Health & Hospital

52 phrases · Polish with romanization, English and audio

  1. Boli mnie głowa

    BOH-lee MNYEH GWOH-vah

    I have a headache

    Usage

    Basic phrase to describe a headache to a doctor or pharmacist

    Grammar Note

    "Boli mnie ~" is the standard pattern for body pain: "żołądek" (stomach), "ząb" (tooth), "plecy" (back)

  2. Potrzebuję lekarza

    pot-sheh-BOO-yeh leh-KAH-zhah

    I need a doctor

    Usage

    Used to ask for help finding a doctor when feeling ill

    Grammar Note

    "Lekarza" is the genitive of "lekarz" (doctor). Also: "Wezwij pogotowie!" (Call an ambulance!)

  3. Czy ma pan/pani ten lek?

    chi mah pan/PAH-nee ten lek?

    Do you have this medicine?

    Usage

    Used at a pharmacy while showing the medicine name to ask for it

    Grammar Note

    Using "pan" (Mr.) or "pani" (Ms.) is essential for polite address in Polish. Pharmacies (apteka) are widespread in Poland

  4. Jestem uczulony/uczulona na orzeszki ziemne

    YES-tem oo-choo-LOH-ni/oo-choo-LOH-nah nah oh-ZHESH-kee ZYEM-neh

    I am allergic to peanuts

    Usage

    Used to communicate a food allergy. Use "uczulony" (male) or "uczulona" (female)

    Grammar Note

    Polish adjectives agree in gender. Also: "na gluten", "na laktozę" (lactose), "na orzechy" (nuts)

  5. Mam gorączkę

    mahm goh-RONCH-keh

    I have a fever

    Usage

    Used to inform a doctor or others about a fever

    Grammar Note

    "Gorączkę" is accusative of "gorączka". Add "wysoką" (high) or "lekką" (mild) for precision

  6. Proszę wezwać pogotowie

    PROH-sheh VEZ-vahch poh-goh-TOH-vyeh

    Please call an ambulance

    Usage

    Used in medical emergencies. Polish emergency numbers: 112 or 999 (ambulance)

    Grammar Note

    "Proszę + infinitive" is the polite imperative in Polish. 999 is the dedicated ambulance line; 112 is the EU emergency number

  7. Czuję się niedobrze

    CHOO-yeh shyeh nyeh-DOH-bzheh

    I feel unwell / nauseous

    Usage

    Used to describe nausea or general unwellness to a doctor or others

    Grammar Note

    "Czuję się ~" describes how you feel: "zmęczony/a" (tired), "słaby/a" (weak), "chory/a" (sick)

  8. Czy mówi pan/pani po angielsku?

    chi MOO-vee pan/PAH-nee poh an-GYEL-skoo?

    Do you speak English?

    Usage

    Used at medical facilities to find an English-speaking doctor or staff member

    Grammar Note

    Language pattern: "po angielsku" (English), "po polsku" (Polish), "po niemiecku" (German)

  9. Mam biegunkę

    mahm byeh-GOON-keh

    I have diarrhea

    Usage

    Used to describe gastrointestinal symptoms to a doctor

    Grammar Note

    "Mam ~" for symptoms. Also: "ból żołądka" (stomach pain), "wymioty" (vomiting), "zaparcie" (constipation)

  10. Czy może pan/pani wystawić receptę?

    chi MOH-zheh pan/PAH-nee vys-TAH-veech reh-TSEP-teh?

    Could you write a prescription?

    Usage

    Politely asks a doctor to write a prescription after a consultation

    Grammar Note

    Polish pharmacies are "apteka". Prescription drugs need "recepta"; OTC drugs are sold freely. 24h pharmacies exist in cities

  11. Jestem w ciąży

    I am pregnant

    Usage

    Say this first at a clinic or pharmacy: it changes what medication, X-rays, or anaesthesia are safe

    Grammar Note

    "W ciąży" is a fixed prepositional phrase that does not change with the speaker's gender; give the week as "w 12. tygodniu"

  12. Ubezpieczenie zdrowotne

    Health insurance

    Usage

    Point to this when reception asks about insurance; travel insurance is "ubezpieczenie turystyczne"

    Grammar Note

    Neuter noun. EU travellers can present the EHIC card, called "karta EKUZ" in Poland

  13. Astma

    Asthma

    Usage

    Point to this to declare asthma as a pre-existing condition; an inhaler is "inhalator"

  14. Cukrzyca

    Diabetes

    Usage

    Point to this to declare diabetes; insulin is "insulina"

  15. Nadciśnienie

    High blood pressure

    Usage

    Point to this to declare hypertension; low blood pressure is "niedociśnienie"

    Grammar Note

    The full medical term is "nadciśnienie tętnicze", but "nadciśnienie" alone is understood

  16. Choroba serca

    Heart disease

    Usage

    Point to this to declare a heart condition; a pacemaker is "rozrusznik serca"

    Grammar Note

    "Serca" is the genitive of "serce" (heart); "choroba + genitive" forms "disease of ..."

  17. Padaczka

    Epilepsy

    Usage

    Point to this to declare epilepsy; a seizure is "napad"

    Grammar Note

    "Epilepsja" is also understood, but "padaczka" is the more common Polish word

  18. Złamanie

    Fracture

    Usage

    Point to this if you suspect a broken bone; a sprain is "skręcenie" and a bruise is "stłuczenie"

  19. Duszność

    Shortness of breath

    Usage

    Point to this for difficulty breathing; doctors and paramedics usually say it in the plural, "duszności"

  20. Zawroty głowy

    Dizziness

    Usage

    Point to this for dizziness or light-headedness

    Grammar Note

    Polish uses the fixed plural "zawroty głowy"; the singular "zawrót głowy" refers to one single spell

  21. Krwawienie

    Bleeding

    Usage

    Point to this to report bleeding; a nosebleed is "krwotok z nosa"

  22. Oparzenie

    Burn

    Usage

    Point to this for a burn; sunburn is "oparzenie słoneczne"

  23. Rana

    Wound

    Usage

    Point to this for a cut or open wound; a graze is "otarcie"

  24. Ucho

    Ear

    Usage

    Point to this to show which part hurts; both ears are "uszy"

  25. Szyja

    Neck

    Usage

    Point to this to show which part hurts; the back of the neck is a separate word, "kark"

  26. Bark

    Shoulder

    Usage

    Point to this to show which part hurts; the everyday word "ramię" can mean either the shoulder or the upper arm, so "bark" is the safer term in a medical setting

  27. Kolano

    Knee

    Usage

    Point to this to show which part hurts; both knees are "kolana"

  28. Palec

    Finger

    Usage

    "Palec" covers both fingers and toes; to be specific say "palec u ręki" (finger) or "palec u nogi" (toe), or simply point at the digit itself

  29. Skóra

    Skin

    Usage

    Point to this for a skin problem; the same word also means "leather" as a material, but in a clinic it is read as skin

  30. Ramię

    Arm

    Usage

    Point to this to show which part hurts; "ramię" can also mean the shoulder and "ręka" covers both the arm and the hand, so point at the exact spot

  31. Nos

    Nose

    Usage

    Point to this to show which part hurts; a blocked or runny nose is "katar"

  32. Kaszel

    Cough

    Usage

    Point to this to report a cough; a dry cough is "suchy kaszel" and a chesty one is "mokry kaszel"

  33. Swędzenie

    Itching

    Usage

    Point at the itchy spot and show this word; as a sentence, "it itches" is "Swędzi mnie"

  34. Wysypka

    Rash

    Usage

    Point to this for a skin rash; hives are "pokrzywka"

  35. Zaparcie

    Constipation

    Usage

    Point to this to report constipation; pharmacies usually say it in the plural, "zaparcia". Diarrhoea is "biegunka"

  36. Miesiączka

    Period (menstruation)

    Usage

    The word for menstruation at a clinic or pharmacy; everyday speech also uses "okres", but that also means "a period of time", so "miesiączka" is unambiguous when pointing

  37. Grupa krwi

    Blood type

    Usage

    You will be asked this before a transfusion or an operation; show it together with a note of your own blood type

  38. Zaświadczenie lekarskie

    Medical certificate

    Usage

    The certificate written out by the doctor who examined you, needed for insurance claims

  39. Hospitalizacja

    Hospital admission

    Usage

    For checking whether you need to be admitted to hospital

  40. Dreszcze

    Chills

    Usage

    The shivering chill that comes at the onset of a fever; used in the plural as a symptom

  41. Przeziębienie

    Common cold

    Usage

    The common cold, as distinct from influenza ("grypa")

  42. Proszę wezwać lekarza

    Please call a doctor

    Usage

    Asks someone present to call a doctor for a person taken ill

    Grammar Note

    Takes "Proszę wezwać pogotowie" and swaps the object for "lekarz" from «Potrzebuję lekarza». It is an animate masculine noun, so the accusative is "lekarza".

  43. Boli mnie tutaj

    It hurts here

    Usage

    Said while pointing at the spot that hurts

    Grammar Note

    Replaces the subject (the aching part) of "Boli mnie głowa" with "tutaj" (here), the word used in «Czy jest tutaj darmowe Wi-Fi?». The person in pain stands in the accusative "mnie".

  44. Czuję się osłabiony/osłabiona

    My body feels sluggish

    Usage

    Tells a doctor that your body feels weak and heavy

    Grammar Note

    Same frame as "Czuję się niedobrze" with an adjective as the predicate. The adjective changes with the speaker's gender, so both forms are shown, as in "uczulony/uczulona".

  45. Wymiotowałem/Wymiotowałam kilka razy

    I have vomited several times

    Usage

    Tells a doctor that you have vomited more than once

    Grammar Note

    Same "masculine/feminine past" frame as «Zgubiłem/Zgubiłam paszport». Repetition calls for the imperfective "wymiotować"; the perfective "zwymiotować" would mean a single episode.

  46. Czy potrzebuję odpoczynku?

    Do I need to rest?

    Usage

    Asks the doctor after an examination whether you need to rest

    Grammar Note

    Swaps the object of "Potrzebuję lekarza" and prefixes the question particle "Czy", as in «Czy ma pan/pani ten lek?». "potrzebować" governs the genitive, so "odpoczynek" becomes "odpoczynku".

  47. Biegunka

    Diarrhea

    Usage

    Point to this to report diarrhoea; it becomes the accusative "biegunkę" in "Mam biegunkę" («Mam biegunkę»). Constipation is "zaparcie"

  48. Kupa

    Poop

    Usage

    The everyday, child-friendly word for stool, colloquial and euphemistic. In a medical setting the terms are "stolec" or "kał"

  49. Siku

    Pee

    Usage

    The everyday, child-friendly word for pee, colloquial, used as "zrobić siku" and "chcieć siku". In a medical setting the term is "mocz"

  50. Mam zaparcia

    mahm zah-PAR-chah

    I'm constipated

    Usage

    Used to tell a doctor or pharmacist that you are constipated

    Grammar Note

    The "Mam + symptom" frame of "Mam biegunkę". For the neuter noun zaparcie the accusative equals the nominative in both numbers, and as «Zaparcie» notes, pharmacies usually say the plural "zaparcia"

  51. Muszę zrobić siku

    MOO-sheh ZROH-beech SEE-koo

    I need to pee

    Usage

    Tell a companion or a child that you need to go and pee

    Grammar Note

    "zrobić siku" is the set way to say "to pee" (robić / zrobić siku). "Muszę + infinitive" means "I must / I need to". For poop see «Muszę zrobić kupę»

  52. Muszę zrobić kupę

    MOO-sheh ZROH-beech KOO-peh

    I need to poop

    Usage

    Tell a companion or a child that you need the toilet

    Grammar Note

    Example: "Oj, muszę zrobić kupę." Kupa is feminine and, as the object of zrobić, takes the accusative kupę. For pee see «Muszę zrobić siku»

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