We all enjoy the Italian sunshine but sometimes we stay out in it too long, especially if we come from countries where we don’t get much sun! Those pesky mosquitoes sometimes come around, too.
Here’s what to say at the pharmacy
We looked at some basic phrases for saying what is wrong when we studied the verb avere.
You can also say:
Mi fa male plus the part of your body which hurts , eg:
Mi fa male la gamba – My leg hurts
Here is a list of some parts of the body:
La caviglia – ankle
La gamba – leg
Il ginocchio – knee [the cc is hard, like a k sound]
Il piede - foot
La mano -. hand
Il dito – finger [plural: le dita]
L’unghia – nail [the g is hard, as in “go”]
La braccia – arm [the cc is soft, like a ch sound in English]
Il polso – wrist
La spalla – shoulder
La schiena – back [hard c, like a k sound]
Lo stomaco – stomach
La testa – head
L’occhio – eye [hard cc]
Il naso – nose
La bocca – mouth [hard cc]
L’orecchio – ear [hard cc]
To ask for a medicine for a particular ailment you can say:
Ha qualcosa contro il mal di plus body part eg:
Ha qualcosa contro il mal di testa? - Do you have something for a headache?
In summer, you may want to ask
Ha qualcosa contro la scottatura solare? – Do you have something for sunburn?
or, if you want to be prepared:
Ha una crema antisolare?
Do you have a suncream?
You may hear:
Alta protezione? - High protection factor?
An insect repellent is
Un insettifugo
So you can say:
Ha un insettifugo, per favore? – Do you have an insect repellent, please?
If you have been bitten by mosquitoes, you can say:
Ha qualcosa contro le punture di zanzare, per favore?
You may hear:
Applichi questa unguento tre volte al giorno – Apply this cream three times a day.
We all get “holiday tummy” sometimes and if you have diarrhoea, you can ask:
Ha qualcosa contro la diarrea, per favore?
Or, if you have the opposite problem:
Ha un lassativo, per favore?
You may hear:
Prenda queste compresse due volte al giorno, dopo i pasti / prima dei pasti - Take these pills twice a day after / before meals.
If you hear the word
digiuno
you must take the medicine on an empty stomach .
A pharmacist may also ask you if you have any allergies :
Ha qualche allergia?
If you have an allergy to a medicine, you can say it in English as medical terms are usually similar, for example, “penicillina”.
If you have to tell the pharmacist you are pregnant , you say:
Sono incinta [The c is soft, like a ch in English.]
Other useful words are:
I cerotti – plasters
Una benda – a bandage
Pharmacists are always very helpful in Italy and they will give you good advice.
