At the German Pharmacy — Apotheke Vocabulary
After this lesson you can describe a symptom and ask for something to treat it.
Do this first: W-questions
Übungen
Eight exercises on what you just watched. Get 80% and the lesson is marked done and added to your A1 progress.
1 / 8 · Word order
Put the words in the right order.
Do you have something for a cough?
2 / 8 · Word order
Put the words in the right order.
Is that available without a prescription?
3 / 8 · Choose
What is die Apotheke?
4 / 8 · Choose
How do you say "I have a headache"?
5 / 8 · Choose
What are Halsschmerzen?
6 / 8 · Choose
What are Bauchschmerzen?
7 / 8 · Choose
What are Zahnschmerzen?
8 / 8 · Choose
How do you ask for something for a cough?
In short
The two sentences you need are Ich habe … (I have a…) and Haben Sie etwas gegen …? (do you have something for…?). Ich habe Kopfschmerzen. Haben Sie etwas gegen Husten? Rezeptfrei means over the counter; verschreibungspflichtig means prescription only.
How it works
The German Apotheke is not a shop you browse. Almost everything is behind the counter, including painkillers, so you have to describe what is wrong — which makes this the most practical possible use of the question forms from lesson 30.
Symptoms use haben, in a pattern you have already met: Ich habe Kopfschmerzen, Ich habe Halsschmerzen, Ich habe Fieber. Note that -schmerzen (pains) is plural and attaches to the body part: Kopf + schmerzen, Hals + schmerzen, Bauch + schmerzen, Zahn + schmerzen. Learn the compound and you have the whole family.
To ask for a remedy, use gegen — literally "against": Haben Sie etwas gegen Husten? Two words decide whether you can have it: rezeptfrei (available without prescription) and verschreibungspflichtig (prescription only). And note the Notdienst — every area has one pharmacy on rotating night and Sunday duty, posted on the door of all the others.
| German | English |
|---|---|
| Ich habe Kopfschmerzen. | I have a headache. |
| Ich habe Halsschmerzen. | I have a sore throat. |
| Ich habe Bauchschmerzen. | I have stomach ache. |
| Ich habe Zahnschmerzen. | I have toothache. |
| Ich habe Fieber. | I have a temperature. |
| Ich habe Husten. | I have a cough. |
| Ich habe Schnupfen. | I have a runny nose / cold. |
| Mir ist schlecht. | I feel sick. |
| German | English |
|---|---|
| Haben Sie etwas gegen Husten? | Do you have something for a cough? |
| Ist das rezeptfrei? | Is that available without a prescription? |
| Wie oft soll ich das nehmen? | How often should I take it? |
| Hat das Nebenwirkungen? | Does it have side effects? |
| Ich brauche etwas für ein Kind. | I need something for a child. |
| Wo ist die Notdienst-Apotheke? | Where is the emergency pharmacy? |
| German | English |
|---|---|
| die Tablette | tablet |
| der Hustensaft | cough syrup |
| die Salbe | ointment, cream |
| die Tropfen | drops |
| das Pflaster | plaster |
| das Rezept | prescription |
| die Packungsbeilage | patient information leaflet |
Examples
- Guten Tag, ich habe Kopfschmerzen.Hello, I have a headache.
- Haben Sie etwas gegen Husten?Do you have something for a cough?
- Ist das rezeptfrei?Is that available without a prescription?
- Wie oft soll ich das nehmen?How often should I take it?
- Zweimal täglich nach dem Essen.Twice a day after meals.
- Hat das Nebenwirkungen?Does it have side effects?
- Ich brauche etwas für ein Kind.I need something for a child.
- Mir ist schlecht.I feel sick.
- Ich habe seit drei Tagen Fieber.I have had a temperature for three days.
- Wo ist die Notdienst-Apotheke?Where is the emergency pharmacy?
Mistakes to avoid
✗ Looking for painkillers on a shelf
✓ Asking at the counter
German pharmacies keep almost everything behind the counter, including paracetamol and ibuprofen. There is nothing to browse.
✗ Ich bin Kopfschmerzen.
✓ Ich habe Kopfschmerzen.
Symptoms take haben, like Hunger and Durst. This is the pattern from lesson 11 in a very practical setting.
✗ Confusing Apotheke and Drogerie
✓ Apotheke for medicine
A Drogerie (dm, Rossmann) sells toiletries and vitamins but no medicines. For anything medical you need an Apotheke.
✗ Expecting a pharmacy open on Sunday
✓ Finding the Notdienst
Almost all pharmacies close on Sundays and at night. One in each area is on duty, and its address is posted on every other pharmacy door.
Wortschatz
The words from this lesson.
| die Apotheke | pharmacy | |
| das Medikament | medicine | |
| die Tablette | tablet | |
| das Rezept | prescription | |
| rezeptfrei | over the counter | |
| die Schmerzen | pain | plural |
| der Husten | cough | |
| das Fieber | fever, temperature | |
| die Nebenwirkung | side effect | |
| der Notdienst | emergency / out-of-hours service |
Kulturnotiz
The German Apotheke is a regulated profession, not a shop: pharmacies are independently owned, cannot be run as chains, and everything medical sits behind the counter. Even paracetamol requires you to ask. The upside is that the pharmacist is a trained adviser who will genuinely help you work out what you need — describing your symptoms is expected, not an imposition, and it is often faster than seeing a doctor.
Common questions
+How do I describe a symptom?
Ich habe plus the symptom: Ich habe Kopfschmerzen, Ich habe Fieber, Ich habe Husten. Symptoms take haben, just like Hunger and Durst.
+How do I ask for a remedy?
Haben Sie etwas gegen …? — "do you have something against…". Haben Sie etwas gegen Husten? It is the standard phrasing at any counter.
+What is the difference between Apotheke and Drogerie?
An Apotheke dispenses medicines and is staffed by pharmacists. A Drogerie (dm, Rossmann) sells toiletries, cosmetics and vitamins but no medicines at all.
+What do I do if pharmacies are closed?
Find the Notdienst — the rotating out-of-hours pharmacy. Its address is posted on the door of every closed pharmacy and listed online by postcode.