A cold and a sick note in Persian
The family doctor’s office, the morning clinic in Persian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «سلام دکتر. سه روز است تب بالا دارم و گلو دارم.» — Hello, doctor. For three days I have had a fever and a sore throat; «شب‌ها لرز دارید؟» — Do you have chills at night?
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: the family doctor’s office, the morning clinic. First the whole conversation, then each line on its own, with a translation.
- سلام دکتر. سه روز است تب بالا دارم و گلو دارم.salâm dâktâr. se ruz ast tabe bâlâ dâram va gulu dâram.Hello, doctor. For three days I have had a fever and a sore throat.
- شب‌ها لرز دارید؟shab-hâ larz dârid؟Do you have chills at night?
- بله, شب‌ها لرز دارم.bale, shab-hâ larz dâram.Yes, chills at night.
- حالا ببینم. گلو قرمز است.hâlâ beynam. gulu gârmez ast.Let me look now. The throat is red.
- سرماخوردگی مسری است؟ بچه هم در خانه هست.sarmâkhârdegi mâsri ast? bâche ham dar khâne hast.Is a cold contagious? There is a child at home.
- سرماخوردگی است, سخت نیست.sarmâkhârdegi ast, sakht nist.It is a cold, not dangerous.
- مرخصی استعلاجی می‌خواهم.mârakhkhasi estelâdzhi mi-khâham.I want a sick note.
- بله. دو روز مرخصی استعلاجی دارید. زود خوب می‌شوید.bale. dâ ruz mârakhkhasi estelâdzhi dârid. zud khub mi-shâvid.Yes. You have two days of sick leave. You will recover soon.
Lines one by one
| Persian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| سلام دکتر. سه روز است تب بالا دارم و گلو دارم. | salâm dâktâr. se ruz ast tabe bâlâ dâram va gulu dâram. | Hello, doctor. For three days I have had a fever and a sore throat. |
| شب‌ها لرز دارید؟ | shab-hâ larz dârid؟ | Do you have chills at night? |
| بله, شب‌ها لرز دارم. | bale, shab-hâ larz dâram. | Yes, chills at night. |
| حالا ببینم. گلو قرمز است. | hâlâ beynam. gulu gârmez ast. | Let me look now. The throat is red. |
| سرماخوردگی مسری است؟ بچه هم در خانه هست. | sarmâkhârdegi mâsri ast? bâche ham dar khâne hast. | Is a cold contagious? There is a child at home. |
| سرماخوردگی است, سخت نیست. | sarmâkhârdegi ast, sakht nist. | It is a cold, not dangerous. |
| مرخصی استعلاجی می‌خواهم. | mârakhkhasi estelâdzhi mi-khâham. | I want a sick note. |
| بله. دو روز مرخصی استعلاجی دارید. زود خوب می‌شوید. | bale. dâ ruz mârakhkhasi estelâdzhi dârid. zud khub mi-shâvid. | Yes. You have two days of sick leave. You will recover soon. |
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 noticeably so. The link turns up study after study, and together those studies cover almost twenty thousand people.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 Persian in this situation?
“سلام دکتر. سه روز است تب بالا دارم و گلو دارم.” (salâm dâktâr. se ruz ast tabe bâlâ dâram va gulu dâram.) — Hello, doctor. For three days I have had a fever and a sore throat. 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.