A German doctor opens with Was fehlt Ihnen? Word for word that's "What are you lacking?", and it simply means "What's the matter?"
By then you've already had the harder conversation, at the reception desk. That's where you get the appointment, show your insurance card, and ask for the sick note. This page covers both sides of the door, and the sentences you'll hear lying on the examination couch.
Making the Appointment
I'd like an appointment.
Ich hätte gern einen Termin.
I'm ill and need an appointment today.
Ich bin krank und brauche heute einen Termin.
Are you still taking new patients?
Nehmen Sie noch neue Patienten auf?
I have statutory health insurance.
Ich bin gesetzlich versichert.
I have private health insurance.
Ich bin privat versichert.
Are there walk-in hours?
Gibt es eine offene Sprechstunde?
Is there anything earlier?
Geht es auch früher?
Unfortunately I have to cancel the appointment.
Ich muss den Termin leider absagen.
Practice these words
Ich hätte gern einen Termin.
Quick notes:
- The first question on the phone is usually Wie sind Sie versichert? The answer is gesetzlich or privat. The two systems are explained in the health insurance lesson.
- If you're acutely ill, say so: Ich bin krank und brauche heute einen Termin. Many GPs keep slots free in the morning for exactly this, and you'll be told to come and wait.
- Cancel if you can't make it. Some offices charge for missed appointments.
At Reception
I have an appointment with Dr Weber.
Ich habe einen Termin bei Frau Doktor Weber.
This is my first time here.
Ich bin zum ersten Mal hier.
Here is my insurance card.
Hier ist meine Versichertenkarte.
I need a sick note.
Ich brauche eine Krankschreibung.
I need a prescription.
Ich brauche ein Rezept.
I need a referral to a specialist.
Ich brauche eine Überweisung zum Facharzt.
How long do I have to wait?
Wie lange muss ich warten?
Practice these words
Ich habe einen Termin bei Frau Doktor Weber.
Quick notes:
- You'll be told Nehmen Sie bitte im Wartezimmer Platz, "please take a seat in the waiting room".
- When you walk into the waiting room, say Guten Morgen or Hallo to the room. Everyone does, and everyone answers. Leaving, it's Auf Wiedersehen.
- New patients fill in an Anamnesebogen, a form about past illnesses, allergies and medication. Ask for it in English if you need to. Larger practices often have one.
Describing Symptoms
I have a fever.
Ich habe Fieber.
I have a cough.
Ich habe Husten.
I have a runny nose.
Ich habe Schnupfen.
I have a cold.
Ich bin erkältet.
I feel dizzy.
Mir ist schwindelig.
I feel nauseous.
Mir ist übel.
I vomited.
Ich habe mich übergeben.
I have diarrhoea.
Ich habe Durchfall.
I have chest pain.
Ich habe Schmerzen in der Brust.
I'm having trouble breathing.
Ich bekomme schlecht Luft.
I can't sleep.
Ich kann nicht schlafen.
For three days.
Seit drei Tagen.
It's getting worse.
Es wird schlimmer.
I'm allergic to penicillin.
Ich bin allergisch gegen Penicillin.
I take medication regularly.
Ich nehme regelmäßig Medikamente.
I'm pregnant.
Ich bin schwanger.
Practice these words
Ich habe Fieber.
Quick notes:
- Feelings in the body take mir: Mir ist übel, Mir ist schwindelig, Mir ist kalt. Saying Ich bin kalt means you're a cold person.
- Seit covers "for" when something is still going on: Seit drei Tagen, seit gestern, seit einer Woche.
- The words for the body and for pain are in body parts.
What the Doctor Says
What's the matter?
Was fehlt Ihnen?
Where does it hurt?
Wo tut es weh?
How long have you had this?
Seit wann haben Sie das?
Please undress to the waist.
Machen Sie bitte den Oberkörper frei.
Breathe in deeply.
Atmen Sie tief ein.
Please open your mouth.
Machen Sie bitte den Mund auf.
I'll prescribe you something.
Ich schreibe Ihnen etwas auf.
I'll sign you off sick.
Ich schreibe Sie krank.
Come back in a week.
Kommen Sie in einer Woche wieder.
Get well soon!
Gute Besserung!
Practice these words
Was fehlt Ihnen?
Quick note: den Oberkörper frei machen means taking off everything above the waist, and it's said without ceremony. German doctors don't usually hand out gowns or leave the room while you undress.
Words You'll Need
family doctor
der Hausarzt
specialist
der Facharzt
doctor's office
die Praxis
consultation hours
die Sprechstunde
waiting room
das Wartezimmer
insurance card
die Versichertenkarte
referral
die Überweisung
prescription
das Rezept
sick note
die Krankschreibung
examination
die Untersuchung
blood test
die Blutuntersuchung
vaccination
die Impfung
injection
die Spritze
tablet
die Tablette
emergency department
die Notaufnahme
emergency doctor
der Notarzt
Practice these words
der Hausarzt
Quick note: a woman doctor is die Ärztin: meine Hausärztin, die Fachärztin. You can address a doctor as Herr Doktor or Frau Doktor plus the surname, or simply as Herr Weber and Frau Weber.
How It Works
Start with the Hausarzt. You choose a family doctor yourself and go there first for almost everything. For a specialist you often need an Überweisung, and specialist appointments can be weeks away.
The card is read once a quarter. Bring your Versichertenkarte to the first visit in every quarter of the year. Without it you may be asked to pay and claim the money back.
Sick notes follow a routine. Tell your employer before your shift starts on the first day. A doctor's note is required by law from the fourth day of illness, and many contracts ask for it from the first. If you have statutory insurance, the surgery sends it to your insurer electronically, and your employer fetches it from there.
Prescriptions are electronic. With statutory insurance, the doctor stores an E-Rezept, and the pharmacy reads it from your insurance card. You pay a small Zuzahlung per medicine. Children's prescriptions are free.
Which Number, Which Door
| Situation | Where to turn |
|---|---|
life in danger: chest pain, stroke, bad accident | call 112 for an ambulance |
ill at night or at the weekend, but not an emergency | call 116 117, the medical on-call service |
you can get there yourself and it can't wait | die Notaufnahme, the hospital emergency department |
you need medicine at night or on Sunday | die Notdienstapotheke. Every pharmacy door shows which one is open |
toothache at the weekend | der zahnärztliche Notdienst, the dental on-call service |
anything else | your Hausarzt, in the morning |
Both numbers are free from any phone. On 112, say where you are first, then what happened: Ich brauche einen Krankenwagen.