Making a clinic appointment when you feel unwell | Learn German in English

German lesson set in a contemporary Berlin everyday setting: At home, one adult feels unwell and asks another how to call a clinic for an appointment..

EN → DE / Level: A2

About This Lesson

Use Making a clinic appointment when you feel unwell to practice German conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

Ich habe Husten und fühle mich heute müde.

ikh HAH-buh HOO-sten oont FYOO-luh mikh HOY-tuh MYOO-duh. I have a cough and feel tired today.
B

Du solltest in der Arztpraxis anrufen und um einen Termin bitten.

doo ZHOHL-test in dair ARRTS-prahk-sees AHN-roo-fen oont oom EYE-nen tair-MEEN BIT-ten. You should call the clinic and ask for an appointment.
A

Was soll ich sagen, wenn ich anrufe?

vahs zohl ikh ZAH-gen, ven ikh AHN-roo-fuh? What should I say when I call?
B

Sag ihnen, dass du dich nicht gut fühlst und einen Arzt sehen möchtest.

zahg EE-nen, dahss doo dikh nikht goot FYOO-lst oont EYE-nen AHRRTS ZAY-en MURKH-test. Tell them you feel unwell and would like to see a doctor.
A

Ich möchte auch fragen, wann noch Termine frei sind.

ikh MURKH-tuh owkh FRAH-gen, vahn nokh tair-MEE-nuh fry zint. I also want to ask what times are available.
B

Das hilft ihnen, einen Termin zu finden, der für dich passt.

dahs hilfft EE-nen, EYE-nen tair-MEEN tsoo FIN-den, dair fyoor dikh pahst. That will help them find an appointment that works for you.
A

Ich rufe jetzt in der Arztpraxis an.

ikh ROO-fuh yetst in dair ARRTS-prahk-sees ahn. I will call the clinic now.
B

Schreib deine Symptome auf, damit du sie klar erklären kannst.

shryb DYE-nuh zymp-TOH-muh owf, dah-MIT doo zee klahr air-KLAY-ren kahnst. Write your symptoms down so you can explain them clearly.

Word by Word

Ich Ich means “I” here: the speaker refers to themself. It is used as the subject before a verb, as in Ich habe and Ich möchte. You use it when describing your own health, plans, or actions.
habe Habe means “have” in Ich habe Husten, describing the speaker’s symptom. This exact form is used with Ich and comes from haben. Use Ich habe + a symptom or possession when talking about yourself.
Husten Husten means “a cough” here, the symptom the speaker has. It is used directly after habe in Ich habe Husten. You can use it when telling a clinic or another person about this symptom.
und Und connects two pieces of information: having a cough and feeling tired. Here it joins Ich habe Husten with fühle mich heute müde. Use it to connect related actions, descriptions, or facts.
fühle Fühle means “feel” in fühle mich heute müde, describing the speaker’s condition. Together with mich, it forms the expression for how someone feels. Use fühle mich + an adjective when describing your own state.
mich Mich is the reflexive part of fühle mich, referring back to the speaker. The whole expression fühle mich heute müde means “feel tired today”; mich should not be separated from fühle in this meaning. Use this pattern to describe how you personally feel.
heute Heute means “today” and specifies when the speaker feels tired. In fühle mich heute müde, it is placed before the description müde. Use it when limiting a health complaint or action to the current day.
müde Müde means “tired” in fühle mich heute müde. It describes the speaker’s current condition together with fühle mich. You can use it after fühle mich to report tiredness to someone helping you.
Du Du means “you” when speaking informally to one person. Here it addresses the other adult and is the subject of solltest. Use Du with someone you address informally, such as a family member or friend.
solltest Solltest expresses advice: Du solltest in der Arztpraxis anrufen means “You should call the doctor’s office.” It is used with the infinitives anrufen and bitten in this sentence. Use Du solltest + an infinitive when recommending an action to one person.
in In means “in” or “at” in in der Arztpraxis, identifying the doctor’s office as the place being called. Here it belongs to the expression in der Arztpraxis anrufen. Use in with a place when describing where an action is connected to.
der Der means “the” in der Arztpraxis and belongs to the place expression in der Arztpraxis. It introduces Arztpraxis here after in. Use the complete phrase when referring to a particular doctor’s office.
Arztpraxis Arztpraxis means “doctor’s office” or “clinic” in in der Arztpraxis anrufen. It names the place that should be contacted for an appointment. Use it when talking about contacting or visiting a medical practice.
anrufen Anrufen means “to call” in Du solltest in der Arztpraxis anrufen. It is an infinitive used after solltest, and its calling particle appears separately in Ich rufe jetzt in der Arztpraxis an. Use it with the person or place you call.
um Um introduces what is being requested in um einen Termin bitten. Here it means “for” and is part of the pattern for asking for something. Use um + the requested thing + bitten when requesting an appointment or another specific item.
einen Einen means “an” or “a” in einen Termin, referring to one appointment being requested. It appears directly before Termin in um einen Termin bitten. Use the complete phrase when asking a clinic for an appointment.
Termin Termin means “appointment” in um einen Termin bitten. It is the appointment that the speaker is asking the clinic for. Use it when arranging a specific meeting or medical appointment.
bitten Bitten means “to ask for” or “to request” in um einen Termin bitten. It completes the request expression with um einen Termin. Use bitten with um when requesting a particular thing.
Was Was means “what” in Was soll ich sagen? It asks for the content of what the speaker should say. Use Was at the start of a question when asking which information or words are needed.
soll Soll means “should” or “am supposed to” in Was soll ich sagen? The speaker asks what they are expected or advised to say. Use Was soll ich + infinitive when asking what action or words are appropriate.
sagen Sagen means “to say” in Was soll ich sagen? It is the action the speaker is asking about. Use it after a verb such as soll when asking what someone should say.
wenn Wenn means “when” in wenn ich anrufe, introducing the situation in which the speaker will say something. It starts a clause about making the call. Use wenn + a clause when referring to a repeated or expected situation.
anrufe Anrufe means “call” in wenn ich anrufe, referring to the speaker’s call to the clinic. It is the exact form of anrufen used with Ich inside the wenn-clause, where the verb appears at the end. Use it in a clause beginning with wenn when saying when you call.
Sag Sag means “tell” or “say” as a direct instruction in Sag ihnen. It addresses one person informally and tells them what to communicate. Use Sag + the person or content when instructing someone informally to say something.
ihnen Ihnen means “them” in Sag ihnen, referring to the clinic staff. It identifies the people who should receive the information. Use it with verbs of telling or giving when the recipients are several people or a group.
dass Dass means “that” and introduces the information the speaker should tell the clinic. In Sag ihnen, dass du dich nicht gut fühlst, it connects the instruction with the message. Use dass to introduce a complete reported statement.
dich Dich is the reflexive part of fühlst dich in fühlst dich nicht gut, referring back to the person being addressed. The whole expression means “feel unwell.” Use dich with fühlst when describing how one informal singular person feels.
nicht Nicht means “not” in dich nicht gut fühlst and reverses the positive description gut. Together, nicht gut fühlen means “feel unwell.” Use nicht before a description when negating it.
gut Gut means “well” in dich nicht gut fühlst, so the phrase says that the person does not feel well. Its meaning here comes from the complete expression nicht gut fühlen. Use gut after fühlen or fühlen sich when describing a good condition, with nicht when expressing the opposite.
fühlst Fühlst means “feel” in du dich nicht gut fühlst. It is the form used with du, together with the reflexive word dich. Use du fühlst dich + a description to ask or say how one informal person feels.
Arzt Arzt means “doctor” in einen Arzt sehen. It is the medical professional the speaker would like to see. Use it when explaining that you need to see a doctor.
sehen Sehen means “to see” in einen Arzt sehen, referring to having an appointment with a doctor. It is used after möchtest as the infinitive. Use möchtest + sehen when saying that you would like to see someone.
möchtest Möchtest means “would like” in einen Arzt sehen möchtest. It expresses the addressed person’s wish to see a doctor and is used with the infinitive sehen. Use du möchtest + an infinitive to state what one informal person would like to do.
möchte Möchte means “would like” in Ich möchte auch fragen, expressing the speaker’s wish to ask another question. It is used with the infinitive fragen. Use Ich möchte + an infinitive when politely stating what you would like to do.
auch Auch means “also” in Ich möchte auch fragen, adding another question to the earlier request. It shows that asking about available times is an additional intention. Use it when adding a further action or piece of information.
fragen Fragen means “to ask” in Ich möchte auch fragen. It is the action the speaker wants to carry out about appointment availability. Use it after möchte and before the information you want to ask about.
wann Wann means “when” or “what time” in wann noch Termine frei sind. It asks about the times at which appointments are available. Use wann to ask about a time or schedule.
noch Noch means “still” or “additionally” in wann noch Termine frei sind, suggesting that some further appointment times may remain available. It modifies the idea of available appointments. Use it when asking whether something remains or is available in addition to what is already known.
Termine Termine means “appointments” in wann noch Termine frei sind. It refers to the possible appointment slots at the clinic. Use the plural form when asking about several available appointment times.
frei Frei means “available” in Termine frei sind, describing appointment slots that can still be booked. It is used with Termine to express availability. Use frei with appointments, times, or spaces that are not yet occupied.
sind Sind means “are” in Termine frei sind, linking the plural subject Termine with the description frei. It appears at the end of the indirect question introduced by wann. Use it with plural subjects when describing their state or availability.
Das Das means “that” in Das hilft ihnen, referring to asking about available times. It is the subject of the sentence and points back to the previous idea. Use Das at the start of a sentence when referring to an action or situation just mentioned.
hilft Hilft means “helps” in Das hilft ihnen, einen Termin zu finden. It explains that the information will make the clinic staff’s task easier. Use hilft with a person who benefits and an action or result that is supported.
zu Zu marks the infinitive in einen Termin zu finden, expressing the action that the help makes possible. It belongs with finden in the construction hilft ihnen, einen Termin zu finden. Use zu + an infinitive after certain expressions that describe an intended or possible action.
finden Finden means “to find” in einen Termin zu finden. Here it describes locating an appointment that suits the person. Use it with the object being found, such as einen Termin finden.
für Für means “for” in der für dich passt, showing whom the appointment suits. It is used in the phrase für dich. Use für + a person when saying that something is suitable or intended for them.
passt Passt means “works” or “suits” in der für dich passt. It says that the appointment is suitable for the person. Use passt für + a person when talking about a time or arrangement that suits someone.
rufe Rufe means “call” in Ich rufe jetzt in der Arztpraxis an. It is the verb form used with Ich, while the particle an appears at the end. Use Ich rufe ... an when saying that you are calling someone or a place now.
jetzt Jetzt means “now” in Ich rufe jetzt in der Arztpraxis an. It specifies that the call will happen immediately or at the current moment. Use it to place an action in the present time.
an An is the separable particle of anrufen in Ich rufe jetzt in der Arztpraxis an. It completes the meaning “call” and is placed at the end of this main clause. Use it together with a conjugated form of anrufen, keeping an at the end of a main clause.
Schreib Schreib means “write” as an informal singular instruction in Schreib deine Symptome auf. It tells one person to make a written note. Use Schreib + an object when telling someone informally to write something down.
deine Deine means “your” in deine Symptome, identifying the symptoms as belonging to the person being addressed. It comes directly before Symptome. Use it before a noun when referring to something belonging to one informal singular person.
Symptome Symptome means “symptoms” in deine Symptome aufschreiben. These are the health problems the person should record before calling. Use it when listing or describing physical signs to a medical professional.
auf Auf is the separable particle of aufschreiben in Schreib deine Symptome auf. It completes the meaning “write down” and appears at the end of the instruction. Use it with a conjugated form of aufschreiben, placing auf at the end of a main clause.
damit Damit means “so that” in damit du sie klar erklären kannst. It introduces the purpose of writing the symptoms down. Use damit + a clause to explain the intended result of an action.
sie Sie means “them” in damit du sie klar erklären kannst, referring back to Symptome. It is the thing that can be explained clearly. Use sie when referring to previously mentioned plural items.
klar Klar means “clearly” in sie klar erklären, describing how the symptoms should be explained. It modifies the action erklären. Use klar with communication verbs when emphasizing that information should be understandable.
erklären Erklären means “to explain” in sie klar erklären. It describes communicating the symptoms in an understandable way. It is used after kannst as the infinitive, with the information being explained as its object.
kannst Kannst means “can” in du sie klar erklären kannst, expressing the person’s ability to explain the symptoms. It is used with the infinitive erklären at the end of the damit-clause. Use du kannst + an infinitive when saying what one informal person is able to do.

Grammar Points

trennbare Verben: anrufen / aufschreiben → Präfix am Satzende

Schreib die Symptome auf.

shryb dee zymp-TOH-muh owf.

Write down the symptoms.

Bei trennbaren Verben steht das Präfix im Hauptsatz am Ende: aufschreiben → Schreib ... auf.

sich fühlen + Reflexivpronomen: sich fühlen → fühle mich

Ich fühle mich müde.

ikh FYOO-luh mikh MYOO-duh.

I feel tired.

Das Reflexivpronomen gehört zum Verb und richtet sich nach der Person: ich fühle mich.

German Vocabulary

anrufen verb
AHN-roo-fen to call
bitten verb
BIT-ten to ask for; to request

um einen Termin bitten

der Arzt noun
dair AHRRTS doctor einen Arzt
der Husten noun
dair HOO-sten cough Husten
der Termin noun
dair tair-MEEN appointment einen Termin
die Arztpraxis noun
dee ARRTS-prahk-sees medical practice; doctor's office Arztpraxis
fragen verb
FRAH-gen to ask
haben verb
HAH-ben to have habe
müde adj
MYOO-duh tired
sagen verb
ZAH-gen to say; to tell
sich fühlen verb
zikh FYOO-len to feel fühle mich
wenn conj
venn when; if

Quiz

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

to ask for; to request

Show Answerbitten

tired

Show Answermüde

medical practice; doctor's office

Show AnswerArztpraxis

to have

Show Answerhabe