3.7.2 Describing symptoms and giving advice

Talking about Health Problems in Urdu

In this chapter you learn how to describe symptoms in Urdu and how to give and understand simple advice. The focus is on real-life situations such as visiting a doctor, helping a sick friend, or explaining an emergency.

Key sentence patterns for symptoms

When you describe how you feel, you usually talk about:

1. What part of the body is affected
2. What kind of problem you have
3. How strong or how long the problem is

The most useful pattern is:

"My ___ hurts."

In Urdu this is usually expressed with the structure:

"My ___ is hurting."

Urdu often uses:

• The pronoun مجھے mujhe "to me"
• The body part
• A verb like درد ہونا dard hona "to hurt, to ache"

Common patterns:

Note the agreement with mera / meri / mere depending on the noun gender and number. The detailed rule belongs to the chapter on possession, so here only focus on the patterns.

More examples:

• mera گلا dard کر رہا ہے
  mera gala dard kar raha hai
  "My throat is sore / hurts."
• میرے دانت میں درد ہے
  mere daant mein dard hai
  "I have a toothache."
• میرے کان میں درد ہے
  mere kaan mein dard hai
  "My ear hurts."

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Common symptom verbs and phrases

Here are some very frequent ways to describe symptoms that do not use "pain."

"I am feeling..."

The pattern is:

mujhe + feeling word + ho رہا ہے / ہو رہی ہے / ہو رہے ہیں

Examples in full sentences:

• آج مجھے بہت سردی لگ رہی ہے۔
  aaj mujhe bohat sardi lag rahi hai.
  "Today I feel very cold."
• صبح سے مجھے چکر آ رہے ہیں۔
  subah se mujhe chakkar aa rahe hain.
  "I have been feeling dizzy since morning."

"I have ..." (illness or symptom)

For many illnesses and symptoms Urdu uses:

mujhe + noun + ہے / ہیں

More example sentences:

• مجھے دو دن سے بخار ہے۔
  mujhe do din se bukhaar hai.
  "I have had a fever for two days."
• مجھے بہت تیز کھانسی ہے۔
  mujhe bohat teiz khaansi hai.
  "I have a very strong cough."

"I am ..." (state of health)

For some conditions you directly describe yourself as being in a state:

Examples:

• میں تھوڑا سا بیمار ہوں۔
  main thora sa beemaar hoon.
  "I am a little sick."
• اب میں بہتر ہوں۔
  ab main behtar hoon.
  "Now I am better."

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Talking about degree and duration

When you describe symptoms, you often say how bad they are and how long they have lasted.

How bad is it?

Common adverbs and intensifiers:

Examples:

• مجھے تھوڑا سا بخار ہے۔
  mujhe thora sa bukhaar hai.
  "I have a slight fever."
• میرا سر بہت درد کر رہا ہے۔
  mera sar bohat dard kar raha hai.
  "My head hurts a lot."
• مجھے بہت زیادہ کھانسی ہے۔
  mujhe bohat zyada khaansi hai.
  "I have too much cough."

For how long?

Useful time expressions:

You can combine them with se "since, for" and verbs like ہونا or لگنا.

Examples:

• مجھے صبح سے چکر آ رہے ہیں۔
  mujhe subah se chakkar aa rahe hain.
  "I have been dizzy since morning."
• مجھے ایک ہفتے سے کھانسی ہے۔
  mujhe aik hafte se khaansi hai.
  "I have had a cough for a week."
• میرے پیٹ میں دو دن سے درد ہے۔
  mere pait mein do din se dard hai.
  "I have had stomach pain for two days."

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Describing specific symptoms

Here are some typical complaints you might need at a clinic or pharmacy.

Head and senses

Example sentences:

• میری ناک دو دن سے بند ہے۔
  meri naak do din se band hai.
  "My nose has been blocked for two days."
• میری آنکھوں میں جلن ہو رہی ہے۔
  meri aankhon mein jalan ho rahi hai.
  "My eyes are burning."

Throat, chest, and breathing

Examples:

• مجھے رات کو زیادہ کھانسی ہوتی ہے۔
  mujhe raat ko zyada khaansi hoti hai.
  "I cough more at night."
• مجھے سانس لینے میں تکلیف ہو رہی ہے۔
  mujhe saans lene mein takleef ho rahi hai.
  "I have trouble breathing."

Stomach and digestion

Examples:

• مجھے کھانا کھانے کے بعد متلی ہوتی ہے۔
  mujhe khaana khane ke baad matli hoti hai.
  "I feel nauseous after eating."
• کل مجھے تین بار الٹی ہوئی۔
  kal mujhe teen baar ulti hui.
  "Yesterday I vomited three times."

Bones, muscles, and skin

Examples:

• میری ٹانگ میں بہت درد ہے، میں چل نہیں پا رہا۔
  meri taang mein bohat dard hai, main chal nahi paa raha.
  "My leg hurts a lot, I cannot walk."
• میرے بازو پر سوجن ہے۔
  mere baazu par soojan hai.
  "My arm is swollen."

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Describing causes and context

You often need to say when and how a problem started.

Useful expressions:

Examples:

• مجھے کھانا کھانے کے بعد سینے میں جلن ہوتی ہے۔
  mujhe khaana khane ke baad seene mein jalan hoti hai.
  "I get heartburn after eating."
• حادثے کے بعد سے پیٹھ میں درد ہے۔
  haadse ke baad se peeth mein dard hai.
  "Since the accident my back hurts."

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Asking about someone’s health

To give advice, you first need to ask about the problem.

Common questions:

Examples in mini-dialogues:

Dialogue 1

• A: کیا ہوا؟ آپ ٹھیک ہیں؟
  kya hua? aap theek hain?
  "What happened? Are you okay?"
• B: نہیں، میرے سر میں بہت درد ہے۔
  nahin, mere sar mein bohat dard hai.
  "No, I have a very bad headache."

Dialogue 2

• Doctor: کہاں درد ہو رہا ہے؟
  kahan dard ho raha hai?
  "Where does it hurt?"
• Patient: میرے پیٹ میں درد ہو رہا ہے۔
  mere pait mein dard ho raha hai.
  "My stomach hurts."

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Giving advice: useful verb patterns

To give advice in Urdu, you often use:

1. Imperatives (do this, do not do that)
2. Should / ought to constructions
3. Gentle suggestions like "it is better if..."

Imperatives for health advice

For informal situations or direct instructions, imperatives are common. We will not cover full imperative conjugation here, just useful set phrases.

Examples:

• کمر میں درد ہے تو آرام کریں۔
  kamar mein dard hai to aaraam karein.
  "If you have back pain then rest."
• پانی کم پی رہے ہیں، تھوڑا زیادہ پانی پیئیں۔
  paani kam pee rahe hain, thora zyada paani piyein.
  "You are drinking too little water, drink a bit more water."

"Should" for advice

A very common and polite way to give advice uses "should." There are different grammar patterns for "should" in Urdu, but here focus on ready-made useful sentences.

Examples with actions:

Examples with things you should not do:

Example sentences:

• آپ کو تین دن آرام کرنا چاہیے۔
  aap ko teen din aaraam karna chahiye.
  "You should rest for three days."
• آپ کو اتنی دوا نہیں لینی چاہیے۔
  aap ko itni dawa nahi leni chahiye.
  "You should not take so much medicine."

Soft suggestions

Sometimes advice can be made softer by using "better" or "it is good if..."

Useful expressions:

Example sentences:

• بہتر ہے کہ آپ آج گھر پر ہی رہیں۔
  behtar hai ke aap aaj ghar par hi rahen.
  "It is better if you stay at home today."
• اچھا ہے اگر آپ کم نمک کھائیں۔
  acha hai agar aap kam namak khaen.
  "It is good if you eat less salt."
• کوشش کریں کہ زیادہ پانی پیئیں۔
  koshish karein ke zyada paani piyein.
  "Try to drink more water."

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At the doctor or pharmacy: mini-dialogues

At the doctor

Dialogue

• Doctor: کیا مسئلہ ہے؟
  kya masla hai?
  "What is the problem?"
• Patient: ڈاکٹر صاحب، مجھے دو دن سے بخار ہے اور کھانسی بھی ہے۔
  doctor sahib, mujhe do din se bukhaar hai aur khaansi bhi hai.
  "Doctor, I have had a fever for two days and I also have a cough."
• Doctor: جسم میں درد ہے؟
  jism mein dard hai?
  "Do you have body pain?"
• Patient: جی، جسم میں بھی درد ہے اور بہت تھکن ہے۔
  jee, jism mein bhi dard hai aur bohat thakan hai.
  "Yes, I have body pain and a lot of tiredness."
• Doctor: آپ کو زیادہ پانی پینا چاہیے اور یہ دوا بھی لیں۔
  aap ko zyada paani peena chahiye aur ye dawa bhi len.
  "You should drink more water and also take this medicine."
• Patient: دن میں کتنی بار دوا لوں؟
  din mein kitni baar dawa loon?
  "How many times a day should I take the medicine?"
• Doctor: دن میں تین بار، کھانے کے بعد۔
  din mein teen baar, khaane ke baad.
  "Three times a day, after food."

At the pharmacy

Dialogue

• Customer: مجھے سر درد کی کوئی دوا چاہیے۔
  mujhe sar dard ki koi dawa chahiye.
  "I need some medicine for headache."
• Pharmacist: کب سے سر درد ہے؟
  kab se sar dard hai?
  "Since when do you have a headache?"
• Customer: صبح سے۔ تھوڑا بخار بھی ہے۔
  subah se. thora bukhaar bhi hai.
  "Since morning. I also have a slight fever."
• Pharmacist: یہ گولی دن میں دو بار لیں، اور زیادہ پانی پیئیں۔
  ye goli din mein do baar len, aur zyada paani piyein.
  "Take this tablet twice a day and drink plenty of water."
• Customer: رات کو بھی لے سکتا ہوں؟
  raat ko bhi le sakta hoon?
  "Can I take it at night as well?"
• Pharmacist: جی، رات کو کھانے کے بعد لیں۔
  jee, raat ko khaane ke baad len.
  "Yes, take it at night after dinner."

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Expressing urgency and emergencies

In emergencies, language often becomes short and urgent. You need to say what is wrong and what help you need.

Useful phrases:

Examples:

• جلدی کریں، انہیں سانس نہیں آ رہا!
  jaldi karein, unhein saans nahi aa raha!
  "Hurry, he cannot breathe!"
• ایمبولینس فوراً بلائیں، بہت خون بہہ رہا ہے۔
  ambulance foran bulayein, bohat khoon beh raha hai.
  "Call an ambulance immediately, there is a lot of bleeding."

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Reassuring and comforting language

When someone is sick, you may want to comfort them while giving advice.

Helpful phrases:

Example:

• فکر نہ کریں، بس تھوڑا آرام کریں، آپ بہتر محسوس کریں گے۔
  fikr na karein, bas thora aaraam karein, aap behtar mehsoos karein ge.
  "Do not worry, just rest a bit, you will feel better."

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Practice: building your own sentences

Use the patterns in this chapter to make simple sentences.

1. "I have had a sore throat since yesterday."
• کل سے میرا گلا درد کر رہا ہے۔
  kal se mera gala dard kar raha hai.
2. "You should not eat spicy food."
• آپ کو مصالحے دار چیزیں نہیں کھانی چاہئیں۔
  aap ko masaale daar cheezein nahi khaani chahiyein.
3. "My back and legs hurt a lot."
• میری کمر اور ٹانگوں میں بہت درد ہے۔
  meri kamar aur taangon mein bohat dard hai.

Try changing:

• Time: صبح سے، دو دن سے، کل رات سے
• Body part: سر، پیٹ، کمر، ٹانگ، گلا
• Advice: آرام کریں، پانی پیئیں، ڈاکٹر کے پاس جائیں

This will help you speak fluently about health in many different situations.

Vocabulary list for this chapter