Useful Russian phrases for health, with audio, IPA, stress marks and an English-friendly pronunciation hint.
Saying what hurts and getting someone to do something about it.
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Мне пло́хо.
I feel ill.
IPA /ˈmnʲe ˈploxə/
Say it muh-NYEH PLOH-khuh.
The impersonal construction: the state is expressed by an adverb and the person who feels it goes in the dative. Literally "to me it is bad".
У меня́ боли́т голова́.
I have a headache.
IPA /ʊ mʲɪˈnʲa bɐˈlʲit ɡəlɐˈva/
Say it oo mih-NYAH buh-LEET guh-luh-VAH.
Literally "at me the head aches". The thing that hurts is the grammatical subject, so it stays nominative and the verb agrees with it.
У меня́ боли́т го́рло.
I have a sore throat.
IPA /ʊ mʲɪˈnʲa bɐˈlʲit ˈɡorlə/
Say it oo mih-NYAH buh-LEET GOH-rluh.
У меня́ боли́т живо́т.
I have a stomach ache.
IPA /ʊ mʲɪˈnʲa bɐˈlʲit ʐɨˈvot/
Say it oo mih-NYAH buh-LEET zhih-VOHT.
живот means both "stomach" and "life" in older usage; in a pharmacy it will be understood as the stomach.
У меня́ боли́т зуб.
I have toothache.
IPA /ʊ mʲɪˈnʲa bɐˈlʲit ˈzup/
Say it oo mih-NYAH buh-LEET ZOOP.
For several teeth the verb goes plural: болят зубы.
У меня́ температу́ра.
I have a temperature.
IPA /ʊ mʲɪˈnʲa tʲɪmpʲɪrɐˈturə/
Say it oo mih-NYAH tim-pih-ruh-TOO-ruh.
On its own this always means a fever; no word for "high" is needed.
Мне нездоро́вится.
I do not feel well.
IPA /ˈmnʲe nʲɪzdɐˈrovʲɪtsə/
Say it muh-NYEH nih-zduh-ROH-vih-tsyuh.
An impersonal reflexive with a dative subject: literally "it is not being well to me". Like мне плохо, it says nothing about who is doing anything.
Мне ну́жен врач.
I need a doctor.
IPA /ˈmnʲe ˈnuʐɨn ˈvratɕ/
Say it muh-NYEH NOO-zhin VRAHCH.
нужен agrees with врач because врач is masculine, even when the doctor is a woman.
Вы́зовите врача́, пожа́луйста.
Call a doctor, please.
IPA /ˈvɨzəvʲɪtʲə vrɐˈtɕa pɐˈʐalʊjstə/
Say it VIH-zuh-vih-tyuh vruh-CHAH, puh-ZHAH-luy-stuh.
Animate masculine nouns take the genitive in the accusative slot: врача, not врач.
Где здесь больни́ца?
Where is the hospital here?
IPA /ˈɡdʲe ˈzʲdʲesʲ bɐlʲˈnʲitsə/
Say it guh-DYEH ZDYES bul-NEE-tsih?
Мне ну́жно в больни́цу.
I need to get to hospital.
IPA /ˈmnʲe ˈnuʐnə v bɐlʲˈnʲitsʊ/
Say it muh-NYEH NOOZH-nuh v bul-NEE-tsoo.
The accusative after в shows direction: в больницу. Compare в больнице, "inside the hospital".
Мне ну́жно лека́рство от головно́й бо́ли.
I need something for a headache.
IPA /ˈmnʲe ˈnuʐnə lʲɪˈkarstvə əd ɡəlɐvˈnoj ˈbolʲɪ/
Say it muh-NYEH NOOZH-nuh lih-KAHR-stvuh ud guh-luv-NOY BOH-lih.
от + genitive names what a medicine is for: от кашля, от боли, от аллергии. Literally "a medicine against a headache".
У меня́ алле́ргия на лека́рства.
I am allergic to medicines.
IPA /ʊ mʲɪˈnʲa ɐˈlʲerʲɡʲɪjə nə lʲɪˈkarstvə/
Say it oo mih-NYAH uh-LYER-gih-yuh nuh lih-KAHR-stvuh.
аллергия на + accusative is the fixed government, and it is the same for anything you react to.
Э́то сро́чно.
It is urgent.
IPA /ˈɛtə ˈsrotɕnə/
Say it EH-tuh SROH-chnuh.
