Sickness and pain
Krankheit und Schmerz
- Express sickness and pain.
- Express your medical condition at the doctor's office.
- modal adverbs
This lesson covers common symptoms like Fieber (fever) and Kopfschmerzen (headaches), and useful words for doctor visits such as der Doktor and das Medikament, helping you describe sickness and pain in German.
Vocabulary (19) Share Copied!
Exercises Share Copied!
These exercises can be done together during conversation lessons or as homework.
Exercise 1: Reorder sentences
Instruction: Make correct sentences and translate.
Exercise 2: Match a word
Instruction: Match the translations
Exercise 3: Cluster the words
Instruction: Sort the following words into two categories: symptoms or people and things at the doctor.
Symptome
Personen und Dinge beim Arzt
Exercise 4: Translate and use in a sentence
Instruction: Pick a word, translated and use the word in a sentence or dialogue.
1
Husten
To cough
2
Der Schmerz
The pain
3
Das Medikament
The medicine
4
Gesund
Healthy
5
Schnell
Fast
Übung 5: Conversation exercise
Anleitung:
- Describe the symptoms of each person. (Describe the symptoms of each person.)
- Play a dialogue at the doctor's office. (Play a dialogue at the doctor's office.)
Teaching guidelines +/- 10 minutes
Example phrases:
|
Er hat Schmerzen im Nacken. He has pain in the neck. |
|
Sie haben Fieber. You have a fever. |
|
Mein Rücken tut weh. My back hurts. |
|
Wo tut es weh? Where does it hurt? |
|
Ich habe Husten. I have a cough. |
|
Ich habe Kopfschmerzen. I have a headache. |
|
Ich habe Bauchschmerzen. I have a stomachache. |
|
Mir ist übel. I feel nauseous. |
| ... |
Exercise 6: Dialogue Cards
Instruction: Select a situation and practice the conversation with your teacher or fellow students.
Exercise 7: Multiple Choice
Instruction: Choose the correct solution
1. Ich ______ leider heute sehr viel.
(I ______ unfortunately a lot today.)2. Der Arzt sagt, dass ich Ruhe ______.
(The doctor says that I ______ need rest.)3. Vielleicht ______ ich das Medikament gegen die Halsschmerzen.
(Maybe ______ I will take the medicine for the sore throat.)4. Du solltest ______ heute zu Hause bleiben.
(You should ______ definitely stay at home today.)Exercise 8: At the Doctor's Because of Illness
Instruction:
Verb Tables
Husten - to cough
Präsens
- ich huste
- du hustest
- er/sie/es hustet
- wir husten
- ihr hustet
- sie/Sie husten
Anrufen - to call
Präsens
- ich rufe an
- du rufst an
- er/sie/es ruft an
- wir rufen an
- ihr ruft an
- sie/Sie rufen an
Kommen - to come
Präsens
- ich komme
- du kommst
- er/sie/es kommt
- wir kommen
- ihr kommt
- sie/Sie kommen
Haben - to have
Präsens
- ich habe
- du hast
- er/sie/es hat
- wir haben
- ihr habt
- sie/Sie haben
Werden - to become
Präsens
- ich werde
- du wirst
- er/sie/es wird
- wir werden
- ihr werdet
- sie/Sie werden
Exercise 9: Modaladverbien
Instruction: Fill in the correct word.
Grammar: Modal adverbs
Show translation Show answersvorsichtig, Vielleicht, Wahrscheinlich, Leider, bestimmt, Bestimmt, schnell, sehr
Grammar Share Copied!
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Verb conjugation tables for this lesson Share Copied!
Husten to cough Share Copied!
prasens
| German | English |
|---|---|
| (ich) huste | I cough |
| (du) hustest | You cough |
| (er/sie/es) hustet | he/she/it coughs |
| (wir) husten | we cough |
| (ihr) hustet | you cough |
| (sie) husten | they cough |
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Overview of the Lesson: Sickness and Pain
This lesson introduces essential vocabulary, expressions, and grammar related to describing illness symptoms and visiting the doctor in German, suitable for A1 learners. It focuses especially on modal adverbs and how to talk about experiencing pain and sickness.
Key Vocabulary: Symptoms and Medical Terms
Building your word bank is crucial. You will learn important German terms for common symptoms such as:
- das Fieber (fever)
- der Schmerz (pain)
- der Schnupfen (runny nose)
- die Halsschmerzen (sore throat)
- die Bauchschmerzen (stomach pain)
- die Kopfschmerzen (headache)
You will also become familiar with people and items related to medical visits such as der Doktor (doctor) and das Medikament (medicine).
Practice: Useful Sentences and Dialogues
The lesson includes practical dialogues for real-life scenarios, such as:
- Waiting room conversations explaining symptoms
- Describing pain and illnesses to the doctor
- Buying pain medication at the pharmacy and asking about usage
Examples include:
Ich habe heute Bauchschmerzen und vielleicht Fieber.
Der Doktor sagt, ich soll das Medikament zweimal am Tag nehmen.
Grammar Highlight: Verb Conjugations and Modal Adverbs
You will review commonly used verbs in the present tense related to sickness (e.g., husten - to cough, haben - to have, werden - to become) and practice filling in gaps to build correct sentence structures.
Modal adverbs such as leider (unfortunately), vielleicht (perhaps), and bestimmt (definitely) are emphasized to help express degrees of certainty or feelings about sickness.
Short Story and Verb Tables
A short story illustrates the use of verbs in context with a patient explaining symptoms and the doctor's advice. Verb tables provide conjugations to support correct usage in similar sentences.
Instruction Language vs. German: Differences and Useful Phrases
In English, explanations of symptoms often separate subject and verb clearly, while in German modal adverbs can be inserted in various positions to nuance meaning, such as Ich habe leider heute Fieber (I unfortunately have a fever today). Notice that German uses specific words for different types of pain (Bauchschmerzen for stomach ache vs. Kopfschmerzen for headache), while English often uses general terms.
Useful phrases include:
Ich fühle mich sehr krank. - I feel very sick.
Der Doktor sagt, ich soll das Medikament nehmen. - The doctor says I should take the medicine.
Kannst du mich bitte anrufen? - Can you please call me?
This lesson equips you with practical vocabulary, helpful expressions, and the grammatical foundation to discuss sickness confidently in German.
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