I’m sad that I'm sick, but I’m even sadder because I can't explain my symptoms in English. 🥹

Have you ever felt nervous speaking in English with a nurse or doctor at the hospital or doctor’s office?! Then it would be best to learn how to make an appointment, and how to explain your symptoms!

Let’s learn some simple, but very useful English expressions you can use when visiting a doctor!

🩺 Doctor’s Appointments & Consultations With Your Doctor

Some doctor’s offices and hospitals might accept walk-ins. However, most of the time, you will need to make an appointment. An arrangement for a doctor and patient to meet at a particular time/date is called “a doctor’s appointment”.

If you would like to be seen by a doctor, remember to use this phrase!

Can I make a doctor’s appointment?

🤒 How To Explain Your Symptoms

Now let’s learn some simple phrases that will help you describe the location and type of pain you are experiencing. These phrases include “I have”.

Just say, ”I have a pain in my (body part)”.

If you’d like to describe the type of pain in more detail, just add some adjectives. Here are some examples.

If you have continuous pain, say you’re having “constant” pain. If you have pain in sudden, piercing bouts, say you have “sharp” pain. If you have pain in a series of regular beats, say you have ”throbbing” pain. Finally,** If you have pain in a sudden sharp sensation, say you have ”stabbing” pain.** I have a throbbing pain in my chest.

🏥 Hospitalized & Discharged

It would be great for your doctor’s appointment to finish as just an examination, but if you’re severely injured or sick, you might need to be hospitalized.

Being ”hospitalized” means being admitted to the hospital for treatment.**

Being ”discharged from (the) hospital”** means officially leaving the hospital.

Now that you know what these phrases mean, you can ask your doctor this! Do I need to be hospitalized?