Wizyta u lekarza
At the doctor's office · a free Polish immersion capsule
Useful sentences · 10
Phrases you'll actually use today. Tap Explain for the why behind each one.
Od trzech dni mam kaszel i gorączkę.
I've had a cough and a fever for three days.
Literal From three days I have a cough and a fever.
Polish uses 'od' (for/since) with the genitive and present tense to describe an ongoing symptom — where English uses the perfect tense.
- od + genitive for ongoing duration
- present tense mam (I have) pairs with od
- accusative after mam: kaszel, gorączkę
Boli mnie głowa i gardło.
My head and throat hurt.
Literal It hurts me head and throat.
'Boli' is an impersonal verb; the body part is the grammatical subject (nominative) and the person is in the dative case (mnie = me).
- impersonal boli + nominative body part
- dative mnie = me
- boli (one thing hurts) vs. bolą (multiple things hurt)
Proszę otworzyć usta i powiedzieć 'aaa'.
Please open your mouth and say 'aah'.
Literal Please to-open mouth and to-say 'aaa'.
'Proszę + infinitive' is the standard polite command form doctors use — softer than a direct imperative.
- proszę + infinitive as polite imperative
- infinitives: otworzyć, powiedzieć
- usta is plural (mouths used as singular in Polish)
Proszę wziąć głęboki oddech.
Please take a deep breath.
Literal Please take a deep breath.
'Wziąć' is a perfective verb meaning to take (once). 'Głęboki' (deep) agrees with the masculine noun 'oddech'.
- proszę + infinitive (polite command)
- wziąć = perfective take
- głęboki agrees with masculine noun oddech
Czy jest Pani uczulona na jakieś leki?
Are you allergic to any medications?
Literal Whether is Lady allergic to any medicines?
Formal Polish replaces 'ty' (you) with 'Pani' (Mrs./Ms.) + third-person verb. 'Uczulona' is feminine to match Pani.
- formal address: Pani/Pan + third-person verb
- uczulona (fem.) / uczulony (masc.)
- na + accusative = allergic to
Nie biorę żadnych leków na stałe.
I don't take any medications regularly.
Literal I don't take any medicines permanently.
After negation, Polish switches to the genitive case. 'Żadnych leków' (genitive plural) replaces what would be accusative in a positive sentence.
- genitive after negation: żadnych leków
- na stałe = on a permanent basis / regularly
- biorę = first-person singular of brać (to take)
Wygląda na to, że ma Pani anginę.
It looks like you have strep throat.
Literal It looks like that has Lady angina.
'Wygląda na to, że' introduces a concluding observation. Formal 'Pani' continues with third-person 'ma'. 'Anginę' is the accusative form.
- wygląda na to, że + clause
- formal Pani + third-person ma
- anginę = accusative of angina
Przepiszę Pani antybiotyk i środek na ból gardła.
I'll prescribe you an antibiotic and a remedy for sore throat.
Literal I will prescribe Lady antibiotic and remedy for pain of throat.
'Przepiszę' is future perfective (a single completed action). 'Pani' in dative means 'to you (formal)'. 'Bólu gardła' uses genitive for possession.
- future perfective: przepiszę = I will prescribe
- dative Pani = to you (formal)
- genitive: bólu gardła = of throat pain
Powinna Pani odpoczywać przez co najmniej tydzień.
You should rest for at least a week.
Literal Should Lady rest for at least a week.
'Powinna' is the feminine modal for 'should', used here with formal Pani. 'Przez + accusative' expresses duration of an action.
- powinna (fem.) / powinien (masc.) = should
- przez + accusative for duration
- przez co najmniej tydzień = for at least a week
Proszę umówić się na wizytę kontrolną za dwa tygodnie.
Please schedule a follow-up appointment in two weeks.
Literal Please make-appointment self for visit follow-up in two weeks.
'Umówić się' is a reflexive perfective verb meaning to make/schedule an appointment. 'Za + accusative' means 'in [time from now]'.
- umówić się = to schedule an appointment (reflexive)
- za + accusative for future time: za dwa tygodnie
- wizyta kontrolna = follow-up visit
New words · 10
Themed vocabulary, each with an example you can borrow.
lekarz
doctor
Lekarz zbadał mnie dokładnie.
The doctor examined me thoroughly.
General word for doctor; 'doktor' also used informally as a title
objawy
symptoms
Jakie objawy Pani odczuwa?
What symptoms do you feel?
Plural of 'objaw'; almost always discussed in the plural in medical contexts
ból
pain
Czuję silny ból głowy.
I feel a strong headache.
Genitive form: bólu. Common in compounds: ból głowy, ból gardła, ból brzucha
kaszel
cough
Mam suchy kaszel od kilku dni.
I've had a dry cough for a few days.
The verb 'kaszleć' means to cough
gorączka
fever
Mam wysoką gorączkę — trzydzieści osiem stopni.
I have a high fever — thirty-eight degrees.
'Mierzyć gorączkę' = to take one's temperature
recepta
prescription
Dostałam receptę na antybiotyk.
I received a prescription for an antibiotic.
'Wypisać receptę' = to write a prescription
wizyta
visit / appointment
Umówiłam się na wizytę do lekarza.
I made an appointment with the doctor.
'Wizyta kontrolna' = follow-up appointment
badanie
examination / test
Lekarz zlecił badanie krwi.
The doctor ordered a blood test.
'Badanie fizykalne' = physical examination; 'badanie krwi' = blood test
oddychać
to breathe
Proszę głęboko oddychać.
Please breathe deeply.
Imperfective; perfective = odetchnąć. 'Wziąć oddech' = to take a breath
angina
strep throat / tonsillitis
Diagnoza to angina bakteryjna.
The diagnosis is bacterial strep throat.
Very commonly diagnosed in Poland; typically treated with antibiotics
Short reading
A tiny story stitched from today's words. Translation is hidden, tap to peek.
Marta przyszła do przychodni z powodu silnego bólu gardła i gorączki. Lekarz poprosił ją, żeby otworzyła usta i wzięła głęboki oddech. Po badaniu wyjaśnił, że ma anginę i że powinna odpoczywać przez kilka dni. Przepisał jej antybiotyk i poprosił, żeby zgłosiła się na wizytę kontrolną za tydzień.
Sentence by sentence
Marta przyszła do przychodni z powodu silnego bólu gardła i gorączki.
Marta came to the clinic because of a severe sore throat and fever.
'Przyszła' is the feminine past perfective of przyjść (to arrive). 'Z powodu' (because of) governs the genitive: silnego bólu gardła, gorączki.
Lekarz poprosił ją, żeby otworzyła usta i wzięła głęboki oddech.
The doctor asked her to open her mouth and take a deep breath.
'Poprosił żeby + past subjunctive' is the standard structure for asking someone to do something. Otworzyła and wzięła are feminine past perfective forms.
Po badaniu wyjaśnił, że ma anginę i że powinna odpoczywać przez kilka dni.
After the examination, he explained that she had strep throat and should rest for a few days.
'Po + locative' means after. Two że-clauses report indirect speech. 'Powinna' is the feminine modal for should, and 'przez kilka dni' (for a few days) uses accusative.
Przepisał jej antybiotyk i poprosił, żeby zgłosiła się na wizytę kontrolną za tydzień.
He prescribed her an antibiotic and asked her to come in for a follow-up appointment in a week.
'Przepisał' = prescribed (past perfective). 'Zgłosić się' = to report/check in (reflexive perfective). 'Za tydzień' = in a week, using za + accusative for future time.
Pattern of the day
One grammar move, explained once, that unlocks dozens of sentences.
Describing How Long Symptoms Have Lasted: od + Genitive + Present Tense
To say how long you have been experiencing an ongoing symptom or state, Polish uses 'od' (for/since) followed by a time expression in the genitive case, combined with the present tense. This differs from English, which uses the perfect tense ('I have had X for…'). The key insight: Polish treats the situation as still present, so you use present tense.
od + [time in genitive] + present tense verb
Od trzech dni mam gorączkę.
I've had a fever for three days.
Ból głowy mam od rana.
I've had a headache since this morning.
Od tygodnia czuję się źle.
I've been feeling unwell for a week.
Kaszel mam od wczoraj.
I've had a cough since yesterday.
Mini practice · 5
Low-pressure, never graded. Just enough to make it stick.
Translate to Polish: 'I have had a cough and fever for three days.'
Hint Use 'od' + genitive + present tense to show how long symptoms have lasted.
Translate to English: 'Przepiszę Pani antybiotyk i środek na ból gardła.'
Hint Przepiszę = I will prescribe; środek = remedy/medicine
Complete the sentence the doctor says: 'Proszę otworzyć usta i powiedzieć ___.'
Hint The doctor wants to check your throat — what sound do you make?
You want to tell the doctor your head and throat hurt. Which sentence is correct?
Rewrite using the 'od + genitive + present tense' pattern: 'My symptoms started two weeks ago and are still ongoing.' (Begin with 'Od dwóch tygodni...')
Hint 'Objawy' means symptoms; 'dwa tygodnie' becomes 'dwóch tygodni' in the genitive after 'od'.
That’s today’s phraseberry.
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