Aprende palabras y frases útiles en situaciones diarias con nuestra serie de artículos Everyday Dialogues. A continuación, un diálogo entre un farmaceuta y una persona que acude a la farmacia en busca de un tratamiento para el resfriado. Recuerda que también puedes escuchar este audio, así podrás practicar tanto la comprensión auditiva como la pronunciación.
Dialogue: How to ask for medication at a pharmacy
Client: Hello there. Do you have anything for a persistent cold? I thought I’d try the pharmacy before going to the doctor’s.
Pharmacist: Of course! What are your symptoms?
Client: I have a stuffy nose and a headache between my eyes.
Pharmacist: I can give you a decongestant and maybe some sort of painkiller to relieve your headache.
Client: That sounds good. Do you have any natural remedies? I don’t want to take too much medication.
Pharmacist: As a matter of fact, we do. You can try this saline nasal spray to break up your congestion.
Client: That sounds good. Are there any natural painkillers, too?
Pharmacist: A cold compress might help. And make sure you drink lots of fluids. Herbal teas like ginger or camomile are good.
Client: I’ll try that, thanks!
Pharmacist: You’re welcome! I hope you get well soon.
Now let's review the vocabulary
- A persistent cold is a cold that lasts a long time and does not seem to go away.
- An apostrophe is used in going to the doctor’s to indicate a possessive —it is actually short for ‘doctor’s office / surgery’. The same goes for ‘going to the dentist’s (office), hairdresser’s (salon)’, etc.
- A stuffy nose is a nose which is blocked (or ‘congested’) due to excessive mucus.
- A decongestant is a treatment to clear a blocked nose.
- A painkiller does exactly that: it ‘kills’ pain. In other words, it is an analgesic.
- Natural remedies are treatments made using natural ingredients, like herbs.
- As a matter of fact is a phrase used to add an explanation or something contrasting. A pharmacy sells medicinal treatments, but this one also sells natural remedies.
- A nasal spray forces liquid into the nose using a special device.
- In this context, the phrasal verb to break up means ‘to clear’.
- Congestion means blockage. Here, it refers to a blocked nose. It can also refer to a traffic jam!
- A cold compress is applied to an area of the body to relieve pain. It can be a cloth dipped in cold water, an ice pack or even a bag of frozen peas.
- Fluids are liquids like water, juice or tea.
- Get well soon is a common phrase to use with a person who is ill, to wish them a fast recovery.
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