Lesson 16: Health and Emergencies

1. Describing Symptoms

• Essential Vocabulary for Symptoms:
  • Febbre (fever), mal di testa (headache), nausea, tosse (cough), mal di stomaco (stomachache).
  • Phrases to express discomfort:
    • Mi sento male. (I feel sick).
    • Ho dolore qui. (I have pain here).
    • Mi gira la testa. (I feel dizzy).
• How to Explain Symptoms to a Doctor or Pharmacist:
  • Da quanto tempo…? (For how long…?).
  • Da ieri ho la febbre. (I’ve had a fever since yesterday).
  • Non riesco a respirare bene. (I can’t breathe well).
• Example Sentences:
  • Ho un dolore acuto alla schiena. (I have sharp pain in my back).
  • Le mie gambe sono gonfie. (My legs are swollen).

2. Visiting the Doctor

• Common Vocabulary for Medical Visits:
  • Dottore (doctor), infermiere/infermiera (nurse), ospedale (hospital), clinica (clinic).
  • Terms for medical tests: esame del sangue (blood test), radiografia (X-ray).
• Phrases for a Doctor’s Appointment:
  • Vorrei fissare un appuntamento con il dottore. (I’d like to schedule an appointment with the doctor).
  • Qual è il problema? (What’s the problem?).
  • Deve prendere queste medicine. (You need to take this medication).
• Practical Tips for Medical Situations in Italy:
  • Mention the tessera sanitaria (health card) if you are a resident.
  • Non-residents may need to pay and request reimbursement through travel insurance.
• Example Dialogue:
  • Dottore: Come si sente?
  • Paziente: Ho un dolore forte al petto.
  • Dottore: Farò un controllo subito.

3. Emergency Phrases and Vocabulary

• Key Emergency Vocabulary:
  • Ambulanza (ambulance), pronto soccorso (emergency room), farmacia (pharmacy), polizia (police).
  • Verbs: chiamare (to call), cadere (to fall), ferirsi (to injure oneself).
• Emergency Phrases to Use:
  • Ho bisogno di un medico subito! (I need a doctor immediately!).
  • C’è stato un incidente. (There’s been an accident).
  • Dove si trova il pronto soccorso più vicino? (Where is the nearest emergency room?).
• Important Numbers in Italy:
  • 112: General emergency number.
  • 118: Ambulance service.
  • 113: Police.
• Example Emergency Scenario:
  • Persona: Mi scusi, qualcuno è caduto per strada. Potete chiamare un’ambulanza?
  • Testimone: Certo, chiamo subito il 118.

4. Practice Emergency Scenarios

• Role-Playing Health and Emergency Situations:
  • Practice explaining symptoms to a doctor or pharmacist.
    • Scenario: You have a fever and stomach pain. Practice the conversation with a partner.
  • Practice calling emergency services.
    • Scenario: You witness an accident and need to call an ambulance.
• Translation Exercises:
  • Translate from English to Italian:
    • “I feel very sick. I need to see a doctor.” → Mi sento molto male. Devo vedere un dottore.
    • “Where is the nearest pharmacy?” → Dove si trova la farmacia più vicina?
• Listening and Speaking Practice:
  • Listen to recorded dialogues of a patient explaining symptoms and repeat them.
  • Practice pronunciation of key emergency phrases.
• Challenge Exercise:
  • Write a script for a health-related situation, such as visiting a pharmacy to ask for cold medicine or reporting a minor injury.

Cultural Note

• Pharmacies in Italy often serve as the first point of contact for minor health issues. Pharmacists (farmacisti) are highly trained and can recommend medications or direct you to a doctor if needed.
• Most Italian towns have an emergency room (pronto soccorso), but for non-urgent cases, it’s better to schedule a doctor’s appointment.