You may not want to think about visiting a German pharmacy when visiting a German-speaking country. However, being able to communicate about a few common issues can let you communicate your needs effectively. 

In this blog post, you will find a helpful guide for common symptoms, phrases, and pharmacy-related terms in German. Don’t forget to listen to the podcast episode to get more insight into pronunciation and cultural nuances.

Describing your symptoms at a German pharmacy

When explaining your symptoms to a pharmacist, it’s important to be specific. Here are some common issues with which you might need help. Imagine it’s winter and you’re on a winter sports holiday, or visiting a city, you wouldn’t want the following symptoms to mar your stay:

• der Huste cough
• die Erkältung cold
• Ich habe eine Erkältung. I have a cold.
• Ich habe Halsschmerzen. I have a sore throat.

Note that in German, there’s no need to include the word for a before the symptom or complaint as we would use in English when using the construction …schmerzen, e.g.:

• Ich habe Kopfschmerzen/Bauchschmerzen/Rückenschmerzen.

When a prescription may be needed at a German pharmacy

If you have more than a cold, you will need to get a prescription at a German pharmacy. It could be that you have:

• die Infektion infection
• Ich habe eine Ohreninfektion. I have an ear infection.

In this construction, the word for a is needed before the word for the type of infection. This is different to what we saw with -schmerzen. E.g.: Ich habe eine Halsinfektion. Infektion is a feminine word, so the word for a is eine in both the nominative and accusative cases. 

Other problems 

You may be away in search of some warmer weather, but you have to watch out for these possible side effects:

• der Sonnenbrand sunburn
  • Ich habe einen Sonnenbrand. I have a sunburn.
• das Fieber fever
  • Ich habe (ein) Fieber. I have a fever.
• der Durchfall diarrhoea
  • Ich habe Durchfall. I have diarrhoea.
• die Verstopfung constipation

You might also need to explain what you cannot do because of your symptoms when visiting a German pharmacy. There’s a useful way of doing this with:

• the conjugated form of the modal verb können and
• then negating the verb with nicht 
• the main verb is in its infinitive form and goes to the end of the sentence:
  • Ich kann nicht schlafen. I can’t sleep.
  • Ich kann nicht schlucken. I can’t swallow.
  • Ich kann nicht atmen. I can’t breathe.

There’s another construction, used with an adjective that we can see below. It literally means to me is dizzy. You might also use these constructions to say I feel hot/cold/sick:

• Mir ist schwindelig. I feel dizzy
• Mir ist heiß. I feel hot.
• Mir ist kalt. I feel cold.
• Mir ist übel. I feel sick/nauseous.

Asking for medicine

If you need something to help with your symptoms, you can ask the pharmacist. You can say ‘Haben Sie etwas gegen…‘, it literally means, ‘Do you have something against…’ :

• Haben Sie etwas gegen Fieber? Do you have something for a fever?
• Haben Sie etwas gegen Durchfall? Do you have something for diarrhoea?
• Haben Sie etwas gegen Kopfschmerzen? Do you have something for headaches?

Discussing your medical history

The pharmacist might ask about your medical history to recommend a suitable medication:

• Sind Sie schwanger? Are you pregnant?
• Was haben Sie gegessen? What have you eaten?
• Was haben Sie getrunken? What have you drunk?

Medications and instructions

Once the pharmacist recommends a medication, they will explain how to take it. Here are some key phrases:

• Sie müssen diese Tabletten nehmen. You need to take these tablets.
• die Tropfen drops
  • Sie müssen diese Tropfen nehmen. You need to take these drops.
• die Salbe ointment
  • Sie müssen diese Salbe nehmen. You need to apply this ointment.

It’s important to follow the instructions for how often and when to take the medicine:

• dreimal pro Tag three times a day
• nach dem Essen after eating
• vor dem Essen before eating

Other conditions

You may also need to mention if you have any allergies or other conditions. Here are some common ones that may be helpful for you to know:

• die Grippe the flu
• der Ausschlag rash
• die Allergie allergy
• die Katzenallergie cat allergy
• Ich bin allergisch gegen Penicillin. I’m allergic to penicillin.
• Ich bin allergisch gegen Katzen. I’m allergic to cats.
• Ich bin allergisch gegen Meeresfrüchte. I’m allergic to seafood.
• Ich bin allergisch auf Nüsse. I’m allergic to nuts.
• Ich habe Heuschnupfen. I have hay fever.

Example conversation in a German pharmacy

Here’s an example of how a typical conversation in a German pharmacy might go:

• You: Guten Tag, ich habe Fieber und kann nicht schlafen. Haben Sie etwas dagegen?
• Pharmacist: Ja, Sie müssen diese Tabletten nehmen. Dreimal pro Tag, nach dem Essen.
• You: Danke schön! Auf Wiedersehen.

By using these phrases and terms, you’ll be better prepared for a visit to a German pharmacy in a German-speaking country. It can be helpful to be able to be clear about your symptoms and any allergies you have to ensure you get the right medication. It’s always good to be prepared, though you hopefully won’t have to visit a pharmacy for anything more than sun cream.

Knowing that you can handle talking about these common complaints can help you in your holiday preparations as well as build your vocabulary and understanding. But what if you have to talk to a pharmacist over the phone, would you be able to hold a phone conversation in German? If you are not really sure, don’t forget to check the blog post and podcast we prepared on the theme and learn the basics of a conversation like that!