Today's words · 🏥 At the doctor's
Ten words that get you through a German doctor's visit
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Missing what the receptionist says can wear you out before you even see the doctor.
You open the door of the Praxis and the receptionist fires off a question. You hand over your insurance card, sit in the waiting room and listen nervously for your name. Then the doctor asks, “Wo tut es weh?” What now?
Today's ten words are the ones you really hear and say at the doctor's. You'll be able to check opening hours, explain where it hurts and get a sick note. 🏥
📋 The ten words at a glance
- der Arzt — doctor, physician
- die Praxis — (doctor's) practice, surgery; practice (vs theory)
- die Sprechstunde — office hours, consulting hours
- das Wartezimmer — waiting room
- krank — ill, sick
- die Schmerzen — pain, aches
- wehtun — to hurt
- das Fieber — fever, temperature
- untersuchen — to examine, to investigate
- krankschreiben — to give sb. a sick note, sign sb. off sick
🧠 Words, examples and memory tricks
der Arzt
[ARTST]doctor, physician(Pl. die Ärzte (f: die Ärztin))
📌 Ich bin krank und gehe zum Arzt.
→ I'm ill and going to the doctor.
💡 From Greek archiatros, ‘chief healer’ 🩺 A female doctor is die Ärztin.
Bonus to go to the doctor = zum Arzt gehen · dentist = der Zahnarzt
die Praxis
[PRAK-sis](doctor's) practice, surgery; practice (vs theory)(Pl. die Praxen · Austrian: die Ordination)
📌 Die Praxis ist am Mittwochnachmittag geschlossen.
→ The practice is closed on Wednesday afternoons.
💡 Same root as English practice 👩⚕️ Your local GP's surgery is a Praxis.
⚠ The plural is die Praxen, not Praxisse.
die Sprechstunde
[SHPREKH-shtoon-duh]office hours, consulting hours(Pl. die Sprechstunden)
📌 Die Sprechstunde von Dr. Weber ist montags von 9 bis 12 Uhr.
→ Dr. Weber's office hours are Mondays from 9 to 12.
💡 sprechen (to speak) + Stunde (hour) = the hour for talking to the doctor 🕘
Bonus to make an appointment = einen Termin machen
das Wartezimmer
[VAR-tuh-tsim-er]waiting room(Pl. die Wartezimmer)
📌 Bitte nehmen Sie im Wartezimmer Platz.
→ Please take a seat in the waiting room.
💡 warten (to wait) + Zimmer (room) = the waiting room 🪑 Exactly what it says!
krank
[KRANK]ill, sick(krank – kränker – am kränksten)
📌 Ich bin seit gestern krank.
→ I've been ill since yesterday.
💡 Feeling cranky? Maybe you're krank 🤒 The opposite is gesund.
Bonus Comparison with umlaut: kränker – am kränksten
die Schmerzen
[SHMAIR-tsen]pain, aches((mostly plural) Sg. der Schmerz)
📌 Ich habe starke Schmerzen im Rücken.
→ I have a bad pain in my back.
💡 Related to English smart, as in ‘that smarts’ ⚡ Body part + Schmerzen = any ache.
⚠ At the doctor's it's almost always plural: Ich habe Schmerzen. (Singular: der Schmerz)
wehtun
[VAY-toon]to hurt(tut weh – hat wehgetan)
📌 Mein Hals tut weh.
→ My throat hurts.
💡 weh is related to English woe 😣 woe + do = it hurts!
⚠ It's separable and the person is in the dative: Mir tut der Kopf weh.
das Fieber
[FEE-ber]fever, temperature(no pl.)
📌 Das Kind hat seit gestern hohes Fieber.
→ The child has had a high temperature since yesterday.
💡 Basically English fever 🌡️ Ich habe Fieber. = I've got a temperature.
Bonus a high temperature = hohes Fieber
untersuchen
[oon-ter-ZOO-khen]to examine, to investigate(untersucht – hat untersucht)
📌 Der Arzt hat mich gründlich untersucht.
→ The doctor examined me thoroughly.
💡 unter (under) + suchen (search) = search right under the surface 🔍
⚠ No ge- in the perfect: hat untersucht.
krankschreiben
[KRANK-shry-ben]to give sb. a sick note, sign sb. off sick(schreibt krank – hat krankgeschrieben)
📌 Der Arzt hat mich für drei Tage krankgeschrieben.
→ The doctor signed me off sick for three days.
💡 krank (ill) + schreiben (write) = the doctor writes you ill 📄
Bonus Ich bin krankgeschrieben. = I'm off sick (with a note).
🇩🇪 A spoonful of German culture
Many local practices (Praxis) close on Wednesday or Friday afternoons, so check the Sprechstunde before you go. Lots of practices now let you book online too.
When you arrive, you go to the reception desk (Anmeldung) and hand over your insurance card. Then you wait in the waiting room until your name is called. People usually wait quietly.
If your practice is closed at night or at the weekend, you can call 116 117 for the out-of-hours medical service. In an emergency, call 112. 📞
✅ Quick quiz
Q. The doctor asks “Wo tut es weh?” You have a headache. What do you say?
- ① Die Sprechstunde ist montags.
- ② Mein Kopf tut weh.
- ③ Ich warte im Wartezimmer.
Show the answer
② Mein Kopf tut weh.
Mein Kopf tut weh. = My head hurts. Just say the body part + tut weh.
Stand in front of a mirror and name three things that hurt, like “Mir tut der Hals weh.” Hopefully you'll only ever need it for practice! 🍀
🔜 Tomorrow's topic: 💊 Pharmacy