Describing symptoms and seeking care in Brazilian Portuguese

Level A2

Describing symptoms and seeking care in Brazilian Portuguese

This lesson helps you name common body parts and describe pain and other symptoms in Brazilian Portuguese. You’ll learn how to say how long you’ve felt unwell, book an appointment, ask for pharmacy help, and give simple advice.

Body parts, symptoms, and care

Key words: “cabeça” (head), “garganta” (throat), “estômago” (stomach), “perna” (leg), “doer” (to hurt), “dor de cabeça” (headache), “febre” (fever), “tosse” (cough), “faz” (for, with a duration), “desde” (since), “consulta” (appointment), “farmácia” (pharmacy), and “descansar” (to rest). In English, “hurt” can stand alone as a verb; Portuguese commonly uses “doer” in a construction such as “Minha cabeça dói.”

Saying where it hurts

Use “Estou com [parte do corpo] doendo.” to describe pain. You can also make the body part the subject of “doer”: “Minha cabeça dói.” (“My head hurts.”) and “Seu estômago dói?” (“Does your stomach hurt?”; informal address here). In both languages, the whole phrase “my head” or “minha cabeça” is the subject; “my” and “minha” indicate possession. Portuguese questions need no equivalent of English “does.” “Onde está doendo, senhor?” asks where it hurts and respectfully addresses a man. “A dor está na minha perna.” means “The pain is in my leg.”

Estou com parte do corpo doendo.

Describing symptoms

For symptoms, say “Minha garganta está dolorida.” (“My throat is sore.”) or “Tô com tosse.” (“I've got a cough.”; informal). English often uses “have” or “be” with a symptom, and Portuguese also uses “estar com” (“to have”) for many symptoms; “tô” is a casual spoken form of “estou.”

Saying how long you’ve had a symptom

Use “Faz [duração] que estou com [sintoma].” to give a duration. For example, “Faz dois dias que estou com dor de cabeça.” (“I've had a headache for two days.”) and “Estou com esta febre faz três dias.” (“I've had this fever for three days.”) English uses “for” here; Portuguese uses “faz” with the elapsed time, and it can appear at the start or later in the sentence.

Faz duração que estou com sintoma.

Saying when a symptom began

Use “Estou com [sintoma] desde [momento de início].” for a starting point. “Sim, estou com febre desde ontem, senhor.” means “Yes, I've had a fever since yesterday”; “Tô com essa tosse desde segunda-feira.” means “I've had this cough since Monday” (informal). Portuguese uses “desde” for a point when something began, as English uses “since.”

Estou com sintoma desde momento de início.

Saying how long ago it started

Use “[Sintoma] começou há [tempo decorrido].” to say when a symptom started. For example, “A tosse começou há dois dias, senhor.” means “The cough started two days ago.” English puts “ago” after the time; Portuguese uses “há” before the elapsed time.

Sintoma começou há tempo decorrido.

Requesting an appointment

A polite pattern is “Queria marcar uma consulta para [dia], por favor.” (“I’d like to make an appointment for [day], please.”) Say “Queria marcar uma consulta para hoje, por favor, senhor.” for today (formal), or “Dá pra marcar uma consulta pra amanhã?” to ask about tomorrow informally. English often uses “Can I…?” for a request; the casual Portuguese “Dá pra…?” literally asks whether it’s possible.

Queria marcar uma consulta para dia, por favor.

Booking an appointment

At the clinic, the exchange is: a: “Queria marcar uma consulta para hoje, por favor, senhor.” (I’d like an appointment today, please; formal.) b: “A consulta é para o senhor?” (Is the appointment for you?; formal.) a: “Sim, estou com febre desde ontem, senhor.” (Yes, I've had a fever since yesterday.) b: “O senhor pode vir amanhã de manhã?” (Can you come tomorrow morning?; formal.) a: “Sim, às nove está bom, senhor.” (Yes, nine o’clock is fine; formal.) The dialogue uses respectful address to a man throughout. “O senhor” means “you” when it functions as a subject or follows a preposition, as in “O senhor pode vir amanhã de manhã?” and “A consulta é para o senhor?” Use third-person singular verb forms with it. The standalone “senhor” addresses the listener directly, including in “Sim, estou com febre desde ontem, senhor.” That answer is respectful even though the body omits its register label. For a woman, use “a senhora” or the direct address “senhora.” English “you” does not make this distinction.

Getting help at a pharmacy

Ask “Tem uma farmácia aqui perto?” (“Is there a pharmacy near here?”). For a polite request, use “O senhor poderia me ajudar a encontrar uma farmácia?” (“Could you help me find a pharmacy?”) or “O senhor tem alguma coisa para dor de cabeça, por favor?” (“Do you have anything for a headache, please?”). Portuguese uses “para” (“for”) with the headache remedy; English uses “for” too, but the polite “o senhor” makes the address explicit.

Giving simple advice

“Você devia descansar hoje.” (“You should rest today.”) gives advice using ordinary, informal address here. “Devia” is an imperfect form of “dever,” but here it expresses a present suggestion. “Por favor, descanse por alguns dias, senhor.” (“Please rest for a few days.”) uses “descanse,” the imperative form used with “você,” “o senhor,” or “a senhora.” The form alone does not mark formal address; “por favor” softens the instruction and “senhor” makes the address respectful.

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