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A medical German glossary for your profession

Terms and phrases you will use every day in your first months in Germany — with patients, in the team and in documentation. German with translations, for each profession.

What's in the glossary

More than 90 terms and phrases: a section for your profession and a general section for all healthcare professionals.

  • Nouns with their article (der, die, das) — learn them correctly from the start
  • Full sentences for talking to patients, in the formal “Sie” form
  • Shift handover, documentation and teamwork
  • Five versions: nurses, doctors, physiotherapists, pharmacists, care workers

A sample from the glossary

Nurse

  • die Grundpflege — basic care (hygiene, dressing, eating, mobility)
  • die Behandlungspflege — clinical nursing tasks ordered by the doctor
  • die Ganzkörperwäsche — full-body wash (bed bath)

Doctor

  • Was führt Sie zu uns? — What brings you to us?
  • Welche Beschwerden haben Sie? — What symptoms do you have?
  • Seit wann bestehen die Beschwerden? — How long have you had the symptoms?

Physiotherapist

  • die Befunderhebung — assessment
  • die Bewegungseinschränkung — restricted movement
  • das Bewegungsausmaß — range of motion

Pharmacist

  • das Rezept (die Verordnung) — prescription
  • das E-Rezept — e-prescription
  • verschreibungspflichtig / apothekenpflichtig / freiverkäuflich — prescription-only / pharmacy-only / general sale (also outside pharmacies)

Care worker

  • Darf ich Ihnen beim Waschen helfen? — May I help you wash?
  • Möchten Sie duschen oder sich am Waschbecken waschen? — Would you like to shower or wash at the sink?
  • Ist Ihnen das Wasser zu warm? — Is the water too warm for you?

Download the glossary for your profession

Choose your profession — you get a general section for all healthcare professionals and a section for your field.

The glossary is a start — you learn German with us for free

In our German school you learn general and medical German, all the way up to C1. Find out where you are with the placement test.