Lesson 90 · C1
In A&E
The first of three lessons of professional vocabulary, for anyone working or getting by in health, law or schools. Here, the doctor's: how to describe a symptom, understand a dosage and read a leaflet. Dizziness, nausea and “on an empty stomach”.
- Describe symptoms precisely.
- Understand basic medical questions.
- Understand a dosage.
- Read a medicine leaflet.
Twenty-four words
Symptoms, conditions, the hospital, the pharmacy, and two chronic conditions every doctor asks about.
Symptoms
-
كَيْدُورْ بِيَّا الرَّاسْ
kaydor biyya r-ras
I feel dizzy
“My head spins on me”.
-
كَيْتْقَلّْبْ لِيَّا قَلْبِي
kaytqelleb liyya qelbi
I feel sick; nauseous
“My heart turns over”.
-
كَنْحَسّْ بْ
kan7ess b
I feel
+ noun: kan7ess b l-3ya.
- السّْخَانَة s-skhana fever
- الْكْحَّة l-ke77a cough
- ضِيقْ النّْفَسْ diq n-nfes shortness of breath
Conditions
- مْنْفُوخْ mnfukh swollen
- مْجْرُوحْ mjru7 injured; cut
- مْهَرّْسْ mherres broken
- الْحَسَاسِيَّة l-7asasiyya allergy
The hospital
- الْمُسْتَعْجَلَاتْ l-musta3jalat A&E; emergency room
-
الْفَرْمَلِي
l-fermli
nurse
From French infirmier.
-
الْأَشِعَّة
l-ashi33a
X-ray
“The rays”.
- التَّحَالِيلْ t-ta7alil tests
-
الْوْرِيقَة
l-wriqa
prescription
“The little paper”.
- التَّأْمِينْ t-ta'min health insurance
The pharmacy
- الْفَارْمَاسْيَانْ l-farmasyan pharmacist
- الدّْوَا d-dwa medicine
- الْحَبَّة l-7ebba tablet
- الشّْرَابْ sh-shrab syrup
- عْلَى الرِّيقْ 3la r-riq on an empty stomach
- مُورَا الْمَاكْلَة mura l-makla after meals
What the doctor asks
- الضَّغْطْ d-daght blood pressure
-
السُّكَّرْ (الْمَرَضْ)
s-sukkar (l-mard)
diabetes
“Sugar”.
Describing a symptom
Four lines from the consultation. What's the subject of kaydor? And of kaytqelleb?
- هَادِي يُومَايْنْ وْ كَيْدُورْ بِيَّا الرَّاسْhadi yumayn u kaydor biyya r-ras
- كَنْحَسّْ بْالْعْيَا، وْ كَيْتْقَلّْبْ لِيَّا قَلْبِيkan7ess b l-3ya, u kaytqelleb liyya qelbi
- وَاشْ عَنْدْكْ الْحَسَاسِيَّة لْشِي دْوَا؟wash 3ndek l-7asasiyya l shi dwa?
- خُودْ حَبَّة جُوجْ دْ الْمَرَّاتْ فْالنّْهَارْ، مُورَا الْمَاكْلَةkhud 7ebba juj d l-merrat f n-nhar, mura l-makla
Does the patient say “I'm dizzy”? What construction does he use?
The rule
Impersonal symptom: the body part is the subject and you're a pronoun: kaydor biyya r-ras, “my head's spinning”; kaytqelleb liyya qelbi, “I feel sick”.
Sensation: kan7ess b + noun: kan7ess b l-3ya, b shi diq f sedri.
Visible condition: agreeing passive participle: rejli mnfukha, yeddu mherrsa.
Duration: hadi + time + u (lesson 58).
Dosage: 7ebba juj d l-merrat f n-nhar; 3la r-riq, mura l-makla, qbel ma tn3es. Instructions with tt-: kayttshreb, “is taken”.
At the doctor's
| Form | Say it | Means |
|---|---|---|
| كَيْدُورْ بِيَّا الرَّاسْ | kaydor biyya r-ras | I feel dizzy |
| كَيْتْقَلّْبْ لِيَّا قَلْبِي مْلِّي كَنَاكُلْ | kaytqelleb liyya qelbi mlli kanakul | I feel sick when I eat |
| كَنْحَسّْ بْشِي ضِيقْ فْصْدْرِي | kan7ess b shi diq f sedri | I feel a tightness in my chest |
| رْجْلِي مْنْفُوخَة | rejli mnfukha | my foot is swollen |
| هَادِي تْلَاتَة دْ الْأَيَّامْ وْ أَنَا فِيَّ السّْخَانَة | hadi tlata d l-iyyam u ana fiyya s-skhana | I've had a fever for three days |
| حَبَّة جُوجْ دْ الْمَرَّاتْ فْالنّْهَارْ، مُورَا الْمَاكْلَة | 7ebba juj d l-merrat f n-nhar, mura l-makla | one tablet twice a day, after meals |
| هَادْ الدّْوَا كَيْتّْشْرَبْ عْلَى الرِّيقْ | had d-dwa kayttshreb 3la r-riq | this medicine is taken on an empty stomach |
| إِلَا زَادْتْ السّْخَانَة، رْجَعْ لْلْمُسْتَعْجَلَاتْ | ila zadet s-skhana, rje3 l l-musta3jalat | if the fever goes up, come back to A&E |
Rows 1 and 2: no adjective; head and stomach are the subjects.
What English gives you, and what it costs
Free: “my head's spinning”, “my stomach's turning”: casual English already does the impersonal thing.
Free: “twice a day after meals”: same order.
Costly: “I feel dizzy / sick”. No everyday Darija adjective: use the verb constructions.
Your mistake, not someone else's
You build an adjective for “dizzy”. Half understood; the doctor will rephrase for you.
×أَنَا مْدُوّْرْInvented adjective.
✓كَيْدُورْ بِيَّا الرَّاسْ“I feel dizzy”.
Same with “nauseous”: kaytqelleb liyya qelbi.
A&E and a leaflet
A consultation and a leaflet written for this lesson. The medicine is generic and invented: this is not medical advice. WHO publishes in Arabic under a non-commercial licence, which rules it out for this course's book.
الطّْبِيبَة: السّْلَامْ، تْفَضّْلْ. شْنُو عَنْدْكْ؟
الْمْرِيضْ: هَادِي يُومَايْنْ وْ كَيْدُورْ بِيَّا الرَّاسْ، وْ كَيْتْقَلّْبْ لِيَّا قَلْبِي مْلِّي كَنَاكُلْ.
الطّْبِيبَة: وَاشْ فِيكْ السّْخَانَة؟
الْمْرِيضْ: شْوِيَّة، فْاللِّيلْ. وْ كَنْحَسّْ بْالْعْيَا بْزَّافْ.
الطّْبِيبَة: وَاشْ عَنْدْكْ الضَّغْطْ وْلَّا السُّكَّرْ؟ وَاشْ عَنْدْكْ الْحَسَاسِيَّة لْشِي دْوَا؟
الْمْرِيضْ: لَا، حْتَّى حَاجَة.
الطّْبِيبَة: غَالِبًا غِيرْ فِيرُوسْ. غَادِي نْكْتْبْ لِيكْ الْوْرِيقَة. إِلَا زَادْتْ السّْخَانَة، رْجَعْ لْلْمُسْتَعْجَلَاتْ.
كِيفَاشْ تْسْتَعْمَلْ هَادْ الدّْوَا
لْلْكْبَارْ: حَبَّة جُوجْ دْ الْمَرَّاتْ فْالنّْهَارْ، مُورَا الْمَاكْلَة، مُدَّة خَمْسْ أَيَّامْ.
مَا تْشْرْبْهْشْ عْلَى الرِّيقْ.
إِلَا عَنْدْكْ الْحَسَاسِيَّة، وْلَّا حْسِّيتِي بْضِيقْ النّْفَسْ، حْبْسُو وْ شُوفْ الطّْبِيبْ.
مَا تْعْطِيهْشْ لْلدّْرَارِي الصّْغَارْ.
Did you follow?
What are the patient's symptoms?
Show answers
Dizziness, nausea when eating, a slight fever at night and tiredness.
What does the doctor ask about his history?
Show answers
Blood pressure, diabetes, drug allergies.
When should he come back?
Show answers
If the fever goes up.
How is the leaflet's medicine taken?
Show answers
One tablet twice a day, after meals, for five days.
Check
Two here, three more in the C1 book.
Exercises 1 and 2 are here, with answers. Exercises 3 to 5 are in the C1 book, the PDF this site lives on: you can see the first item of each below.
1Match
The two halves of each sentence.
| 1 | كَيْدُورْ بِيَّا | a | الْعْيَا |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | كَيْتْقَلّْبْ لِيَّا | b | الرَّاسْ |
| 3 | كَنْحَسّْ بْ | c | مُورَا الْمَاكْلَة |
| 4 | الدّْوَا كَيْتّْشْرَبْ | d | قَلْبِي |
2Say it right
Rewrite following the clue.
- عَنْدِي السّْخَانَة (تْلَاتَة دْ الْأَيَّامْ)
- أَنَا مْدُوّْرْ (صْحِيحْ)
- رْجْلِي (نْفَخْ)
- حَبَّة ×2، بْعْدْ الْمَاكْلَة
3True or false?
According to the dialogue and leaflet.
- The patient has been dizzy for two days.
4Fill the gap
With the right medical word.
الحساسيةعلى الريقالوريقةالمستعجلات
- عندي ___ للبينيسيلين
5Your consultation
Write an eight-line doctor's dialogue: symptoms, questions, treatment.
هَادِيكَيْدُورْ بِيَّاكَنْحَسّْ بْالْحَسَاسِيَّةمُورَا الْمَاكْلَة
The rest is in the C1 book
The C1 bookShow answers
| 1. Match | 1-b, 2-d, 3-a, 4-c |
|---|---|
| 2. Say it right | هَادِي تْلَاتَة دْ الْأَيَّامْ وْ أَنَا فِيَّ السّْخَانَة · كَيْدُورْ بِيَّا الرَّاسْ · رْجْلِي مْنْفُوخَة · حَبَّة جُوجْ دْ الْمَرَّاتْ فْالنّْهَارْ، مُورَا الْمَاكْلَة |
The C1 book: In preparation
Write and I will tell you the day it is out. One email, no list.
I can now
- Describe symptoms with kaydor biyya and kan7ess b.
- Answer a doctor's questions.
- Understand a dosage.
- Read a leaflet.