Medical Arabic for Beginners: How to Ask a Patient Why They Came to the Hospital
When a patient arrives at a hospital or clinic, one of the first things a doctor or nurse needs to know is why the patient has come. In Arabic, there are several simple ways to ask this question. For beginners, it is useful to learn a few natural phrases that can be used in different situations.
Why did you come to the hospital?
لماذا جئت إلى المستشفى؟
Limādhā ji’ta ilā al-mustashfā?
Why did you come to the hospital?
This is a direct and useful question when speaking with a patient.
Doctor: لماذا جئت إلى المستشفى؟
Al-ṭabīb: Limādhā ji’ta ilā al-mustashfā?
Doctor: Why did you come to the hospital?
Patient: أشعر بالتعب.
Al-marīḍ: Ashʿuru bil-taʿab.
Patient: I feel tired.
What brought you here?
A shorter and very useful expression is:
ما الذي جاء بك إلى هنا؟
Mā alladhī jā’a bika ilā hunā?
What brought you here?
This phrase can be useful in a clinic, hospital, or emergency department.
Doctor: ما الذي جاء بك إلى هنا؟
Al-ṭabīb: Mā alladhī jā’a bika ilā hunā?
Doctor: What brought you here?
Patient: لدي ألم في بطني.
Al-marīḍ: Ladayya alamun fī baṭnī.
Patient: I have pain in my stomach.
What is the problem?
Another simple question is:
ما المشكلة؟
Mā al-mushkilah?
What is the problem?
This is short and easy for beginners to remember.
Doctor: ما المشكلة؟
Al-ṭabīb: Mā al-mushkilah?
Doctor: What is the problem?
Patient: لدي صداع.
Al-marīḍ: Ladayya ṣudāʿ.
Patient: I have a headache.
What is wrong?
You can also ask:
ما بك؟
Mā bika?
What is wrong? / What is troubling you?
This is a short expression that doctors and nurses may use when asking about a patient’s condition.
For a female patient:
ما بكِ؟
Mā biki?
What is wrong?
Notice the small difference:
بكَ — bika → speaking to a male
بكِ — biki → speaking to a female
Useful Patient Responses
A doctor may ask the question, but the patient also needs to describe the problem. Here are some simple responses.
أشعر بالتعب.
Ashʿuru bil-taʿab.
I feel tired.
أشعر بالألم.
Ashʿuru bil-alam.
I feel pain.
لدي صداع.
Ladayya ṣudāʿ.
I have a headache.
لدي حمى.
Ladayya ḥummā.
I have a fever.
لدي سعال.
Ladayya suʿāl.
I have a cough.
لدي ألم في بطني.
Ladayya alamun fī baṭnī.
I have pain in my stomach.
لدي ألم في صدري.
Ladayya alamun fī ṣadrī.
I have pain in my chest.
لا أستطيع التنفس جيدًا.
Lā astaṭīʿu al-tanaffusa jayyidan.
I cannot breathe well.
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A Simple Doctor–Patient Conversation
Here is a short conversation you can practice.
الطبيب: السلام عليكم.
Al-ṭabīb: Al-salāmu ʿalaykum.
Doctor: Peace be upon you.
المريض: وعليكم السلام.
Al-marīḍ: Wa ʿalaykum al-salām.
Patient: Peace be upon you too.
الطبيب: ما اسمك؟
Al-ṭabīb: Mā ismuk?
Doctor: What is your name?
المريض: اسمي أحمد.
Al-marīḍ: Ismī Aḥmad.
Patient: My name is Ahmad.
الطبيب: ما الذي جاء بك إلى هنا؟
Al-ṭabīb: Mā alladhī jā’a bika ilā hunā?
Doctor: What brought you here?
المريض: لدي ألم في بطني.
Al-marīḍ: Ladayya alamun fī baṭnī.
Patient: I have pain in my stomach.
الطبيب: منذ متى تشعر بالألم؟
Al-ṭabīb: Mundhu matā tashʿuru bil-alam?
Doctor: How long have you had the pain?
المريض: منذ يومين.
Al-marīḍ: Mundhu yawmayn.
Patient: For two days.
Medical Arabic Vocabulary
Arabic | Transliteration | English |
المستشفى | al-mustashfā | hospital |
الطبيب | al-ṭabīb | doctor |
المريض | al-marīḍ | patient |
المشكلة | al-mushkilah | problem |
الألم | al-alam | pain |
التعب | al-taʿab | tiredness/fatigue |
صداع | ṣudāʿ | headache |
حمى | ḥummā | fever |
سعال | suʿāl | cough |
بطن | baṭn | abdomen/stomach |
صدر | ṣadr | chest |
تنفس | tanaffus | breathing |
Practice
Try asking yourself these questions in Arabic:
- Why did you come to the hospital?
لماذا جئت إلى المستشفى؟ - What is the problem?
ما المشكلة؟ - What brought you here?
ما الذي جاء بك إلى هنا؟ - What is wrong?
ما بك؟
Then practice answering with a short sentence:
لدي صداع.
I have a headache.
لدي سعال.
I have a cough.
لدي ألم في بطني.
I have pain in my stomach.
لا أستطيع التنفس جيدًا.
I cannot breathe well.
A Small Step Toward Medical Arabic
You do not need to learn a long list of medical vocabulary before you can communicate with a patient. Start with one question, understand the patient’s answer, and then ask the next simple question.
For doctors and nurses who are just beginning Arabic, these short exchanges can become the foundation for longer medical conversations. With regular practice, you can gradually move from asking “What brought you here?” to asking about the location, severity, and duration of the patient’s symptoms.
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