctor's surgery is called ordinace in Czech. Before you are invited in, you have to wait in a èekárna or waiting room, until the nurse - sestra - asks you to come in by saying: dal¹í prosím, meaning next please. Once in there you'll need to be able to tell the doctor what's wrong with you. Here are a few useful phrases: If you're simply not feeling well, the best thing to say is: Není mi dobøe. If something hurts or aches, Czech uses the verb bolet in the appropriate form. So, I have a headache is: Bolí mì hlava - literally, my head is hurting. Likewise, I have a stomach ache is: Bolí mì bøicho. If you have a toothache, you simply say: Bolí mì zub. When complaining about a sore throat, Czechs say: Bolí mì v krku, literally: It hurts inside my throat. I have a cough is: Mám ka¹el, and I have a fever is: Mám horeèku.
Are all those expressions making you unwell? Let's hope you'll never need to use them when you come to this country. But if you want to be on the safe side, you can just look up the ABC of Czech on our website and recap today's programme, wherever you are. And that's all from us now, until next time, bye-bye. Na shledanou.
See also Living Czech.
