Being able to describe symptoms and communicate health needs is vital when traveling. This lesson covers body parts, common symptoms, pharmacy vocabulary, the dative case for expressing how you feel, and emergency phrases.
Estimated Time: 45–60 minutes
| Russian | Transliteration | English | Russian | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| голова | galava | head | живот | zhivot | stomach |
| глаз / глаза | glas / glaza | eye / eyes | спина | spina | back |
| ухо / уши | ukha / ushi | ear / ears | нога | naga | leg / foot |
| нос | nos | nose | рука | ruka | arm / hand |
| рот | rot | mouth | палец | palyets | finger / toe |
| горло | gorla | throat | колено | kalyena | knee |
| зуб / зубы | zup / zuby | tooth / teeth | сердце | syertse | heart |
Рука means both "arm" and "hand" — Russian doesn't distinguish between them as separate words. Context clarifies which is meant. Similarly, нога means both "leg" and "foot."
| Russian | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| У меня болит голова | U minya balit galava | I have a headache (my head hurts) |
| У меня болит живот | U minya balit zhivot | My stomach hurts |
| У меня болит горло | U minya balit gorla | My throat hurts |
| У меня температура | U minya timpiratura | I have a fever |
| У меня насморк | U minya nasmork | I have a runny nose |
| У меня кашель | U minya kashil' | I have a cough |
| Меня тошнит | Minya tashnit | I feel nauseous |
| Я простудился / простудилась | Ya prastudilsya / prastudilas' | I caught a cold (m/f) |
| Мне плохо | Mnye plokha | I feel bad / I'm unwell |
Russian uses the dative case to express how someone feels:
Мне холодно (I'm cold, lit: "to me it is cold")
Мне жарко (I'm hot)
Мне плохо (I feel bad)
Мне хорошо (I feel good)
The pattern: dative pronoun + adverb. No verb "to be" needed!
| Russian | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| аптека | aptyeka | pharmacy |
| лекарство | likarstva | medicine / medication |
| таблетка | tablyetka | pill / tablet |
| рецепт | ritsept | prescription |
| врач / доктор | vrach / doktar | doctor |
| больница | bal'nitsa | hospital |
| поликлиника | paliklinika | outpatient clinic |
| скорая помощь | skoraya pomashch' | ambulance / emergency services |
| Мне нужен врач | Mnye nuzhin vrach | I need a doctor |
| Вызовите скорую! | Vyzavitye skoruyu! | Call an ambulance! |
💡 Cultural Insight: Russia has a two-tier healthcare system. Поликлиника (polyclinic) is the outpatient clinic for regular visits — every neighborhood has one. Больница (hospital) is for inpatient care. Russian pharmacies (аптека) sell many medications without prescription that would require one in the West, and pharmacists often give medical advice directly. Home remedies are also extremely popular — hot tea with мёд (honey) and малина (raspberry jam) is the national cold cure!
| Russian | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| Помогите! | Pamagitye! | Help! |
| Вызовите скорую! | Vyzavitye skoruyu! | Call an ambulance! |
| У меня аллергия на... | U minya allergiya na... | I'm allergic to... |
| Мне нужна помощь | Mnye nuzhna pomashch' | I need help |
| Где ближайшая аптека? | Gdye blizhayshaya aptyeka? | Where is the nearest pharmacy? |
— Здравствуйте, доктор. Мне плохо.
(Zdrastvuytye, doktar. Mnye plokha.) — Hello, doctor. I feel unwell.
— Что у вас болит?
(Shto u vas balit?) — What hurts?
— У меня болит горло и голова. И температура.
(U minya balit gorla i galava. I timpiratura.) — My throat and head hurt. And I have a fever.
— Когда это началось?
(Kagda eta nachalos'?) — When did it start?
— Вчера вечером.
(Fchira vyechiram.) — Yesterday evening.
— Похоже на простуду. Я выпишу лекарство.
(Pakhozhye na prostudu. Ya vypishu likarstva.) — Looks like a cold. I'll prescribe medicine.
1. How do you say "My head hurts"?
2. What does "Мне холодно" literally mean?
3. What is a "поликлиника"?