How to Talk at the Doctor's Office in English | English Conversation Practice

Learn How to Make a Doctor's Appointment Hello and welcome to Daily English Talk, the best place to practice your English listening and speaking. Speaker 2 Hi everyone, we are so happy you are here with us today. I'm Jack. Speaker 1 And I'm Emma. Today we are going to learn about a very useful topic, how to talk at the doctor's office. Speaker 2 That's right, it's important to know what to say. Please help us by liking this video and subscribing to our channel. Speaker 1 Let's get started. Speaker 2 So, Emma, how are you today? Speaker 1 I'm good. Thank you, Jack and you. Speaker 2 I'm a little tired actually. Speaker 1 Oh no, why are you tired? Speaker 2 I didn't sleep very well last night. My neighbor's dog was very loud. Speaker 1 Oh, that's too bad. Maybe you should drink some coffee. Speaker 2 Good idea, I already had two cups. What about you? How was your weekend? Speaker 1 My weekend was nice. I visited my family. We had a big dinner on Sunday. Speaker 2 That sounds wonderful. I love big family dinners. Speaker 1 Me too, but now let's talk about our topic going to the doctor. Speaker 2 OK, Emma, so let's really imagine this. I wake up and I feel terrible. Speaker 1 Oh dear, that's not a good way to start the day. Speaker 2 No it isn't. So my first thought is I need a doctor. What do I do first? Speaker 1 First, you need to call the doctor's office so you pick up the phone. Speaker 2 All right, let's practice that. You be the receptionist. Speaker 1 OK, good morning. City Health Clinic, how can I help you? Speaker 2 Hello, my name is Jack Smith. I would like to make an appointment to see the doctor please. Speaker 1 Of course, Mr. Smith, what is the reason for your visit? Speaker 2 The reason I don't feel well? I have a headache and a sore throat. Speaker 1 I see we have an opening at 3:00 PM today. Does that work for you? Speaker 2 Yes, 3:00 PM is good. Thank you. Speaker 1 Perfect. See you at 3:00 PM. Please bring your health insurance card. Speaker 2 OK, I will. Thank you. Goodbye. What to Say When You Feel Sick at the Doctor's So now it's three PMI am at the clinic. I am sitting in the waiting room. Speaker 1 Yes. Then a nurse calls your name Jack Smith. Speaker 2 That's me. Speaker 1 Hello Jack please follow me. I need to check your weight and height first. Speaker 2 Oh, OK. Why does the nurse do that? Speaker 1 It's a normal checkup. They also might check your blood pressure. Speaker 2 Blood pressure, what is that? Speaker 1 It's a test to see how strong your blood is moving. It's very fast and doesn't hurt. Speaker 2 OK, that sounds easy. So after that I go into another room to wait for the doctor. Speaker 1 That's right. Now let's start the conversation with the doctor. I'll be Doctor Emma. Hello, Jack. I'm Doctor Evans. It's nice to meet you. Please have a seat. Speaker 2 Thank you, Doctor. Speaker 1 So I see from the nurse that your blood pressure is normal. That's good. Now tell me what brings you in today. Speaker 2 I'm sorry, what brings you in today? What does that mean? Speaker 1 It's another way to say why are you here or what is the problem. Speaker 2 Ah, I understand. Well, I don't feel very well. I feel sick. Speaker 1 I'm sorry to hear that. Can you tell me what your symptoms are? How do you feel sick? Speaker 2 Well, I have a headache. It's not a small headache, it's a very big one. Speaker 1 A very bad headache I see. On a scale of 1 to 10, how bad is the pain? 1 is a little pain, 10 is the worst pain. Speaker 2 Maybe a 7. It's quite strong. Speaker 1 OK. A7 Do you have any other symptoms? Speaker 2 Yes, my throat is very sore. It hurts when I talk and when I eat. Speaker 1 A sore throat, that's common. Are you coughing? Do you have a cough? Speaker 2 Yes, I have a little cough. It's a dry cough. Speaker 1 A dry cough means no phlegm, right? Speaker 2 That's right, no phlegm and I think I have a fever. Last night I felt very hot and then I felt very cold. Speaker 1 That sounds unpleasant. Hot and then cold. Did you check your temperature? Speaker 2 Yes, this morning it was 38.5°. Speaker 1 Yes, that is a fever. Do you feel tired? Speaker 2 Oh yes, I feel very tired. I have no energy. I just want to sleep. Speaker 1 And how is your appetite? Are you hungry? Can you eat? Speaker 2 My appetite is not good, I am not hungry. I only drank some juice today. Speaker 1 It's important to try to eat a little even if you're not hungry. Some soup, perhaps? Speaker 2 OK, I will try. Speaker 1 Now let me have a look at you. Can you open your mouth wide for me? I want to see your throat. Thank you. Yes, your throat is quite red. That confirms it's sore now. I will use this to look in your ears. Please keep your head still. Speaker 2 OK, is this a a thermometer for ears? Speaker 1 No, this is an autoscope. It helps me see inside your ears. And yes, it checks for temperature too. OK, your ears look fine. Speaker 2 That's good. Speaker 1 Now I need to listen to your lungs. Please take a deep breath in through your nose and out through your mouth. Speaker 2 Deep breath in through the nose and out through the mouth. Speaker 1 Again, please, a deep breath, in and out. Speaker 2 Deep breath in and out. Speaker 1 Good. Your lungs sound clear. That's excellent news. How long have you had these symptoms? When did you start to feel sick? Speaker 2 I started to feel a little bad two days ago, but yesterday it became much worse. Speaker 1 I see. And are you taking any medicine for this? Any pills for the headache or something from the pharmacy? Speaker 2 No, I am not taking any medicine. I wanted to see the doctor first. Speaker 1 That was a good decision. OK. Jack, based on what you told me and my examination, I think you have the flu, influenza, it's a virus. Speaker 2 The flu, Is it serious? Speaker 1 For most people it is not serious, but you need to rest. Your body needs to fight the virus. Understanding Doctor's Advice and Getting a Prescription What should I do? Speaker 1 First, rest. Stay at home, don't go to work, sleep a lot. Second, drink plenty of fluids. Water, juice and tea are best. Tea with honey and lemon is very good for a sore throat. 3rd you can take some medicine to feel better. I will give you a prescription. Speaker 2 A prescription for what? Speaker 1 It's for medicine that will help with the fever and the headache. It will make you more comfortable. It doesn't kill the virus, but it helps your symptoms. Speaker 2 I understand, so it helps me feel better while my body fights the flu. Speaker 1 Exactly. You understand perfectly, you will need to take this medicine twice a day, after breakfast and after dinner. Speaker 2 Twice a day after eating OK, I will remember. Speaker 1 Also, for your sore throat, you can buy some lozenges at the pharmacy. You don't need a prescription for those, you just suck on them like candy. Speaker 2 Lozenges. OK, I will ask the pharmacy for them. Speaker 1 Do you have any allergies to medicine? Speaker 2 No, I don't have any allergies. Speaker 1 That's good. So here is your prescription. Do you know what to do with it? Speaker 2 I take this paper to a pharmacy. Speaker 1 Yes, that's right. Any pharmacy, they will give you the medicine. Do you have any other questions for me? Speaker 2 When can I go back to work? I have an office job. Speaker 1 I think you should stay home for at least two or three days. You need to rest. You can come back when your fever is gone for 24 hours without medicine. Speaker 2 OK so rest, drink water, take the medicine and use lozenges for my throat. Speaker 1 That's the plan. You should start to feel better in a few days. If you don't, or if your fever gets higher, please call me immediately. Speaker 2 I will thank you very much, Doctor Evans. Speaker 1 You're very welcome, Jack. How to Describe an Allergy to Your Doctor Feel better soon. Speaker 2 That was a very complete doctor's visit. But what if it's not the flu? What if I have a different problem? Speaker 1 Good point. Let's try another common situation. How about an allergy? Speaker 2 An allergy? Oh, that's a good one. OK, let's try. You are the patient this time, Emma. Speaker 1 OK. Hello, Doctor Jack. Speaker 2 Hello Miss Emma, please sit down. So what seems to be the problem? Speaker 1 Well doctor, I have a strange problem with my skin. Speaker 2 Your skin. What's wrong? Speaker 1 My skin is very itchy and I have red spots on my arms and my neck. Speaker 2 Itchy and red spots. That does sound like an allergy. When did this start? Speaker 1 This morning I woke up and it was like this. Speaker 2 Interesting. Did you eat anything new yesterday or use a new soap? Maybe new perfume? Speaker 1 Let me think. I ate normal food, but I did try a new shampoo last night. A new flower shampoo. Speaker 2 Aha, that might be the problem. You might be allergic to something in that shampoo. Speaker 1 Oh no, what should I do? Speaker 2 First, stop using the new shampoo immediately. Use your old one. Second, you can buy a cream at the pharmacy. It is called hydrocortisone cream. It'll help with the itching. Speaker 1 Hydrocortisone cream, OK. Speaker 2 If the red spots don't go away in 2 days, please come back to see me, but I think they will disappear if you stop using the shampoo. Speaker 1 Thank you, Doctor Jack, that is very helpful. Speaker 2 No problem. Remember, no more new shampoo. Stick to what you know. Speaker 1 I will thank you. Reviewing Key English Words for Doctor Visits You see, a doctor's visit can be for many different things. The important part is to describe your problem clearly. Speaker 1 Yes, always tell the doctor your symptoms when they started and if you tried anything new, it helps them help you. That was a very helpful conversation, Jack. I think our listeners learned a lot. Speaker 2 I hope so, but you know, we used a few important words that might be new. Maybe we should explain them a little more. Speaker 1 That's a fantastic idea. Let's do a mini vocabulary review. We'll take a few words from our doctor conversation and practice them. Speaker 2 OK, what's our first word? Teacher Emma. Speaker 1 Let's start with a very important one symptom. Speaker 2 Symptom. I remember that one. You said a symptom is a sign that you are sick. Speaker 1 Exactly. It's how your body tells you that something is wrong. So a headache is a symptom, a cough is a symptom, a fever is a symptom. Speaker 2 So if I say I have many symptoms, it means I have many signs of illness. Speaker 1 Perfect. Can you give me an example sentence, Jack? Speaker 2 Sure. When I went to the doctor I told her all my symptoms, a sore throat and feeling very tired. Speaker 1 Excellent. That's a great sentence. Remember, Lerner's symptom is the noun. The question the doctor asks is what are your symptoms? Speaker 2 Got it. What's the next work? Speaker 1 Let's look at prescription. Speaker 2 Now, yes, the piece of paper from the doctor. Speaker 1 That's right, a prescription is a special note from a doctor that allows you to get medicine from a pharmacy. You cannot buy this medicine without this note. It's for the safety of the patient. Speaker 2 So it's not for simple medicine like aspirin for a small headache. Speaker 1 Correct. Aspirin you can buy without a prescription, but strong medicine like antibiotics for an infection you need a prescription. Speaker 2 So the sentence is the doctor wrote a prescription for my medicine. Speaker 1 Yes. Or I need to take this prescription to the pharmacy? Speaker 2 Which brings us to our next word pharmacy. Speaker 1 Yes, a pharmacy is a shop, a store where you buy medicine. It's also sometimes called a drug store. You can buy many things there, soap, toothpaste, but most importantly medicine. Speaker 2 So after the doctor, my next stop is the pharmacy. Speaker 1 That's right, I am going to the pharmacy to get my medicine. Speaker 2 I am going to the pharmacy to buy some cough lozenges. See, I used another word from our talk. Speaker 1 You did very good. Let's add one more word that is very useful appointment. Speaker 2 Appointment. That means a planned meeting, right? Speaker 1 Yes, you don't just go to the doctor. You usually need to plan a time. That planned time is your appointment. Speaker 2 So I call the clinic and I say I need to make an appointment. Speaker 1 Perfect and the receptionist will say what time is good for your appointment or your appointment is at 3:00 PM. Speaker 2 It's the same for a dentist or a haircut. Speaker 1 Exactly. It's a very common and useful word. Speaker 2 OK, let's practice them all together. Can we make a small story? Speaker 1 Let's try. Speaker 2 OK, yesterday I didn't feel well. I had many symptoms, headache and a fever, so I called the doctor and made an appointment. The doctor saw me and gave me a prescription. Then I went to the pharmacy to get my medicine. Speaker 1 Jack, that was perfect. You used all four words correctly. Speaker 2 Thank you. Let me try to say it again, a little slower for our listeners. Speaker 1 Please do. Speaker 2 I had bad symptoms. I made an appointment, the doctor gave me a prescription. I went to the pharmacy. It's like a simple story for going to the doctor. Speaker 1 It absolutely is so to review everyone. A symptom is a sign of illness, like a cough, and appointment is a planned meeting time with the doctor. A prescription is the doctor's note for medicine. A pharmacy is the shop where you get the medicine. Speaker 2 Try to make your own sentences with these words, it's the best way to remember them. Speaker 1 And don't worry if it's difficult at first, just keep practicing with us. Full Episode Recap and Listener Practice Questions Yes, practice makes perfect. Speaker 1 Well, Jack, we've had a long and very useful conversation today. Speaker 2 We really have. I feel much more prepared to go to the doctor in English now. I hope all of our friends watching feel the same way. Speaker 1 So let's take a moment to wrap up. Let's summarize what we practice today. Jack, what was the main topic? Speaker 2 The main topic was of course, at the Doctor. We learned how to have a full conversation from the beginning to the end. Speaker 1 That's right, we started even before the doctor's office. We practice how to. Speaker 2 Make an appointment. Yes, we learned to call and say I would like to make an appointment to see the doctor. Speaker 1 Perfect. And then we went into the doctor's office. What is the first thing the doctor usually asks? Speaker 2 The doctor says What seems to be the problem or how can I help you today? Speaker 1 And your answer is to describe your. Speaker 2 My symptoms, I say I have a headache or I have a sore throat, or I have a fever. We learned to describe how we feel. Speaker 1 We did, and we learned that it's important to give details. You can say my headache is very bad or my throat hurts when I talk. Speaker 2 And then the doctor will probably examine you. They might say, let me check your temperature or open your mouth and say ah. Speaker 1 Take a deep breath. Yes. Then after the examination, the doctor will tell you what they think is wrong, like you have the flu or it's a virus. And then very importantly, the doctor will give you advice. What did Doctor Emma tell you to do? Speaker 2 You told me to rest, to drink plenty of fluids and to stay home from work. That is very important advice. Speaker 1 And finally, the doctor might give you a. Speaker 2 A prescription for medicine and I have to take that prescription to the. Speaker 1 The pharmacy. Speaker 2 Exactly, we also practiced for a different problem like my skin allergy, so it's not just for a cold. Speaker 1 Absolutely. The key is to describe your problem clearly, no matter what it is. Speaker 2 And we can't forget our special vocabulary review. We practiced 4 keywords, symptom, appointment, prescription, and pharmacy. Speaker 1 Let's say them one more time together. Ready, Jack? Speaker 2 Ready symptom appointment prescription pharmacy. Speaker 1 Wonderful. Remembering these words will help you so much. Speaker 2 Now it's your turn to practice. This is the most important part. We always have our question of the day to help you use your English. Speaker 1 Today we have not just one, but a few questions for you. You can answer one or you can answer all of them. We love to read your comments so. Speaker 2 Here are the questions. Number one, what do you usually do when you have a cold? Do you drink tea? Do you sleep a lot? Speaker 1 Question #2 What is a common medicine for a headache in your country? Speaker 2 And question #3 do you go to the doctor easily or only when you are very sick? Speaker 1 Please tell us your answers in the comments below. We read every single one and it makes us so happy to see you practicing. Yes. Speaker 2 Don't be shy, this is a safe place to learn. No one is perfect, we are all learning together. Speaker 1 You are doing a fantastic job just by listening and being here. Thank you for your time and for wanting to learn with us. Speaker 2 If you enjoyed this lesson and you want to see more, please let us know by liking this video, it really helps us. Speaker 1 And if you haven't subscribed yet, please click the subscribe button and the bell icon. That way you won't miss our next conversation. Speaker 2 Our next topic will be, well, that's a secret. You will have to come back to find out. Speaker 1 We can't wait to see you again. Keep racticing, keep learning, and remember. Speaker 2 A little English every day makes a big difference. Speaker 1 Bye for now. Speaker 2 Goodbye everyone.