Hold simple conversations using fluent language in the hospital context

Here are useful sentences for a doctor-patient conversation:

For the patient (saying how you feel):

• 我不舒服。 — Wǒ bù shūfu. — I am not feeling well.
• 我头痛。 — Wǒ tóutòng. — I have a headache.
• 我发烧了。 — Wǒ fāshāo le. — I have a fever.
• 我感冒了。 — Wǒ gǎnmào le. — I have a cold.

For the doctor (asking and responding):

• 你哪里不舒服？ — Nǐ nǎli bù shūfu? — Where do you feel unwell?
• 你发烧吗？ — Nǐ fāshāo ma? — Do you have a fever?
• 吃这个药。 — Chī zhège yào. — Take this medicine.
• 多休息。 — Duō xiūxi. — Get plenty of rest.

This is a short dramatization of a conversation at the hospital:

Doctor: 你好！你哪里不舒服？
Nǐ hǎo！Nǐ nǎli bù shūfu？
Hello! Where do you feel unwell?

Patient: 医生，我头痛，也发烧了。
Yīshēng, wǒ tóutòng, yě fāshāo le.
Doctor, I have a headache and fever.

Doctor: 你感冒了。吃这个药，多休息。
Nǐ gǎnmào le. Chī zhège yào, duō xiūxi.
You have a cold. Take this medicine and get plenty of rest.

Patient: 谢谢医生！
Xièxie yīshēng！
Thank you, doctor!

1. Work with a partner — one person is the doctor, the other is the patient.
2. Use the vocabulary and sentences above to create your own short conversation.
3. Practice saying the sentences with the correct pronunciation.
4. Act out your dialogue in front of the class.

In Tanzania, if you visit a Chinese doctor or clinic in Dar es Salaam or Arusha, you can use these Chinese phrases to explain your symptoms. For example, if you have a headache and fever, you can say "我头痛，我发烧了" (Wǒ tóutòng, wǒ fāshāo le) and the doctor will understand you need help. This is useful for students who may travel to China or work with Chinese speakers in Tanzania in the future.