A la consulta del metge in Catalan
We come to the doctor with a cough and leave with a treatment plan in Catalan. 6 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Bon dia, doctora. Em trobo malament: la setmana passada vaig començar a tossir i encara no milloro.» — Good afternoon, doctor. I feel unwell: last week I started coughing and I am still not getting better. The conversation is predictable: few lines, and almost all of them repeat from one exchange to the next.
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: we come to the doctor with a cough and leave with a treatment plan. The conversation is short and predictable — which is exactly what makes it good for a first try: few lines, and almost all of them repeat from one exchange to the next.
- Bon dia, doctora. Em trobo malament: la setmana passada vaig començar a tossir i encara no milloro.Good afternoon, doctor. I feel unwell: last week I started coughing and I am still not getting better.
- A veure... Respiri fond. Sembla una infecció viral: aquest virus va força arreu aquest mes.Let us see… Breathe deeply. It looks like a viral infection: this virus is going around this month.
- I puc contagiar la meva filla? Ella encara no ha tingut res.And can I infect my daughter? She has had nothing yet.
- Amb la mascareta a casa i les mans rentades, el risc baixa molt. Li receptaré un antibiòtic.With a mask at home and washed hands the risk drops a lot. I will prescribe you an antibiotic.
- I si en cinc dies no em sento millor? Dorno malament i estic molt cansat.And if I am not better in five days? I sleep badly and am very tired.
- Torni a la consulta: mirarem si cal una radiografia i una revisió de sang. De moment, repòs i molta aigua.Come again to the consultation: we will see whether an X-ray and a blood test are needed. For now — rest and plenty of water.
Lines one by one
| Catalan | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Bon dia, doctora. Em trobo malament: la setmana passada vaig començar a tossir i encara no milloro. | — | Good afternoon, doctor. I feel unwell: last week I started coughing and I am still not getting better. |
| A veure... Respiri fond. Sembla una infecció viral: aquest virus va força arreu aquest mes. | — | Let us see… Breathe deeply. It looks like a viral infection: this virus is going around this month. |
| I puc contagiar la meva filla? Ella encara no ha tingut res. | — | And can I infect my daughter? She has had nothing yet. |
| Amb la mascareta a casa i les mans rentades, el risc baixa molt. Li receptaré un antibiòtic. | — | With a mask at home and washed hands the risk drops a lot. I will prescribe you an antibiotic. |
| I si en cinc dies no em sento millor? Dorno malament i estic molt cansat. | — | And if I am not better in five days? I sleep badly and am very tired. |
| Torni a la consulta: mirarem si cal una radiografia i una revisió de sang. De moment, repòs i molta aigua. | — | Come again to the consultation: we will see whether an X-ray and a blood test are needed. For now — rest and plenty of water. |
How to prepare for a conversation like this
Memorizing the lines is not enough: the other person will say their own thing, not what is written. What helps more is catching the key words by ear and keeping three rescue phrases ready: “I don't understand”, “repeat, please”, “slower”.
And one more thing phrasebooks do not mention: awkwardness gets in the way more than not knowing the words.
- Fear of making mistakes gets in the way of learning a language, and it gets in the way badly. It is one of the most reliably measured findings in the entire field.checked many timesTeimouri, Goetze & Plonsky, 2019, Studies in Second Language Acquisition 41(2) · 19,933 participants from 23 countries; correlation with results r = −0.36.
- That fear can be dealt with — the methods have been tested and they work.checked many timesXiong et al., 2024, Journal of Language and Social Psychology · 37 studies, anxiety reduced by −0.61. Of the seven conditions examined, only age turned out to matter.
Frequently asked
How do you start a conversation in Catalan in this situation?
“Bon dia, doctora. Em trobo malament: la setmana passada vaig començar a tossir i encara no milloro.” — Good afternoon, doctor. I feel unwell: last week I started coughing and I am still not getting better.. The first line in such a conversation is almost always the same, and that is the one worth learning: the other person will carry it from there.
What if you did not understand the reply?
Say “I don't understand” and “repeat, please” — both are in the rescue set. Admitting your language is still shaky almost always makes the other person more patient.
Should you memorize the dialogue?
No. It is more useful to catch the key words by ear: the other person will say their own thing, and a memorized line will not always fit their reply.