🔍 In short. Basic italian health vocabulary is survival vocabulary. A farmacia sits on almost every block in an Italian town, the single emergency number 112 works across the whole country, and most residents access free public care through the Servizio Sanitario Nazionale. This A1 guide gives you the words and short sentences you actually need: how to say you feel unwell with mi sento male, mi fa male, and ho mal di, how to name body parts with the right article, how to ask for help at a farmacia, how to describe symptoms to a doctor, and how to react in an emergency. Every Italian example is translated below for total clarity.
By the end of this guide you will be able to walk into a pharmacy in Pisa, say where it hurts, ask for a basic remedy, and understand the pharmacist’s reply. You will also know which word to call when you need a doctor, an ambulance, or the emergency services. The italian health vocabulary you learn here is the same set used by Italian families every day, and a few hours of practice are enough to feel safe in any clinic or pharmacy in Italy.
Cosa impareremo oggi
👆🏻 Jump to section
- Saying you feel sick
- Body parts with the article
- Ho mal di vs mi fa male
- Common symptoms
- At the farmacia
- At the doctor
- Medicines and remedies
- Emergency phrases and 112
- Italian healthcare basics
- Cheat sheet
- Dialog: at the farmacia in Pisa
- Frequently asked questions
- Related guides
Saying you feel sick
The first sentence of any italian health vocabulary kit is non sto bene or mi sento male: “I am not well” and “I feel unwell”. Both are short, both are common, both work in any setting from a pharmacy counter to a hotel reception. Italians often add a detail right after: mi sento male, ho la febbre; non sto bene, ho mal di testa da stamattina.
- Non sto bene.
I am not well. - Mi sento male.
I feel sick. - Ho bisogno di un medico.
I need a doctor. - Mio figlio sta male.
My son is sick. - Sono molto stanca oggi.
I am very tired today.
Notice the pair stare and sentirsi. Stare is the standard verb for how you are in general: sto bene, sto male, come sta?. Sentirsi is reflexive and points to a feeling in this moment: mi sento bene, mi sento debole. In italian health vocabulary they are almost interchangeable for everyday use, and you will hear both at the doctor’s office. Building a small core of italian health vocabulary around stare and sentirsi gives you the first two minutes of any consultation.
Body parts with the article
The biggest surprise in Italian body-part vocabulary is small but constant: where English uses “my”, Italian uses the. You do not say “my head hurts” but mi fa male la testa (“the head hurts to me”). The article does the work of the possessive when the body part clearly belongs to the speaker. This pattern is everywhere in italian health vocabulary and it makes sentences shorter and more natural.
| English | Italian (singular) | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| head | la testa | le teste |
| eye | l’occhio | gli occhi |
| ear | l’orecchio | le orecchie |
| nose | il naso | i nasi |
| mouth | la bocca | le bocche |
| tooth | il dente | i denti |
| throat | la gola | le gole |
| neck | il collo | i colli |
| shoulder | la spalla | le spalle |
| arm | il braccio | le braccia |
| hand | la mano | le mani |
| finger | il dito | le dita |
| back | la schiena | le schiene |
| stomach / belly | lo stomaco / la pancia | gli stomaci / le pance |
| leg | la gamba | le gambe |
| knee | il ginocchio | le ginocchia |
| foot | il piede | i piedi |
Three words have irregular plurals worth memorising on day one: il braccio becomes le braccia, il dito becomes le dita, il ginocchio becomes le ginocchia. The plural is feminine when you mean the pair or set of body parts. La mano is also irregular: feminine despite ending in -o, plural le mani. These small irregularities show up constantly in basic italian health vocabulary, so it pays to drill them once and forget about them.
- Mi fanno male le braccia dopo la palestra.
My arms hurt after the gym. - Ho le mani fredde.
My hands are cold. - Le ginocchia di mio padre sono deboli.
My father’s knees are weak.
🔍 Article, not possessive. With body parts in italian health vocabulary, the rule is simple: use il, la, lo, l’, i, le, gli, not il mio, la mia. Say mi fa male la testa, not “mi fa male mia testa”. Say ho le mani fredde, not “ho mie mani fredde”. The article carries the meaning of “my” when ownership is obvious.
Ho mal di vs mi fa male
This is the single most useful pair of patterns in basic italian health vocabulary: ho mal di + body part, and mi fa male + article + body part. Both mean “something hurts”. You will hear them every day in any pharmacy in Italy.
Ho mal di works with a short list of common conditions and uses no article in between: ho mal di testa, ho mal di gola, ho mal di pancia, ho mal di stomaco, ho mal di denti, ho mal di schiena, ho mal di orecchie, ho mal di piedi. These are fixed expressions, almost compound nouns, and they cover most everyday aches.
- Ho mal di testa da stamattina.
I have had a headache since this morning. - Ho mal di gola e un po’ di tosse.
I have a sore throat and a bit of a cough. - Mio figlio ha mal di pancia.
My son has a stomachache. - Ho mal di denti, devo andare dal dentista.
I have a toothache, I have to go to the dentist.
Mi fa male + article + body part is the more flexible pattern. You can use it with any part of the body, and the verb agrees with what hurts: singular mi fa male, plural mi fanno male. So mi fa male la mano destra (one hand), but mi fanno male le gambe (both legs). It also accepts a person: gli fa male la spalla (“his shoulder hurts”), le fa male il ginocchio (“her knee hurts”).
- Mi fa male la mano destra.
My right hand hurts. - Mi fanno male gli occhi.
My eyes hurt. - Le fa male la spalla quando alza il braccio.
Her shoulder hurts when she lifts her arm. - Mi fa male qui, vicino al collo.
It hurts here, near the neck.
Pisa pharmacists hear both patterns all day long. As a rule of thumb: for the classic aches (head, throat, belly, stomach, teeth, back, ears, feet) ho mal di is shorter and more native. For everything else, or when you point to a specific spot, reach for mi fa male. This pair covers ninety percent of italian health vocabulary at A1.
🎯 Mini-task #1. Fill the gap with ho mal di or mi fa male / mi fanno male.
- ___ testa, ho preso un’aspirina.
- ___ il ginocchio sinistro quando cammino.
- Mio figlio ___ pancia, ha mangiato troppo a pranzo.
- ___ gli occhi dopo otto ore al computer.
- Da ieri ___ stomaco, forse è il pesce.
👉 Show answers
1. Ho mal di · 2. Mi fa male · 3. ha mal di · 4. Mi fanno male · 5. ho mal di
Common symptoms
Beyond aches, the next layer of italian health vocabulary is the short list of symptoms you describe to a pharmacist or a doctor. Italians measure temperature in Celsius, so 37.5 is a slight fever and 39 is high. The word febbre is feminine: ho la febbre, with the article.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| la febbre | fever |
| la tosse | cough |
| il raffreddore | cold (runny nose) |
| l’influenza | flu |
| il mal di testa | headache |
| la nausea | nausea |
| il vomito | vomiting |
| la diarrea | diarrhoea |
| l’allergia | allergy |
| il dolore | pain |
| la stanchezza | tiredness |
| il sangue | blood |
- Ho la febbre alta, trentanove e mezzo.
I have a high fever, thirty-nine and a half. - Ho il raffreddore e un po’ di tosse.
I have a cold and a bit of a cough. - Sono allergica al polline, ho gli occhi gonfi.
I am allergic to pollen, my eyes are puffy. - Mi sento debole e ho la nausea.
I feel weak and I am nauseous. - Mio nonno ha la pressione alta.
My grandfather has high blood pressure.
To describe how long a symptom has lasted, Italian uses da + time expression: da stamattina (“since this morning”), da due giorni (“for two days”), da una settimana (“for a week”). This is one of the most useful little patterns in italian health vocabulary, because every consultation starts with the same question: da quanto tempo?. Practising the italian health vocabulary for time markers alongside symptoms will save you constant hesitation at the counter.
At the farmacia
In Italy a farmacia is more than a shop: the pharmacist is a trained professional who can give advice on minor problems, recommend an over-the-counter remedy, measure blood pressure, and tell you when you should see a doctor instead. You spot a pharmacy by the green cross outside, and every neighbourhood has a farmacia di turno, the one on duty after hours. This makes the pharmacy the most common stage for everyday italian health vocabulary.
- C’è una farmacia qui vicino?
Is there a pharmacy nearby? - Dov’è la farmacia di turno?
Where is the on-duty pharmacy? - Vorrei qualcosa per il raffreddore.
I would like something for a cold. - Avete uno sciroppo per la tosse?
Do you have a cough syrup? - Mi serve un’aspirina, per favore.
I need an aspirin, please. - Senza ricetta non posso vendere l’antibiotico.
Without a prescription I cannot sell the antibiotic. - Ha un cerotto e un po’ di disinfettante?
Do you have a band-aid and some disinfectant?
The verb vorrei (“I would like”) is the polite opener you will use most often. It softens the request and signals that you are not in a hurry. Mi serve (“I need”) is the more direct version, also common, also polite. Both are part of the core italian health vocabulary for any over-the-counter exchange.
Antibiotics, sleeping pills, and most prescription drugs require a ricetta medica, the doctor’s prescription. Pain relievers like tachipirina (paracetamol) and aspirina, cough syrups, and basic remedies for cold and flu are sold without a prescription. If you are not sure, just ask: serve la ricetta?.
At the doctor
Italians use two words for “doctor”. Medico names the profession; dottore (or dottoressa, feminine) is the title you use when you address the person directly. So you say vado dal medico (“I’m going to the doctor”) but buongiorno, dottore when you greet them. Both belong to standard italian health vocabulary.
The preposition da + person means “to / at someone’s place”. Vado dal medico = “I’m going to the doctor’s”; vado dal dentista = “I’m going to the dentist’s”. The full GP is called the medico di base or medico di famiglia, the family doctor assigned through the public system.
- Devo andare dal medico per la pressione.
I have to go to the doctor for my blood pressure. - Vorrei prendere un appuntamento.
I would like to make an appointment. - Dottoressa, ho mal di testa da tre giorni.
Doctor, I have had a headache for three days. - Mi fa male qui quando respiro.
It hurts here when I breathe. - Mio figlio ha la febbre da due giorni.
My son has had a fever for two days. - Ho bisogno di una visita.
I need a check-up.
A visita is a medical examination; an analisi is a blood test or lab test; a ricetta is the written prescription you take to the farmacia. These three words are the backbone of italian health vocabulary at any clinic. Once you know them, the rest of the italian health vocabulary for appointments and tests slots into place quickly.
Medicines and remedies
The names of common medicines look reassuringly similar to English, and the basic italian health vocabulary for remedies is short. Most of these words are masculine; medicina is the main feminine one.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| la medicina | medicine |
| la pastiglia / la compressa | tablet / pill |
| lo sciroppo | syrup |
| la pomata | ointment |
| il cerotto | band-aid |
| il disinfettante | disinfectant |
| l’antibiotico | antibiotic |
| l’aspirina | aspirin |
| la tachipirina | paracetamol |
| la siringa | syringe |
| il vaccino | vaccine |
| la ricetta | prescription |
- Prendo una pastiglia ogni otto ore.
I take a tablet every eight hours. - Mi serve uno sciroppo per la tosse secca.
I need a syrup for a dry cough. - Metto la pomata sul ginocchio due volte al giorno.
I put the ointment on my knee twice a day. - Il bambino ha già fatto il vaccino.
The child has already had the vaccine.
Two short verbs cover most actions: prendere (“to take”) for tablets and syrups, and mettere (“to put on”) for creams and band-aids. Prendo l’antibiotico, metto il cerotto sul dito. Simple, frequent, central to italian health vocabulary. Pairing these two verbs with the medicine names in this section already gives you a workable slice of italian health vocabulary for the pharmacy shelf.
Emergency phrases and 112
Italy uses the single European emergency number 112. One call reaches police, ambulance, fire brigade, and forestry corps; the operator routes you to the right service. The older numbers 118 (ambulance), 113 (police), and 115 (fire) still work in many regions, but 112 is the safe default. The Italian word for ambulance is ambulanza; the emergency room is the pronto soccorso. Both are essential pieces of italian health vocabulary.
- Aiuto!
Help! - Chiamate un’ambulanza, per favore!
Call an ambulance, please! - C’è stato un incidente.
There has been an accident. - Dov’è il pronto soccorso?
Where is the emergency room? - Mi sono fatta male a una gamba.
I have hurt my leg. - Mio marito non respira bene.
My husband is not breathing well. - Sono allergica alla penicillina.
I am allergic to penicillin.
🔍 Save 112. One number, free, no SIM required, available in every Italian town. The operator speaks Italian and English in tourist areas. Say your name, where you are, and what has happened: sono a Pisa, in piazza dei Miracoli, mio figlio è caduto e non si muove. This is the most useful single sentence in emergency italian health vocabulary.
Italian healthcare basics
Italy has a public health system called the Servizio Sanitario Nazionale (SSN). Every resident receives a tessera sanitaria, the healthcare card with a unique tax code on the back. With the tessera you book appointments with your medico di base, pay reduced fees for tests, and get prescriptions filled at any farmacia. EU visitors can use the European Health Insurance Card (TEAM) for free public care during short stays.
- Ho la tessera sanitaria.
I have the healthcare card. - Il mio medico di base è il dottor Bianchi.
My family doctor is Doctor Bianchi. - L’ospedale è in via Bonanno.
The hospital is on via Bonanno. - Devo pagare il ticket per l’analisi.
I have to pay the co-payment for the lab test.
The Italian word ticket is a false friend: it means the small fee residents pay for some public services, not a bus or train ticket. In everyday italian health vocabulary you will hear it constantly: il ticket della visita, il ticket del pronto soccorso. Knowing the false-friend traps inside italian health vocabulary saves you from a few awkward moments at the cashier window.
Cheat sheet
One table to keep open the next time you walk into an Italian pharmacy or clinic. Every line is core italian health vocabulary at A1.
| Situation | Italian | English |
|---|---|---|
| Feel unwell | Mi sento male. | I feel sick. |
| Specific ache (fixed) | Ho mal di testa. | I have a headache. |
| Specific spot hurts | Mi fa male la spalla. | My shoulder hurts. |
| Several parts hurt | Mi fanno male le gambe. | My legs hurt. |
| Have a fever | Ho la febbre. | I have a fever. |
| Ask for pharmacy | C’è una farmacia qui vicino? | Is there a pharmacy nearby? |
| Polite request | Vorrei qualcosa per il raffreddore. | I’d like something for a cold. |
| Need a doctor | Ho bisogno di un medico. | I need a doctor. |
| Go to GP | Vado dal medico. | I’m going to the doctor. |
| Emergency | Chiamate un’ambulanza! | Call an ambulance! |
| Emergency number | Centododici (112). | One-one-two. |
| Healthcare card | la tessera sanitaria | health card |
Dialog: at the farmacia in Pisa
Elena walks into a farmacia on Corso Italia in Pisa on a Saturday morning. Matteo, the pharmacist, listens and helps. Every line is everyday italian health vocabulary.
👩🏼🦰 Elena: Buongiorno. Non sto bene, ho mal di gola da ieri sera.
Good morning. I am not well, I have had a sore throat since last night.
👨🏽🦱 Matteo: Ha anche la febbre?
Do you also have a fever?
👩🏼🦰 Elena: Un po’, trentasette e cinque. E ho anche la tosse.
A little, thirty-seven and a half. And I also have a cough.
👨🏽🦱 Matteo: È tosse secca o con catarro?
Is it a dry cough or with phlegm?
👩🏼🦰 Elena: Secca. Mi fa male la gola quando parlo.
Dry. My throat hurts when I talk.
👨🏽🦱 Matteo: Le do uno sciroppo per la tosse secca e delle pastiglie per la gola. Per la febbre, una tachipirina ogni otto ore.
I’ll give you a syrup for a dry cough and some lozenges for the throat. For the fever, one paracetamol every eight hours.
👩🏼🦰 Elena: Serve la ricetta?
Do I need a prescription?
👨🏽🦱 Matteo: No, sono prodotti da banco. Ma se domani la febbre è ancora alta, vada dal medico.
No, they are over-the-counter products. But if the fever is still high tomorrow, go to the doctor.
👩🏼🦰 Elena: Grazie. Ah, mi serve anche un cerotto. Mia figlia è caduta in bici.
Thank you. Oh, I also need a band-aid. My daughter fell off her bike.
👨🏽🦱 Matteo: Tenga, e un po’ di disinfettante. Sono dieci euro in tutto.
Here you go, and a bit of disinfectant. That’s ten euros in total.
Count the patterns: non sto bene, ho mal di gola, ho la febbre, ho la tosse, mi fa male, mi serve, serve la ricetta?, vada dal medico. A single short visit drills the core of A1 italian health vocabulary.
🎯 Mini-challenge. Imagine you are at a pharmacy in Pisa. In five Italian sentences, greet the pharmacist, say what hurts using both ho mal di and mi fa male, mention one symptom, ask for one remedy, and say thank you. Read it out loud once before closing the page.
Test your understanding
The quiz below drills the core italian health vocabulary: body parts, ho mal di vs mi fa male, pharmacy phrases, and emergency basics.
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Frequently asked questions
Six questions about basic italian health vocabulary that come up in every A1 class. The answers below draw on everyday pharmacy and clinic usage in Italy, plus the Treccani entry on farmacia.
When do I use ho mal di vs mi fa male?
Ho mal di is a fixed expression used with a short list of common conditions and no article in between: ho mal di testa, ho mal di gola, ho mal di pancia, ho mal di stomaco, ho mal di denti, ho mal di schiena, ho mal di orecchie, ho mal di piedi. Mi fa male is the flexible pattern that works with any body part and uses the article: mi fa male la mano, mi fa male il ginocchio. For the classic aches both are correct; for a specific spot or anything outside the fixed list, mi fa male is the natural choice. The verb agrees with the body part: mi fa male la spalla (singular), mi fanno male le gambe (plural).
Why do I say mi fa male la mano and not mi fa male la mia mano?
Italian uses the definite article, not the possessive, with body parts when ownership is obvious. So you say mi fa male la testa, ho le mani fredde, mi fanno male gli occhi. Adding the possessive (la mia testa, le mie mani) is unnecessary and sounds foreign. This rule covers all of italian health vocabulary at A1: head, eyes, ears, hands, feet, back, knees all take il, la, lo, l’, i, le, gli without mio or mia.
What is the difference between medico and dottore?
They name the same profession but in different roles. Medico is the noun for the profession: il mio medico di base, vado dal medico, ho un appuntamento col medico. Dottore (or dottoressa for a woman) is the title you use when you address the person directly: buongiorno, dottore; grazie, dottoressa. In Italian dottore is also a courtesy title for any graduate, not only physicians, so it shows up far beyond italian health vocabulary.
What number do I call for a medical emergency in Italy?
112 is the single European emergency number used across Italy. One call reaches police, ambulance, fire brigade, and forestry corps; the operator routes you to the right service. The older numbers 118 (ambulance), 113 (police), and 115 (fire) still work in many regions, but 112 is the safe default and is free from any phone, with or without a SIM. The Italian word for ambulance is ambulanza; the emergency room is the pronto soccorso.
What is the tessera sanitaria and do tourists need one?
The tessera sanitaria is the Italian healthcare card issued to every resident through the Servizio Sanitario Nazionale (SSN). It carries the codice fiscale (tax code) on the back and is required to book a visit with your medico di base, fill prescriptions at a farmacia, and pay the reduced ticket for lab tests. Tourists do not receive a tessera sanitaria. EU visitors use the European Health Insurance Card (TEAM) for free public care during short stays; non-EU visitors should rely on private travel insurance.
Can I buy antibiotics over the counter in Italy?
No. Antibiotics are prescription-only medicines in Italy and require a ricetta medica from a doctor. Pharmacies will refuse to sell them otherwise; the standard phrase you will hear is senza ricetta non posso vendere l’antibiotico. Many other useful remedies are sold da banco (over the counter): paracetamol (tachipirina), aspirin, cough syrup, throat lozenges, band-aids, disinfectant, basic cold and flu products. If you are not sure, ask: serve la ricetta?
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Related guides
Three guides that pair with basic italian health vocabulary, plus an institutional reference on the word farmacia.
- Italian Neuter Plurals: le braccia, le dita, le ginocchia and the other irregular body-part plurals.
- When to Use the Definite Article in Italian: why body parts take il, la, lo where English uses my.
- Italian Ci Idioms: c’è una farmacia qui vicino? and the other essential c’è / ci sono patterns.
- Treccani: farmacia: institutional entry on the word and its uses.
