Health & Hospital

1. Ho mal di testa

   I have a headache

   Usage

   Used to tell a doctor or pharmacist about a headache

   Grammar Note

   "Mal di" means pain of/in. Swap: "mal di stomaco" (stomachache), "mal di schiena" (backache), "mal di gola" (sore throat)

2. Ho bisogno di un medico

   I need a doctor

   Usage

   Used in urgent situations to request a doctor

   Grammar Note

   "Avere bisogno di" means to need. Same structure: "Ho bisogno di aiuto" (I need help)

3. Dov'è la farmacia più vicina?

   Where is the nearest pharmacy?

   Usage

   Used when you need medicine and want to find the closest pharmacy

   Grammar Note

   Italian pharmacies display a green cross sign. "Farmacia di turno" indicates which pharmacy is on duty at night

4. Sono allergico/a alle arachidi

   I am allergic to peanuts

   Usage

   Critical phrase to inform doctors or restaurant staff about a nut allergy

   Grammar Note

   "Allergico" (male) / "allergica" (female). Swap: "ai frutti di mare" (seafood), "al glutine" (gluten)

5. Ho la febbre

   I have a fever

   Usage

   Basic phrase to report a fever to a doctor or those around you

   Grammar Note

   Add temperature: "Ho 38 di febbre" (I have a 38°C fever). Also: "febbre alta" (high fever), "febbre bassa" (low fever)

6. Chiamate un'ambulanza, per favore

   Please call an ambulance

   Usage

   Essential phrase for requesting emergency medical services

   Grammar Note

   Italy's emergency numbers: 118 (medical), 112 (general). "Chiama" is singular imperative

7. Ho la nausea

   I feel nauseous

   Usage

   Used to describe nausea to a doctor or travel companion

   Grammar Note

   "Avere la nausea" = to feel nauseous. Also: "Mi sento male" (I feel ill), "Mi gira la testa" (I feel dizzy)

8. C'è un medico che parla inglese?

   Is there a doctor who speaks English?

   Usage

   Used by foreign travelers seeking an English-speaking doctor

   Grammar Note

   "C'è" (there is) is a very versatile existential expression. Also try: "Parla inglese?" (Do you speak English?)

9. Ho la diarrea

   I have diarrhea

   Usage

   Used to describe gastrointestinal symptoms to a doctor

   Grammar Note

   Often used with "Ho mal di stomaco" (stomachache). "Stitichezza" = constipation

10. Mi serve una ricetta medica

    I need a medical prescription

    Usage

    Used to request a prescription from a doctor for specific medication

    Grammar Note

    "Servire" means to serve/be needed. "Mi serve" = I need (lit. it is needed to me). Very natural in Italian

11. Incinta

    Pregnant

    Usage

    Show before any exam — it changes what medication or X-rays are allowed

12. L'asma

    Asthma

    Usage

    Tell a doctor or pharmacist this is a pre-existing condition

13. Il diabete

    Diabetes

    Usage

    A pre-existing condition to declare; also used to explain dietary limits

14. La pressione alta

    High blood pressure

    Usage

    A pre-existing condition; low blood pressure is "la pressione bassa"

15. Una malattia cardiaca

    Heart disease

    Usage

    A pre-existing condition to declare to a doctor or paramedic

16. L'epilessia

    Epilepsy

    Usage

    Declare in advance so a seizure is not mistaken for something else

17. L'assicurazione sanitaria

    Health insurance

    Usage

    Show at reception when asked whether you are insured

18. La farmacia

    Pharmacy

    Usage

    Marked by a green cross; point at this word to ask where one is

19. Una frattura

    A fracture

    Usage

    Say you may have broken a bone; leads to an X-ray request

20. Faccio fatica a respirare

    I have trouble breathing

    Usage

    Point at this when breathing is hard — it signals urgency

21. Le vertigini

    Dizziness

    Usage

    Describe feeling dizzy or light-headed

22. Sto sanguinando

    I am bleeding

    Usage

    Point at this to report bleeding when you cannot speak

23. Un'ustione

    A burn

    Usage

    Report a burn injury; understood at both pharmacies and hospitals

24. Una ferita

    A wound

    Usage

    Covers cuts, grazes, and open wounds in general

25. L'orecchio

    Ear

    Usage

    Point at the part that hurts; both ears is "le orecchie"

26. Il collo

    Neck

    Usage

    Point at your own neck while showing it — "collo" also means a piece of luggage

27. La spalla

    Shoulder

    Usage

    Point at the part that hurts; both shoulders is "le spalle"

28. Il ginocchio

    Knee

    Usage

    Point at the part that hurts; both knees is "le ginocchia"

29. Il dito

    Finger

    Usage

    Italian "dito" covers fingers and toes alike — always touch the actual digit as you show it

30. La pelle

    Skin

    Usage

    Used when describing a rash or other skin symptom

31. Il braccio

    Arm

    Usage

    Point at the part that hurts; both arms is "le braccia"

32. Il naso

    Nose

    Usage

    Point at this for a blocked nose or a nosebleed

33. La tosse

    Cough

    Usage

    Also used at a pharmacy to ask for cough medicine

34. Mi prude

    It itches

    Usage

    Say this while pointing at the itchy spot

35. Un'eruzione cutanea

    A rash

    Usage

    Report a rash; also used when describing an allergic reaction

36. La stitichezza

    Constipation

    Usage

    Also used at a pharmacy to ask for a laxative

37. Le mestruazioni

    Menstruation

    Usage

    The standard term for a doctor or pharmacist; in everyday speech Italians say "il ciclo"

38. Il gruppo sanguigno

    Blood type

    Usage

    Show this when asked about transfusions; Rh positive is "Rh positivo", negative "Rh negativo"

39. Il ricovero ospedaliero

    Hospital admission

    Usage

    Use when asking whether you must be admitted; "ricovero" alone can also mean a shelter, so keep "ospedaliero"

40. I brividi

    Chills

    Usage

    The shivering that comes with a fever; Italians normally use the plural

41. Il raffreddore

    Common cold

    Usage

    Show this at a pharmacy to ask for cold medicine; influenza is "l'influenza"

42. Chiami un medico, per favore

    Please call a doctor

    Usage

    Ask whoever is present to call a doctor

    Grammar Note

    The "Chiami …, per favore" frame with "un medico" (a doctor) filled in; "Chiami" is the "Lei" imperative of "chiamare"

43. Mi fa male qui

    It hurts here

    Usage

    Show this while pointing at the spot — it works without knowing the body part's name

    Grammar Note

    "Far male" (to hurt) takes the hurting place as its subject; "qui" means "here"

44. Mi sento debole

    I feel weak

    Usage

    Describe an all-over lack of strength to a doctor

    Grammar Note

    The "Mi sento + adjective" frame. "Debole" means lacking physical strength

45. Ho vomitato più volte

    I have vomited several times

    Usage

    Tell a doctor how often you have vomited — it guides the check for dehydration

    Grammar Note

    The "avere + past participle" present perfect. "Vomitare" means to expel the stomach contents through the mouth; "volta" is "time/occasion", pluralised and preceded by "più" to count occurrences

46. Ho bisogno di riposo?

    Do I need to rest?

    Usage

    Ask the doctor after an examination whether you must rest

    Grammar Note

    The idiom "Ho bisogno di …", turned into a question by rising intonation. "Riposo" means "rest"

47. La diarrea

    Diarrhea

    Usage

    One word to show a doctor or pharmacist when describing diarrhea

    Grammar Note

    A feminine noun, so the article is "la". To make it a sentence, use avere (to have), as in "Ho la diarrea"

48. La cacca

    Poop

    Usage

    The everyday word for stool, used with children. At a clinic, the more formal word is "le feci"

    Grammar Note

    A feminine noun, especially children's language. Often used in "fare la cacca" (to poop). Do not call a person this

49. La pipì

    Pee

    Usage

    The everyday word for urine, used with children. At a clinic, the more formal word is "l'urina"

    Grammar Note

    A feminine noun written with an accent on the final vowel (pipì). Often used in "fare pipì" (to pee), where no article is used

50. Sono stitico/a

    I'm constipated

    Usage

    Tells a doctor or pharmacist you are constipated. Men say stitico, women say stitica

    Grammar Note

    An adjective, so the ending follows the speaker's gender (stitico / stitica). The noun "la stitichezza" also works, as in "Soffro di stitichezza"

51. Devo fare pipì

    I need to pee

    Usage

    Tells a companion or a child you need to pee. Casual everyday speech

    Grammar Note

    "Devo" (first person of dovere) plus the infinitive means "I have to", conveying real urgency. "Mi scappa la pipì" (I'm bursting for a pee) is even more urgent

52. Devo fare la cacca

    I need to poop

    Usage

    Tells a companion or a child you need to poop. Casual everyday speech

    Grammar Note

    "Devo" (first person of dovere) plus the infinitive means "I have to". "Fare la cacca" is casual; in a more formal setting say "andare in bagno" (go to the bathroom)

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