Ik heb hoofdpijn
I have a headache
Usage
Basic phrase to describe a headache to a doctor or pharmacist
Grammar Note
Combine "pijn" (pain) with body parts: "buikpijn" (stomachache), "kiespijn" (toothache)
Ik moet naar een dokter
I need to see a doctor
Usage
Used to ask hotel staff or others for help finding a doctor
Grammar Note
Also say "naar een huisarts" (general practitioner) or "naar het ziekenhuis" (to the hospital)
Heeft u dit medicijn?
Do you have this medicine?
Usage
Used at a pharmacy while showing the medicine name or packaging
Grammar Note
Dutch pharmacies are "apotheek". A "drogisterij" is a drugstore selling only OTC products
Ik ben allergisch voor noten
I am allergic to nuts
Usage
Used at restaurants or food shops to communicate an allergy
Grammar Note
Use "allergisch voor ~" for any allergen: "gluten", "lactose", "pinda's" (peanuts), "zeevruchten" (seafood)
Ik heb koorts
I have a fever
Usage
Used to inform a doctor or others about a fever
Grammar Note
Add intensity: "hoge koorts" (high fever), "lage koorts" (low-grade fever)
Bel een ambulance, alstublieft
Please call an ambulance
Usage
Used in medical emergencies. Dutch emergency number is 112
Grammar Note
In emergencies, also know "Help!" and "112 bellen" (call 112). Police/fire/ambulance all use 112 in the Netherlands
Ik voel me misselijk
I feel nauseous
Usage
Used to describe nausea to a doctor or others
Grammar Note
"Ik voel me ~" expresses how you feel: "moe" (tired), "duizelig" (dizzy), "zwak" (weak)
Spreekt u Engels?
Do you speak English?
Usage
Used at medical facilities to find English-speaking staff. Most Dutch medical staff speak English
Grammar Note
The Netherlands has one of the highest English proficiency rates in the world; most medical staff speak English
Ik heb diarree
I have diarrhea
Usage
Used to describe gastrointestinal symptoms to a doctor
Grammar Note
Also useful: "maagpijn" (stomach pain), "buikkrampen" (stomach cramps), "braken" (vomiting)
Kunt u een recept uitschrijven?
Could you write a prescription?
Usage
Politely asks a doctor to write a prescription after a consultation
Grammar Note
Prescriptions in the Netherlands are filled at an "apotheek". A "huisarts" (GP) writes the "recept"
Ik ben zwanger
I am pregnant
Usage
Show this first at a clinic or pharmacy: it changes which medicines, X-rays, and anaesthetics are safe
Grammar Note
"Zwanger" is an adjective and does not inflect here; give the week as "in week 12"
astma
Asthma
Usage
Point to this to tell a doctor or pharmacist about a chronic condition
Grammar Note
A "het" word, but normally used without an article as in "Ik heb astma"; an inhaler is "de inhalator"
diabetes
Diabetes
Usage
Point to this to declare the condition, also when explaining dietary limits
Grammar Note
Used without an article as a condition name; the everyday word is also "suikerziekte"
hoge bloeddruk
High blood pressure
Usage
Point to this to tell a doctor or pharmacist about high blood pressure
Grammar Note
Low blood pressure is "lage bloeddruk"; blood pressure itself is "de bloeddruk"
de hartziekte
Heart disease
Usage
Point to this to declare a heart condition; show it first in an emergency
Grammar Note
A "de" word; a heart attack is "de hartaanval", a different word
epilepsie
Epilepsy
Usage
Point to this to declare the condition, or to warn bystanders about seizures
Grammar Note
Used without an article as a condition name; a seizure is "de aanval"
de zorgverzekering
Health insurance
Usage
Point to this when reception asks about insurance; travel insurance is "de reisverzekering"
Grammar Note
A "de" word; Belgium's public health insurance body is called "de mutualiteit", a different term
de botbreuk
Bone fracture
Usage
Point to this to tell A&E or a doctor you may have broken a bone
Grammar Note
A "de" compound of "bot" (bone) and "breuk" (break); "broken" is "gebroken"
kortademig
Short of breath
Usage
Point to this when you cannot get enough air — exactly the moment you cannot speak
Grammar Note
An adjective. Colloquial benauwd also means anxious or stuffy, so kortademig makes the breathing sense clearer.
duizelig
Dizzy
Usage
Point to this for dizziness or light-headedness
Grammar Note
An adjective; in a sentence, "Ik ben duizelig" or "Ik voel me duizelig"
de bloeding
Bleeding
Usage
Point to this to report bleeding at A&E or a pharmacy
Grammar Note
A "de" word; as a verb, "Ik bloed" means "I am bleeding"
de brandwond
Burn
Usage
Point to this to report a burn; sunburn is "zonnebrand"
Grammar Note
A "de" compound of "brand" (fire) and "wond" (wound)
de wond
Wound
Usage
Point to this to show a cut or open wound
Grammar Note
A "de" word; a cut is "de snijwond" and a graze is "de schaafwond"
het oor
Ear
Usage
Body-part word for earache or hearing trouble; earache is "oorpijn"
Grammar Note
A "het" word; plural "de oren"
de nek
Neck
Usage
Body-part word for a stiff or painful neck; neck pain is "nekpijn"
Grammar Note
A "de" word for the back of the neck; the front is "de hals" and the swallowing throat is "de keel"
de schouder
Shoulder
Usage
Body-part word for shoulder pain
Grammar Note
A "de" word; plural "de schouders"
de knie
Knee
Usage
Body-part word for a painful or injured knee
Grammar Note
A "de" word; plural "de knieën" with a diaeresis
de vinger
Finger
Usage
Body-part word for an injured finger
Grammar Note
A "de" word for fingers only; a toe is "de teen", a separate word — Dutch does not use one word for both
de huid
Skin
Usage
Point to this to raise a skin problem with a doctor or pharmacist
Grammar Note
A "de" word; a dermatologist is "de dermatoloog"
de arm
Arm
Usage
Body-part word for a painful or injured arm; the hand itself is "de hand"
Grammar Note
A "de" word; plural "de armen"
de neus
Nose
Usage
Body-part word for a blocked or bleeding nose; a nosebleed is "de bloedneus"
Grammar Note
A "de" word; a runny nose is "de loopneus"
de hoest
Cough
Usage
Point to this to report a cough to a doctor or pharmacist
Grammar Note
A "de" word; cough syrup is "de hoestdrank"
de jeuk
Itch
Usage
Point to this for itching; in a sentence, "Ik heb jeuk"
Grammar Note
A "de" word; an insect bite is "de insectenbeet"
de huiduitslag
Skin rash
Usage
Point to this to report a rash to a doctor or pharmacist
Grammar Note
A de word, shortened to de uitslag, but uitslag also means result. huiduitslag makes the rash meaning explicit.
de verstopping
Constipation
Usage
The word for constipation at a pharmacy or clinic; "verstopping" also means a blockage of any kind (a drain, a blocked nose), so use it where the context is medical
Grammar Note
A "de" word; the medical term is "obstipatie", which only ever means constipation
de menstruatie
Menstruation / Period
Usage
The word for a period at a pharmacy or clinic; everyday Dutch says "Ik ben ongesteld" and Flemish Belgians say "de maandstonden", but "menstruatie" is understood in both
Grammar Note
A "de" word; period pain is "de menstruatiepijn" or "de buikkrampen"
de bloedgroep
Blood type
Usage
Show this when asked about transfusions; Rh positive is "resuspositief", negative "resusnegatief"
Grammar Note
A compound of "bloed" (blood) and "groep" (group); article "de", plural "bloedgroepen"
de doktersverklaring
Medical certificate
Usage
Ask for the document an insurer or airline needs; in Belgium it is usually called "het medisch attest"
Grammar Note
A compound of "dokter", the linking "s", and "verklaring" (statement, certificate); article "de"
de ziekenhuisopname
Hospital admission
Usage
Use when asking whether you must be admitted; "opname" alone can also mean a recording, so keep "ziekenhuis"
Grammar Note
A compound of "ziekenhuis" (hospital) and "opname" (admission); article "de", plural "ziekenhuisopnames" or "-opnamen"
koude rillingen
Chills
Usage
The shivering that comes with a fever; used as "Ik heb koude rillingen."
Grammar Note
Inflected "koud" (cold) plus the plural of "rilling" (shiver); the symptom is normally named in the plural, the singular being "de koude rilling"
de verkoudheid
Common cold
Usage
Show this at a pharmacy to ask for cold medicine; influenza is a different word, "de griep"
Grammar Note
Feminine noun from "verkouden" (having a cold) plus "-heid"; "I have a cold" is "Ik ben verkouden"
Bel een dokter, alstublieft
Please call a doctor
Usage
Ask whoever is present to call a doctor
Grammar Note
The frame of ("Bel een ambulance, alstublieft") with "dokter" from ("Ik heb een dokter nodig") filled in; "Bel" is the imperative of "bellen"
Het doet hier pijn
It hurts here
Usage
Show this while pointing at the spot — it works without knowing the body part's name
Grammar Note
Uses pijn doen, to hurt, as in Mijn rug doet pijn, with subject het. hier, here, goes between doet … pijn.
Ik voel me zwak
I feel weak
Usage
Describe an all-over lack of strength to a doctor
Grammar Note
Ik voel me + adjective, as in Ik voel me misselijk. zwak means lacking strength or ability, distinct from the tiredness in Ik ben moe.
Ik heb een paar keer overgegeven
I have vomited several times
Usage
Tell a doctor how often you have vomited — it guides the check for dehydration
Grammar Note
overgeven means bringing up stomach contents. Reflexive zich overgeven means surrender, so no me for vomiting. keer counts times, as in Nog een keer, alstublieft. paar means several but not many.
Heb ik rust nodig?
Do I need to rest?
Usage
Ask the doctor after an examination whether you must rest
Grammar Note
The frame of Heb ik een recept nodig?, with nodig hebben as in Ik heb een dokter nodig. rust is temporary relaxation and recovery after work or effort. The verb is rusten, as in Laten we even rusten.
de diarree
Diarrhea
Usage
Names diarrhea, a bowel disorder causing loose stool. Show as the symptom to a doctor or pharmacist.
Grammar Note
A "de" word (feminine), a medical term of French origin. When stating a symptom the article is dropped, as in "Ik heb diarree". Constipation is a separate word, "verstopping"
de poep
Poop
Usage
Everyday word parents use with children for waste from human or animal bowels. With a doctor, de ontlasting, stool, is more neutral and euphemistic.
Grammar Note
A de word. Verb poepen, as in nodig moest poepen. Colloquial poep also means nonsense, Jij praat poep, but here means feces.
de urine
Urine
Usage
The neutral word for urine; show it at an examination to point out something wrong with it. The everyday "plas" also means a puddle or a small lake, so it is not used here
Grammar Note
A de word, both masculine and feminine, from Latin. Urinating is plassen, as in ik moet plassen.
Ik heb last van verstopping
I'm constipated
Usage
Tell a doctor or pharmacist you are constipated. last hebben van verstopping means being bothered by constipation.
Grammar Note
"Last hebben van …" means "to be bothered by …" and works for symptoms in general. Because "verstopping" can also mean a blocked drain, the "Ik heb last van" frame and the clinic or pharmacy setting fix the meaning. The medical term is "obstipatie"
Ik moet plassen
I need to pee
Usage
Plainly tell a companion or child you need to pee, neither stiff nor rude. plassen means passing liquid bodily waste through the urethra.
Grammar Note
The verb after the modal "moeten" takes the bare infinitive, without "te". It covers both obligation and a bodily urge. The verb "plassen" has the sense of urinating, separate from the noun "plas" (puddle)
Ik moet poepen
I need to poop
Usage
Plainly tell a companion or child you need to poop, neither stiff nor rude. Uses the verb in nodig moest poepen.
Grammar Note
After modal moeten, use the bare infinitive without te. poepen means passing feces or doing one’s business; noun poep, de poep.
More Dutch phrases
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