How to Ask About Pain in Medical Arabic: Simple Phrases for Doctors and Nurses
When treating a patient, one of the most important things a doctor or nurse needs to understand is;
How to Ask About Pain in Medical Arabic and diagnoise the patient’s pain. and asking, Where does it hurt? Is the pain mild or severe? Does it come and go, or is it constant?
For healthcare professionals who are learning Arabic, you do not need to speak complicated sentences to begin communicating with patients. By learning a few simple questions and common medical expressions, you can gradually build your confidence in speaking Arabic in a hospital or clinic.
In this lesson, we will learn how to ask about pain in Arabic, describe different levels of pain, and understand some common responses from patients. Each phrase includes Arabic script, transliteration, and English translation to help you practise speaking.
1. How to Ask: Are You in Pain?
هل تشعر بالألم؟
Hal tashʿuru bil-alam?
Are you feeling pain?
This is a useful question when you want to find out whether a patient is experiencing pain.
When speaking to a female patient, the fully vowelled form is:
هَلْ تَشْعُرِينَ بِالأَلَمِ؟
Hal tashʿurīna bil-alam?
Are you feeling pain?
Example conversation
الطبيب: هل تشعر بالألم؟
Al-ṭabīb: Hal tashʿuru bil-alam?
Doctor: Are you feeling pain?
المريض: نعم، أشعر بالألم.
Al-marīḍ: Naʿam, ashʿuru bil-alam.
Patient: Yes, I am feeling pain.
2. How to Ask: Is the Pain Severe?
After confirming that the patient has pain, the next step is to understand how severe it is.
هل الألم شديد؟
Hal al-alamu shadīd?
Is the pain severe?
The word شديد (shadīd) means severe or intense. You can use it to ask about the intensity of a patient’s pain.
You may also ask:
هل الألم خفيف؟
Hal al-alamu khafīf?
Is the pain mild?
Here are three useful words to remember:
Arabic | Transliteration | English |
خفيف | khafīf | Mild |
متوسط | mutawassiṭ | Moderate |
شديد | shadīd | Severe |
Example conversation
الطبيب: هل الألم شديد؟
Al-ṭabīb: Hal al-alamu shadīd?
Doctor: Is the pain severe?
المريض: نعم، الألم شديد.
Al-marīḍ: Naʿam, al-alamu shadīd.
Patient: Yes, the pain is severe.
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If you found this free lesson useful, you can support the work with a cup of coffee..3. How to Ask: When Did the Pain Start?
Knowing when the pain began helps healthcare professionals understand the patient’s symptoms.
متى بدأ الألم؟
Matā bada’a al-alam?
When did the pain start?
You can also ask:
منذ متى تشعر بالألم؟
Mundhu matā tashʿuru bil-alam?
How long have you had the pain?
These questions are useful when taking a patient’s medical history.
Common patient responses
منذ ساعة.
Mundhu sāʿah.
For one hour.
منذ يومين.
Mundhu yawmayn.
For two days.
منذ أسبوع.
Mundhu usbūʿ.
For one week.
Example conversation
الطبيب: متى بدأ الألم؟
Al-ṭabīb: Matā bada’a al-alam?
Doctor: When did the pain start?
المريض: بدأ الألم هذا الصباح.
Al-marīḍ: Bada’a al-alam hādhā al-ṣabāḥ.
Patient: The pain started this morning.
4. How to Ask: Is the Pain Constant or Does It Come and Go?
Some patients experience pain continuously, while others experience pain that comes and goes.
هل الألم مستمر؟
Hal al-alamu mustamirr?
Is the pain constant?
Another useful question is:
هل يأتي الألم ويذهب؟
Hal ya’tī al-alamu wa-yadhhab?
Does the pain come and go?
Learn these two expressions:
Arabic | Transliteration | English |
مستمر | mustamirr | Constant / continuous |
يأتي ويذهب | ya’tī wa-yadhhab | Comes and goes |
Example conversation
الطبيب: هل الألم مستمر؟
Al-ṭabīb: Hal al-alamu mustamirr?
Doctor: Is the pain constant?
المريض: لا، يأتي الألم ويذهب.
Al-marīḍ: Lā, ya’tī al-alamu wa-yadhhab.
Patient: No, the pain comes and goes.
5. How to Ask: What Kind of Pain Do You Have?
Patients may describe pain in different ways. It may feel sharp, dull, burning, or pressing.
You can begin with a simple question:
كيف تشعر بالألم؟
Kayfa tashʿuru bil-alam?
How does the pain feel?
Here are some useful descriptions:
Arabic | Transliteration | English |
حادّ | ḥādd | Sharp |
خفيف | khafīf | Mild |
حارق | ḥāriq | Burning |
ضاغط | ḍāghiṭ | Pressing |
نابض | nābiḍ | Throbbing |
For example, a patient might say:
أشعر بألم حادّ.
Ashʿuru bi-alamin ḥādd.
I feel a sharp pain.
أشعر بألم حارق.
Ashʿuru bi-alamin ḥāriq.
I feel a burning pain.
أشعر بألم نابض.
Ashʿuru bi-alamin nābiḍ.
I feel a throbbing pain.
These expressions help patients describe their symptoms more clearly. However, the description of pain alone does not establish a diagnosis.
6. How to Ask: Does Anything Make the Pain Worse?
Doctors and nurses may need to know whether movement or another activity makes the pain worse.
هل يزداد الألم عند الحركة؟
Hal yazdādu al-alamu ʿinda al-ḥarakah?
Does the pain get worse when you move?
You can also ask:
هل يخف الألم عند الراحة؟
Hal yakhiffu al-alamu ʿinda al-rāḥah?
Does the pain decrease with rest?
Useful vocabulary:
Arabic | Transliteration | English |
الحركة | al-ḥarakah | Movement |
الراحة | al-rāḥah | Rest |
يزداد | yazdād | Increases / gets worse |
يخف | yakhiff | Decreases / becomes milder |
These questions can help you understand the patient’s experience of pain. The patient’s answers should be considered alongside the clinical examination and other relevant findings.
7. A Complete Doctor–Patient Conversation
Now let us combine the phrases into a simple medical dialogue.
الطبيب: هل تشعر بالألم؟
Al-ṭabīb: Hal tashʿuru bil-alam?
Doctor: Are you feeling pain?
المريض: نعم، أشعر بالألم.
Al-marīḍ: Naʿam, ashʿuru bil-alam.
Patient: Yes, I am feeling pain.
الطبيب: أين تشعر بالألم؟
Al-ṭabīb: Ayna tashʿuru bil-alam?
Doctor: Where do you feel pain?
المريض: أشعر بالألم في صدري.
Al-marīḍ: Ashʿuru bil-alami fī ṣadrī.
Patient: I feel pain in my chest.
الطبيب: هل الألم شديد؟
Al-ṭabīb: Hal al-alamu shadīd?
Doctor: Is the pain severe?
المريض: نعم، الألم شديد.
Al-marīḍ: Naʿam, al-alamu shadīd.
Patient: Yes, the pain is severe.
الطبيب: متى بدأ الألم؟
Al-ṭabīb: Matā bada’a al-alam?
Doctor: When did the pain start?
المريض: بدأ الألم منذ ساعة.
Al-marīḍ: Bada’a al-alamu mundhu sāʿah.
Patient: The pain started an hour ago.
الطبيب: هل يزداد الألم عند الحركة؟
Al-ṭabīb: Hal yazdādu al-alamu ʿinda al-ḥarakah?
Doctor: Does the pain get worse when you move?
المريض: نعم، يزداد الألم عند الحركة.
Al-marīḍ: Naʿam, yazdādu al-alamu ʿinda al-ḥarakah.
Patient: Yes, the pain gets worse when I move.
Clinical reminder: Severe or new chest pain, particularly when accompanied by difficulty breathing, sweating, faintness, or other concerning symptoms, requires urgent medical assessment. Do not delay emergency care to complete a language exercise.
8. Medical Arabic Vocabulary to Remember
Arabic | Transliteration | English |
الألم | al-alam | Pain |
يشعر | yashʿuru | He feels |
شديد | shadīd | Severe |
خفيف | khafīf | Mild |
متوسط | mutawassiṭ | Moderate |
متى | matā | When |
مستمر | mustamirr | Constant |
الحركة | al-ḥarakah | Movement |
الراحة | al-rāḥah | Rest |
حادّ | ḥādd | Sharp |
حارق | ḥāriq | Burning |
نابض | nābiḍ | Throbbing |
الصدر | al-ṣadr | Chest |
الرأس | al-ra’s | Head |
البطن | al-baṭn | Abdomen / stomach |
9. Practise Your Medical Arabic
Try answering these questions aloud before checking the suggested responses.
Question 1
هل الألم شديد؟
Hal al-alamu shadīd?
Is the pain severe?
Suggested answer:
لا، الألم خفيف.
Lā, al-alamu khafīf.
No, the pain is mild.
Question 2
متى بدأ الألم؟
Matā bada’a al-alam?
When did the pain start?
Suggested answer:
بدأ الألم هذا الصباح.
Bada’a al-alamu hādhā al-ṣabāḥ.
The pain started this morning.
Question 3
هل الألم مستمر؟
Hal al-alamu mustamirr?
Is the pain constant?
Suggested answer:
لا، يأتي الألم ويذهب.
Lā, ya’tī al-alamu wa-yadhhab.
No, the pain comes and goes.
Question 4
كيف تشعر بالألم؟
Kayfa tashʿuru bil-alam?
How does the pain feel?
Suggested answer:
أشعر بألم حادّ.
Ashʿuru bi-alamin ḥādd.
I feel a sharp pain.
Final Words
Learning medical Arabic does not mean memorising hundreds of medical terms at once. Start with a few useful questions, practise their pronunciation, and learn how patients might respond. Each small step will help you become more familiar with communicating in Arabic in a healthcare setting.
As a doctor or nurse, your goal is not simply to ask questions. It is to help patients feel heard, understand their concerns, and communicate important information as clearly as possible. Even a few carefully chosen Arabic phrases can be a useful starting point when working with Arabic-speaking patients.
Continue practising these expressions, and gradually build your ability to ask about the location, severity, duration, and nature of pain.
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I create these practical language lessons to help learners use Arabic with greater confidence. If you found this lesson useful, you can support the work with a cup of coffee.
In the next lesson: Learn how to ask about common symptoms in Arabic, including fever, cough, headache, and difficulty breathing.
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