Italian at the pharmacy and the doctor
For most small things on holiday in Italy, the first stop is the farmacia, with its green cross. Pharmacists there give advice as well as medicines, and many things you would buy off a shelf at home are asked for at the counter.
These phrases cover finding help, saying what is wrong, asking for something, and understanding the instructions. In an emergency, pick up il telefono and call 112.
Finding help
- Dov'è una farmacia?Where is a pharmacy?
- La farmacia è aperta?Is the pharmacy open?
- Quale farmacia è di turno stanotte?Which pharmacy is on duty tonight?
- Ho bisogno di un medico.I need a doctor
- Dov'è il pronto soccorso?Where is A&E?
- Ho bisogno di un dentista urgentemente.I need a dentist urgently
Saying what’s wrong
- Non mi sento bene.I don't feel well
- Mi fa male la testa.I have a headache
- Mi fa male qui.It hurts here
- Ho la febbre.I have a fever
- Ho mal di gola.I have a sore throat
- Ho mal di pancia.I have a stomach ache
- Ho il raffreddore.I have a cold
- Ho la tosse.I have a cough
- Mi gira la testa.I feel dizzy
- Mi sono storto la caviglia.I've twisted my ankle
- Mi sono scottato al sole.I got sunburnt
- Mi ha punto una vespa.I've been stung by a wasp
At the counter
- Ha qualcosa per il mal di testa?Do you have something for a headache?
- Vorrei qualcosa per la tosse.I'd like something for a cough
- Mi serve la ricetta?Do I need a prescription?
- Mi serve un cerotto.I need a plaster
- Ha qualcosa per il mal d'auto?Do you have something for car sickness?
- Sono allergico al polline.I'm allergic to pollen
- Sono intollerante al lattosio.I'm lactose intolerant
How to take it
- Una volta al giorno.Once a day
- Dopo i pasti.After meals
- Quante gocce devo prendere?How many drops should I take?
- Devo prenderlo a stomaco pieno?Should I take it on a full stomach?
- Ha effetti collaterali?Does it have side effects?
- Da quanto tempo ha questi sintomi?How long have you had these symptoms?
- Deve stare a riposo per una settimana.You need to rest for a week
The pharmacy on duty
Pharmacies close at night and on Sundays in turns, and one in each area stays open: the farmacia di turno. Every pharmacy’s door has a notice saying which one it is tonight.
Mi fa male, ho mal di
Two ways to say something hurts. Mi fa male la testa is literally the head does me harm; ho mal di testa is I have head-ache. Both are right. Mi fa male qui, with a finger on the place, works for anything you do not have the word for.
Ricetta is a prescription
La ricetta is a recipe in the kitchen and a prescription at the pharmacy. Antibiotics and many other medicines need one from a doctor; for a cold, a cough or a headache, the pharmacist can usually help directly.
Biglietto · Try it
What does it mean?
Question 1 of 5: Mi fa male la testa.
Verba prints lessons like these as train tickets out of Florence, and Selene, its AI tutor, talks them through with you out loud.
