The family doctor: booking a visit

The sentences you need

• Vorrei prendere un appuntamento.

  I'd like to make an appointment.

• Ho la tosse da una settimana.

  I've had a cough for a week.

• Stanotte ho avuto la febbre.

  I had a temperature last night.

• Devo portare qualcosa?

  Do I need to bring anything?

• Mi sono iscritta al servizio sanitario.

  I've registered with the health service (said by a woman).

• Come si scrive?

  How do you spell it?

Chapters

1. 0:00The conversation
2. 0:52Welcome
3. 1:31Line by line
4. 3:52Your turn
5. 4:56Italy, decoded
6. 5:32The conversation, again
7. 6:23See you next time

Full transcript

Italian lines are highlighted. Tap a time to listen from there.

1. 0:00Host

   Can you follow this? Don't worry if you can't. By the end of this episode, you will.

2. 0:05Voice 2

   Pronto, studio del dottor Ferri.

3. 0:08Voice 1

   Buongiorno. Sono una paziente del dottore. Vorrei prendere un appuntamento.

4. 0:14Voice 2

   Certo. Per che cosa?

5. 0:16Voice 1

   Ho la tosse da una settimana, e stanotte ho avuto la febbre.

6. 0:20Voice 2

   Domani alle undici e un quarto le va bene?

7. 0:23Voice 1

   Sì, perfetto. Devo portare qualcosa?

8. 0:27Voice 2

   La tessera sanitaria. È la prima volta che viene?

9. 0:31Voice 1

   Sì. Mi sono iscritta al servizio sanitario il mese scorso.

10. 0:35Voice 2

    Allora mi dice il cognome?

11. 0:38Voice 1

    Wilson.

12. 0:39Voice 2

    Come si scrive?

13. 0:40Voice 1

    Doppia vu, i, elle, esse, o, enne.

14. 0:46Voice 2

    Perfetto, signora Wilson. A domani.

15. 0:49Voice 1

    Grazie, a domani.

16. 0:52Host

    "Ciao!" And welcome to Living in Italian, by Adesso Italian. One real situation from life in Italy, in under ten minutes.

17. 1:01Host

    Today: your family doctor, "il medico di base". In Italy, the family doctor is the door to the health system: visits, prescriptions, tests. So the first phone call matters.

18. 1:14Host

    By the end, you'll be able to book a visit, say what's wrong, and spell your name the Italian way.

19. 1:20Host

    Quick note: the voices you hear are AI-generated. Every script is written for real life in Italy and checked by a native Italian speaker.

20. 1:28Host

    Let's go, line by line.

21. 1:31Host

    Someone answers: "Pronto, studio del dottor Ferri." Hello, Doctor Ferri's surgery. "Lo studio" is the doctor's office. And you say:

22. 1:41Voice 1

    Buongiorno. Sono una paziente del dottore. Vorrei prendere un appuntamento.

23. 1:47Host

    "Sono una paziente": I'm a patient. A man says "un paziente". And "vorrei prendere un appuntamento": I'd like to make an appointment. In Italian you take an appointment, you don't make one.

24. 2:02Host

    They ask: "Per che cosa?" What for? And you describe it:

25. 2:07Voice 1

    Ho la tosse da una settimana, e stanotte ho avuto la febbre.

26. 2:12Host

    "La tosse" is a cough. "Da una settimana": for a week. Yes, that present tense plus "da" again: I have a cough since a week. "Stanotte ho avuto la febbre": last night I had a temperature.

27. 2:28Host

    Careful: "stanotte" means last night if you're talking in the morning, and tonight if you're talking in the afternoon. Italians just know.

28. 2:37Host

    Next: "Domani alle undici e un quarto le va bene?" Is tomorrow at a quarter past eleven OK for you? "Le va bene" is the polite way to ask if something works for you.

29. 2:49Host

    You say yes, and ask:

30. 2:52Voice 1

    Devo portare qualcosa?

31. 2:54Host

    Do I need to bring anything? The answer: "La tessera sanitaria", your health card. Then: "È la prima volta che viene?" Is it the first time you're coming? And you answer:

32. 3:06Voice 1

    Sì. Mi sono iscritta al servizio sanitario il mese scorso.

33. 3:11Host

    I registered with the health service last month. A woman says "iscritta", a man says "iscritto".

34. 3:18Host

    Then the moment every foreigner knows: "Mi dice il cognome?" Can you tell me your surname? And right after: "Come si scrive?" How do you spell it?

35. 3:29Host

    Spell it with Italian letter names. W is "doppia vu", L is "elle", S is "esse", N is "enne":

36. 3:41Voice 1

    Doppia vu, i, elle, esse, o, enne.

37. 3:46Host

    Practise your own surname tonight. You'll use it every single week in Italy.

38. 3:52Host

    Your turn. I'll say a sentence in English. In the pause, say it in Italian, out loud. Then listen to the answer.

39. 4:00Host

    I'd like to make an appointment.

40. 4:06Voice 1

    Vorrei prendere un appuntamento.

41. 4:09Host

    I've had a cough for a week.

42. 4:16Voice 1

    Ho la tosse da una settimana.

43. 4:19Host

    I had a temperature last night.

44. 4:25Voice 1

    Stanotte ho avuto la febbre.

45. 4:28Host

    Do I need to bring anything?

46. 4:33Voice 1

    Devo portare qualcosa?

47. 4:36Host

    How do you spell it?

48. 4:40Voice 1

    Come si scrive?

49. 4:43Host

    One more, a little harder. I've registered with the health service.

50. 4:52Voice 1

    Mi sono iscritta al servizio sanitario.

51. 4:56Host

    Italy, decoded. How the family doctor works.

52. 5:00Host

    When you register with the national health service at your local health authority, the "ASL", you choose your family doctor from a list. Visits with your family doctor are free.

53. 5:11Host

    For a specialist or a test, the family doctor writes you a prescription, and you book it through a central booking service called the "CUP". Usually you pay a fixed fee, the "ticket".

54. 5:24Host

    Prescriptions are electronic now: often you just get a code by message, and you show it at the pharmacy.

55. 5:31Host

    Now, the full conversation again. This time, you'll understand all of it.

56. 5:36Voice 2

    Pronto, studio del dottor Ferri.

57. 5:39Voice 1

    Buongiorno. Sono una paziente del dottore. Vorrei prendere un appuntamento.

58. 5:45Voice 2

    Certo. Per che cosa?

59. 5:47Voice 1

    Ho la tosse da una settimana, e stanotte ho avuto la febbre.

60. 5:51Voice 2

    Domani alle undici e un quarto le va bene?

61. 5:54Voice 1

    Sì, perfetto. Devo portare qualcosa?

62. 5:58Voice 2

    La tessera sanitaria. È la prima volta che viene?

63. 6:02Voice 1

    Sì. Mi sono iscritta al servizio sanitario il mese scorso.

64. 6:06Voice 2

    Allora mi dice il cognome?

65. 6:09Voice 1

    Wilson.

66. 6:10Voice 2

    Come si scrive?

67. 6:11Voice 1

    Doppia vu, i, elle, esse, o, enne.

68. 6:17Voice 2

    Perfetto, signora Wilson. A domani.

69. 6:20Voice 1

    Grazie, a domani.

70. 6:23Host

    That's it for today. There's a printable booklet for the doctor and the pharmacy, with audio for every line, and there's Studio, where Unit 1 is free. The links are in the show notes.

71. 6:34Host

    Next episode: the post office, and that little slip of paper in your mailbox.

72. 6:40Host

    This was Living in Italian, by Adesso Italian. See you next time.