Going to a pharmacy in Germany is a great opportunity to practise German in a real-world setting. And if you’re a bit under the weather and can still produce good German. Ausgezeichnet! 

Here’s a guide to help you handle common situations and conversations at the pharmacy. Don’t forget to listen to the podcast below to gain insight into pronunciation!

Explaining the problem

When visiting a pharmacy in Germany, the pharmacist will likely ask about your symptoms to recommend the right medicine. Here’s how a conversation might unfold:

• Pharmacist: Was ist denn das Problem? What’s the problem?
• You: Ich habe Kopfschmerzen. I have a headache.

Note that in German, you don’t use the word “a” before certain health complaints as we would in English:

• Ich habe Kopfschmerzen /Bauchschmerzen/ Rückenschmerzen/ Halsschmerzen/ Zahnschmerzen. I have a headache/sore stomach/backache/sore throat/ toothache

You can also describe other symptoms:

• Mein Hals tut weh. My throat hurts.
• Mein Kopf tut weh. My head hurts.
• Ich kann nicht schlucken. I can’t swallow.

It’s worth mentioning the different ways to say something is sore. We’ve seen a couple of them so far:

• Ich habe …schmerzen I have … ache

Or the other way we see here is:

• Mein… tun/tut mir weh. My … hurts. 

It literally means “my … is doing to me hurt“

If you’re at the pharmacy for someone else, you might say:

• Meinem Kind geht es nicht so gut. My child is not feeling well.
• Meiner Schwester geht es nicht so gut. My sister is not feeling well.
• Meinem Freund geht es nicht so gut. My boyfriend is not feeling well.

The case that’s used here is the dative. This is because this construction gut gehen always uses the dative. If you think about how we answer the question: Wie geht’s? We’d usually say Mir geht’s gut. I’m fine. Or literally, “to me it goes good” using the dative. So when we’re talking about other people, the dative has to be used too:

• Mein Kind > Meinem Kind geht nicht so gut
• Meine Schwester > Meiner Schwester…

Providing details

To help the pharmacist understand the situation in a pharmacy in Germany, be prepared to answer follow-up questions:

• Pharmacist: Wie lange haben Sie dieses Problem denn schon? How long have you had this problem?
• You: Seit zwei Tagen. For two days.

Or you can specify:

• Ich habe dieses Problem seit Mittwoch. I’ve had this problem since Wednesday.

Remember when using seit in German, we use the present tense if what you are describing is still an ongoing situation. This is different from English, where we use a past tense after “since“.

Discussing possible causes

Pharmacists often inquire about the possible causes of your symptoms.

For example:

• Pharmacist: Haben Sie etwas Ungewöhnliches gegessen? Did you eat something unusual? 
• Haben Sie etwas anderes gemacht? Did you do something differently?
• You: Vielleicht zu viel Koffein. Maybe too much caffeine.
• Pharmacist: Waren Sie sehr lange in der Sonne? Were you in the sun for a long time?
• You: Wir waren vielleicht drei Stunden in der Sonne. We were in the sun for maybe three hours.
• You: Die Schotten sind keine Sonne gewohnt. The Scots aren’t used to the sun.

Getting recommendations

Based on the information you provide, the pharmacist in a pharmacy in Germany might reassure you and suggest treatments:

• Pharmacist: Ich glaube, es ist nicht ernst. I think it’s not serious.
• Nehmen Sie diese Tabletten gegen die Kopfschmerzen. Take these tablets for the headache.
• Und hier ist etwas gegen den Sonnenbrand. And here’s something for the sunburn.

They may also give advice:

• Sie sollten nicht in die Sonne gehen. You shouldn’t go in the sun.

With a modal verb, like sollen, as we see in the example above, the main verb will be at the end of the clause or sentence in its infinitive form, gehen.

• Trinken Sie viel Wasser, aber keinen Alkohol. Drink plenty of water, but no alcohol.

This advice is in the imperative form, rather like a command. The verb in this form looks the same as the infinitive when used in the formal form, to someone you don’t know, or are being polite, trinken.

The pharmacist might also ask about your habits:

• Haben Sie Sonnencreme benutzt? Did you use sunscreen?
• Haben Sie gut geschlafen? Did you sleep well?

Here, the pharmacist uses the perfect tense as they ask questions about what you may have done recently. This involves the auxiliary verb haben in the present tense with the past participle of the main verb at the end of the questions in both examples.

Practice makes perfect

Learning these phrases can help you if you visit a pharmacy in Germany. Remember, people are generally very understanding and patient, especially if you explain that you are learning German.

Ich verstehe, I understand, is a great phrase to use when they explain something. If needed, don’t hesitate to ask for clarification or for them to repeat (Können Sie das bitte wiederholen?) something more slowly, langsamer, bitte, slower please.

By practising these useful constructions, you’ll not only manage your visit to a pharmacy in Germany effectively but also expand the breadth and depth of your German in a practical, conversational context. Good luck, and Gute Besserung! Get well soon!

To continue learning more useful German vocabulary and grammar, be sure to check out the blog post we prepared to help you prepare for a birthday celebration in German!