SIOC Language Labs · Specialist Life & Culture · Reviewed with care · 9 August 2026

Healthcare and pharmacy English

Useful English for explaining simple symptoms, booking appointments and speaking at a pharmacy.

EnglishA2–B1Health

Useful language for real life

I’d like to make an appointment.

Use it for: booking care

I’d like to make an appointment with a doctor, please.

I’ve had a sore throat for three days.

Use it for: describing symptoms

I’ve had a sore throat for three days and it is not improving.

Do I need a prescription for this?

Use it for: pharmacy

Do I need a prescription for this medicine?

I’m allergic to penicillin.

Use it for: important medical information

I’m allergic to penicillin, so I need an alternative.

How often should I take it?

Use it for: medicine instructions

How often should I take it, and should I take it with food?

Helpful tip: Describe what you feel, how long it has lasted and whether it is getting better or worse.

Safety note: This lesson teaches language and terminology. In real medical, aviation, mountain, workshop, marine or motorsport situations, follow qualified professional guidance, official procedures and local safety rules.

Your turn

Choose two expressions that fit your own life. Say them aloud, then build one short situation around them. A useful sentence you can imagine saying is easier to remember than a long vocabulary list.

Ready for another?

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Nice work. Follow your interests — language becomes much easier to remember when it belongs to a place, hobby, job or part of life you genuinely care about.