Today's words · 🤒 Illness & symptoms
10 German words for when you're sick
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The first time you catch a cold in Germany, you'll need these words before you need medicine.
You wake up with a scratchy throat and a pounding head. You need to call the doctor, but how do you say it in German? And what do you tell your boss?
Here are ten words you'll use again and again when you're unwell. With them you can book a doctor's appointment, ask at the pharmacy and call in sick on your own. Best to learn them before you need them! 🤒
📋 The ten words at a glance
🧠 Words, examples and memory tricks
die Krankheit
[KRANK-hite]illness, disease(Pl. die Krankheiten)
📌 Die Krankheit ist nicht gefährlich.
→ The illness isn't dangerous.
💡 krank (sick) + -heit = the state of being sick 🤒 Nouns ending in -heit are always die.
Bonus The adjective too: Ich bin krank. = I'm sick.
das Fieber
[FEE-ber]fever, temperature(no pl.)
📌 Das Kind hat seit gestern hohes Fieber.
→ The child has had a high temperature since yesterday.
💡 Almost the same as English fever 🌡️ Ich habe Fieber. = I've got a temperature.
Bonus to take your temperature = Fieber messen
husten
[HOOS-ten]to cough(hustet – hat gehustet)
📌 Er hustet seit drei Tagen.
→ He's been coughing for three days.
💡 Say it out loud — it sounds like a cough 😷 The word copies the sound.
Bonus The noun der Husten = a cough · cough syrup = der Hustensaft
die Erkältung
[air-KEL-toong]cold (illness)(Pl. die Erkältungen)
📌 Ich habe eine Erkältung und bleibe heute zu Hause.
→ I've got a cold and I'm staying at home today.
💡 kalt (cold) is hiding inside 🥶 You get cold, you catch a cold.
⚠ Words ending in -ung are always die.
der Schnupfen
[SHNOOP-fen]head cold, runny nose(Pl. die Schnupfen)
📌 Ich habe seit Tagen Schnupfen.
→ I've had a cold for days.
💡 It sounds like sniffing 🤧 A runny-nose cold is Schnupfen.
Bonus No article: Ich habe Schnupfen.
die Grippe
[GRIP-uh]flu, influenza(sg.)
📌 Sie liegt mit Grippe im Bett.
→ She's in bed with the flu.
💡 The flu grips you hard 🤕 It comes from French grippe.
⚠ Grippe is real flu, much worse than an Erkältung.
erkältet sein
[air-KEL-tet zine]to have a cold(ist erkältet – war erkältet)
📌 Ich bin erkältet und bleibe zu Hause.
→ I have a cold and I'm staying at home.
💡 The adjective form of Erkältung 🧣 One sentence does it: Ich bin erkältet.
Bonus Same meaning: Ich habe eine Erkältung.
die Kopfschmerzen
[KOPF-shmair-tsen]headache(Pl. (mostly plural))
📌 Ich habe seit heute Morgen Kopfschmerzen.
→ I've had a headache since this morning.
💡 Kopf (head) + Schmerzen (pain) = headache 🤯 German builds words like Lego.
⚠ Usually plural: Ich habe Kopfschmerzen.
die Halsschmerzen
[HALS-shmair-tsen]sore throat(Pl. (mostly plural))
📌 Ich habe Halsschmerzen und Fieber.
→ I have a sore throat and a temperature.
💡 Hals (throat) + Schmerzen = sore throat 🗣️ Stomach ache: Bauchschmerzen. Toothache: Zahnschmerzen.
Bonus Any ‘___ hurts’ works the same way: body part + Schmerzen.
Gute Besserung!
[GOO-tuh BESS-er-oong]Get well soon!(expression)
📌 Du bist krank? Gute Besserung!
→ You're sick? Get well soon!
💡 besser (better) + -ung = getting better 💐 ‘Good recovery!’
Bonus When someone sneezes, say Gesundheit! (Bless you!)
🇩🇪 A spoonful of German culture
In Germany you usually see your family doctor (Hausarzt) first. Most practices need an appointment (Termin), so people call first thing in the morning.
If you miss work, you need a doctor's note (Krankschreibung). By law it's due once you've been off for more than three days, but some employers ask for it from day one. These days the practice sends it to your health insurer electronically.
One more thing: even painkillers like ibuprofen are sold only in pharmacies (Apotheke) in Germany, not in supermarkets. 💊
✅ Quick quiz
Q. Your friend has a cold. What do you say?
- ① Gute Besserung!
- ② Ich habe Fieber.
- ③ Er hustet seit drei Tagen.
Show the answer
① Gute Besserung!
Gute Besserung! = Get well soon! It's what you say to someone who is ill.
Try acting out a phone call to the doctor with today's words, out loud. Stay healthy — and keep Gute Besserung for other people! 🍀
🔜 Tomorrow's topic: 🐾 Animals