Speaking Portuguese
How to describe a symptom at the pharmacy, in Portuguese
If you are in the chair right now
Estou com dor de estômago desde ontem. Pode me recomendar alguma coisa?
I've had a stomach ache since yesterday. Can you recommend something?
If that gets brushed off
Não sei como chama, mas é aqui.
I don't know what it's called, but it's here.
Brazilian symptoms run on estar com: estou com dor, com febre, com enjoo — you are «with» whatever is wrong. It covers states you could never name, and the pharmacist is used to working from exactly this much plus a pointed finger.
The farmácia is where learners get sick twice: once from whatever is wrong, and once from discovering that Portuguese states are things you are «with». The good news is that one pattern covers almost everything wrong with a human body, and in Brazil the pharmacy counter is where such conversations are meant to happen.
If you need more than one line
neutral
Estou com dor de garganta.
I have a sore throat. Swap in: de cabeça, de dente, nas costas.
neutral
Desde ontem. / Faz três dias.
Since yesterday. / It's been three days. Faz + time is the everyday duration — «faz três dias que estou assim».
neutral
Já tomei dipirona, mas não resolveu.
I've already taken dipirona, but it didn't do the job. Brazil's default painkiller, and «não resolveu» — it didn't solve it — is pure spoken Brazilian.
firmest
Precisa de receita?
Does it need a prescription? The question that sorts the shelf from the doctor.
Two things worth knowing
The vocabulary is findable. The pattern is what catches people.
You are «with» your symptoms
Estou com dor de cabeça, estou com febre, estou com enjoo — Brazilian Portuguese wears its ailments like accessories: you are temporarily with them. «Tenho dor» exists, but estar com is the spoken default, and it is generous to learners: no verb to conjugate for the symptom, no noun gender to fumble mid-complaint. One pattern, every ailment.
The farmácia expects this conversation
Brazilian pharmacies are a first line of care — pharmacists recommend freely, many farmácias apply injections on site, and describing your symptom over the counter is the intended use of the building. Say the estar com sentence, say how long with faz or desde, say what you already tried. You will leave with something, or with clear advice to see a doctor.
What Ana actually said
What you have to get done
- Explain the issue without naming it
- Share what you have tried so far
- Confirm usage instructions after asking
Ana
Hi! How can I help you today?
You
Hi, Ana. I have a strange sensation in my throat: it feels as if something is stuck and it hurts when I swallow, though I don't know exactly what to call it.
Ana
I see; it sounds like an irritated or sore throat — tell me what you've already tried for relief.
You
Right; so far I've been drinking warm tea and gargling with salt water, but the relief has only been temporary.
Ana
I see; temporary relief is common, so let me check a few details before recommending anything.
You
Of course, go ahead; if you suggest a suitable medicine, I'd like you to explain how to take it and for how many days.
Ana
Of course, I'll advise carefully; first I need to know whether you have a fever, trouble breathing, or can't swallow liquids.
You
No fever and no trouble breathing, but swallowing liquids is a little painful; if you give me something, can you explain how to take it and for how many days?
Ana
For relief you can use simple throat lozenges, following the dose on the packet; if it doesn't improve in a few days or gets worse, see a health professional.
You
Right, I'll follow the dose on the packet; could you explain how I should use them and for how many days?
Ana
Let the lozenge dissolve slowly without chewing it, respect the packet's interval and dose, and use them for up to three days; if it worsens or doesn't improve, see a health professional. Take care!
The whole conversation, unedited
A real run in the app, nothing scripted on the pharmacist's side. The transcript above is taken from this recording, and the objectives tick off on screen as they are met.
Turn sound on to hear it.
Now say it yourself
Reading that is not the same as producing it with someone waiting, which is the entire difficulty. You can have this exact conversation in the app: Ana is a third of the way through, and you have three things to get done.
It is free, it takes about a minute to start, and the first attempt is allowed to be terrible.
Practise this conversation
