Health & Hospital

1. אני צריך רופא

   ani tsarikh rofe

   I need a doctor

   Usage

   Used in emergencies or when feeling ill to request a doctor

   Grammar Note

   "Tsarikh" (masculine) / "tserikha" (feminine) = need. "Rofe" = male doctor; "rofa" = female doctor. Emergency number in Israel: 101 (Magen David Adom ambulance)

2. כואב לי הראש

   koev li harosh

   My head hurts

   Usage

   Used to report a headache

   Grammar Note

   Hebrew expresses pain as "it hurts + to me + the body part." Apply to: "ko'ev li ha-beten" (stomach hurts), "ko'ev li ha-garon" (sore throat)

3. איפה בית המרקחת?

   eifo beit hamirkakhat?

   Where is the pharmacy?

   Usage

   Used to find the nearest pharmacy

   Grammar Note

   "Beit ha-mirkakhat" = "house of the pharmacy." "Beit" (house) forms compound nouns. Super-Pharm is Israel's largest pharmacy chain. Some open 24 hours

4. יש לי אלרגיה

   yesh li alergiya

   I have an allergy

   Usage

   Used to inform medical staff or restaurant workers of an allergy

   Grammar Note

   Hebrew expresses "have" as "yesh le-" (there is to me). "Yesh li" = I have. This dative construction is fundamental to Hebrew. Specify allergen: "yesh li alergia le-..."

5. יש לי חום

   yesh li khom

   I have a fever

   Usage

   Used to report a fever to a doctor or pharmacist

   Grammar Note

   "Khom" is polysemous: fever, heat, brown. In "yesh li khom" context = fever. "Mad khom" = thermometer. Israel has excellent modern healthcare facilities

6. תרופה ללא מרשם

   trufa lelo mirsham

   Medicine without prescription

   Usage

   Used at a pharmacy to ask for over-the-counter medication

   Grammar Note

   "Lelo" = "without" (negative preposition). Root "r-f-a" (to heal) is the base of "trufa" (medicine), "rofe" (doctor), "refua" (healing). A key root in Hebrew medical vocabulary

7. אני צריך לנוח

   ani tsarikh lanuakh

   I need to rest

   Usage

   Used to communicate the need for rest when feeling unwell

   Grammar Note

   Root "n-v-h" of "lanu'ah" relates to rest and peace — the same root underlies Shabbat rest. "Menuha" (rest/relaxation) shares this root. Rest is a key Jewish value

8. יש לי ביטוח בריאות

   yesh li bituakh briut

   I have health insurance

   Usage

   Used at medical facilities to indicate you have health insurance

   Grammar Note

   "Bitu'ah" from root "b-t-h" (to trust/guarantee). "Briyut" = health. "Livri'ut" (to your health) is said after someone sneezes. Israel has universal healthcare

9. אני מרגיש לא טוב

   ani margish lo tov

   I feel unwell

   Usage

   Used to communicate that you feel sick or unwell

   Grammar Note

   "Lo" = no/not (negation). Female: "margisha lo tov." "Muts'yan" (excellent) is the positive counterpart. "Eikh ata margish?" (How do you feel?) may be asked in response

10. אני נוטל תרופות

    ani notel trufot

    I am taking medications

    Usage

    Used to inform a doctor or pharmacist that you are on medication

    Grammar Note

    "Notel" from root "n-t-l" (to take/carry). "Trufot" is the plural of "trufa." When telling the drug name: "ani notel... [drug name]." Female: "notelet"

11. בהריון

    beherayon

    Pregnant

    Usage

    Show this first at a clinic or pharmacy — it changes what medication, X-rays, or anaesthesia are allowed. As a sentence: "ani be-herayon" (I am pregnant)

    Grammar Note

    "Herayon" = pregnancy; the prefix be- makes it "in pregnancy". Only ever said of a woman, so there is no separate feminine form

12. אסתמה

    astma

    Asthma

    Usage

    Point to this to declare asthma to a doctor or pharmacist; an inhaler is "mash'ef"

13. סוכרת

    sukeret

    Diabetes

    Usage

    Declares diabetes to medical staff, and explains a dietary restriction; same root as "sukar" (sugar)

14. לחץ דם גבוה

    lakhats dam gavoha

    High blood pressure

    Usage

    Declares hypertension; low blood pressure is "lakhats dam namukh"

15. מחלת לב

    makhalat lev

    Heart disease

    Usage

    Declares a cardiac condition — the first thing responders need to know in an emergency

16. אפילפסיה

    epilepsia

    Epilepsy

    Usage

    Declares epilepsy; a seizure is "hetkef"

17. ביטוח רפואי

    bituakh refui

    Medical insurance

    Usage

    Use at reception when handing over an insurance card or policy; travel insurance is "bituakh nesiot"

18. שבר

    shever

    Fracture (broken bone)

    Usage

    Shows a broken bone. Outside a medical context the same word means "a break" or a mathematical fraction, so point at the injured limb while showing it

19. קשה לי לנשום

    kashe li linshom

    I have trouble breathing

    Usage

    A high-urgency line for breathing difficulty — kept here as a card for when you cannot speak

    Grammar Note

    "Kashe li" + infinitive = "it is hard for me to ...". The construction does not inflect for gender, so it works for any speaker

20. סחרחורת

    s'kharkhoret

    Dizziness

    Usage

    Reports vertigo or light-headedness; as a sentence, "yesh li s'kharkhoret"

21. דימום

    dimum

    Bleeding

    Usage

    Indicates active bleeding; "dam" on its own is the blood itself

22. כוויה

    kviya

    Burn (injury)

    Usage

    Shows a burn injury; sunburn is "kviyat shemesh"

23. פצע

    petsa

    Wound / cut

    Usage

    An open wound such as a cut or graze; a bruise is a different word, "khabura"

24. אוזן

    ozen

    Ear

    Usage

    Point at the part that hurts; both ears together are "oznayim"

25. צוואר

    tsavar

    Neck

    Usage

    The neck as seen from outside; pain inside the throat is "garon", a different word

26. כתף

    katef

    Shoulder

    Usage

    Point at the shoulder; both shoulders are "ktefayim"

27. ברך

    berekh

    Knee

    Usage

    Point at the knee; both knees are "birkayim". The same spelling can be the verb "blessed", but pointing at your knee removes any doubt

28. אצבע

    etsba

    Finger

    Usage

    The word covers toes as well; say "etsba ba-regel" if you need to specify a toe

29. עור

    or

    Skin

    Usage

    For a skin problem. The same spelling also means leather, so touch your own skin while showing the card

30. זרוע

    zroa

    Arm

    Usage

    The arm from shoulder to wrist; the hand itself is "yad"

31. אף

    af

    Nose

    Usage

    Point at your nose while showing this — the same two letters are also the negative particle in "af ekhad" (nobody)

32. שיעול

    shi'ul

    Cough

    Usage

    Reports a cough; cough syrup is "sirop le-shi'ul"

33. מגרד לי

    megared li

    It itches

    Usage

    Say this while pointing at the itchy spot; the noun for itching is "gerud"

    Grammar Note

    Built like "ko'ev li" (it hurts me): verb + "li". It does not change with the speaker's gender

34. פריחה

    prikha

    Rash

    Usage

    A skin rash. The same word also means "blossoming", so show the affected skin as you point

35. עצירות

    atsirut

    Constipation

    Usage

    Use at a pharmacy counter; the opposite complaint, diarrhoea, is "shilshul"

36. מחזור

    makhzor

    Menstrual period

    Usage

    The everyday Israeli euphemism, literally "cycle"; used as "yesh li makhzor". Beware that the same word is the ordinary term for recycling and for a school cohort, so only show it at a clinic or pharmacy

37. סוג דם

    sug dam

    Blood type

    Usage

    Shown when giving your blood group before transport or a transfusion

38. אישור רפואי

    ishur refui

    Medical certificate

    Usage

    Ask for the doctor's certificate needed for an insurance claim or a ticket change

39. אשפוז

    ishpuz

    Hospital admission

    Usage

    Use it to check whether you are being admitted; day admission is ishpuz yom

40. צמרמורת

    tsmarmoret

    Chills

    Usage

    Reports the chills that come with a fever; the fever itself is khom

41. הצטננות

    hitstanenut

    Common cold

    Usage

    Shown at a pharmacy when asking for cold medicine; influenza is the separate word shapa'at

42. אנא קרא לרופא

    ana kra lerofe

    Please call a doctor

    Usage

    Asking the people around you to call a doctor when someone has suddenly fallen ill; this is the form addressed to a man

    Grammar Note

    The "ana kra le…" frame (please call…) filled with "rofe" (doctor). "Kra" is the masculine singular imperative; to a woman it would be "kri".

43. האם אני צריך לנוח?

    haim ani tsarikh lanuakh?

    Do I need to rest?

    Usage

    Asking the doctor after an examination whether you should stay at rest or may carry on; this is the form a man uses

    Grammar Note

    "ani tsarikh lanuakh" ("I need to rest") turned into a yes/no question by the leading "haim". "Tsarikh" is masculine; a woman would say "tsrikha".

44. שלשול

    shilshul

    Diarrhea

    Usage

    Point to it to name the symptom to a doctor or pharmacist; the same spelling also means "earthworm", but in a conversation about health it means diarrhea

45. קקי

    kaki

    Poop

    Usage

    The everyday, childish word used with children and family. Medical Hebrew has "tsoa", but "kaki" is what people say in daily talk

46. פיפי

    pipi

    Pee

    Usage

    The everyday, childish word used with children and family. At a clinic, the medical word for urine is "sheten"

47. יש לי שלשול

    yesh li shilshul

    I have diarrhea

    Usage

    Tell a doctor or pharmacist about the symptom; the form is the same for men and women

    Grammar Note

    The word "shilshul" placed in the possession frame "yesh li" (there is to me). The form does not change for gender

48. יש לי עצירות

    yesh li atsirut

    I'm constipated

    Usage

    Tell a doctor or pharmacist about the symptom; the form is the same for men and women

    Grammar Note

    The word "atsirut" placed in the possession frame "yesh li" (there is to me). The form does not change for gender

49. אני צריך לעשות פיפי

    ani tsarikh la'asot pipi

    I need to pee

    Usage

    The ordinary way to tell a companion or a child you need the toilet for a pee. This is the form for a man; a woman says "tsrikha"

    Grammar Note

    The "ani tsarikh + infinitive" frame (I need to…). "La'asot pipi" is literally "to do a pee". A woman says "tsrikha"

50. אני צריך לעשות קקי

    ani tsarikh la'asot kaki

    I need to poop

    Usage

    The ordinary way to tell a companion or a child you need the toilet to poop. This is the form for a man; a woman says "tsrikha"

    Grammar Note

    The "ani tsarikh + infinitive" frame (I need to…) with "kaki". A woman says "tsrikha"

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