At the Turkish Pharmacy & Hospital: Symptoms, Eczane & Healthcare Vocabulary

Getting ill abroad is stressful enough without having to explain your symptoms in a new language. Whether it’s a sore throat, a stomach bug or a prescription you need to refill, a few key phrases make visits to the pharmacy (eczane) and the doctor much easier.

This guide explains how pharmacies and duty pharmacies work in Türkiye, gives you the vocabulary for common symptoms and dosage instructions, and walks you through two dialogues. It is a language guide, not medical advice: if you feel seriously unwell, call 112.

1. How pharmacies work

In Türkiye, medicines, including basic painkillers, are sold in pharmacies (eczane), not in supermarkets. Pharmacists (eczacı) are university-trained and are often the first place people go for minor problems: they can recommend over-the-counter medicines, explain how to take them, and tell you when you should see a doctor.

• Prescriptions (reçete). Many medicines, such as antibiotics, need a doctor’s prescription. Prescriptions are usually electronic (e-reçete); bring your ID (passport or residence permit) so the pharmacist can find yours.
• Opening hours. Most pharmacies open from Monday to Saturday during normal shop hours and close in the evening and on Sundays.
• Duty pharmacies (nöbetçi eczane). Each night, and on Sundays and public holidays, a rota of duty pharmacies stays open. Every closed pharmacy displays the addresses of the nearest duty pharmacies on its door or window, and you can search nöbetçi eczane plus your district online.

2. Hospitals and doctors

How much you pay depends on your insurance status. Our guide to health insurance in Türkiye for foreigners explains the options.

Emergency number: 112. Call 112 for an ambulance, police, fire or any other emergency.

3. Dialogue: at the pharmacy

A customer (Mark) with flu-like symptoms and a pharmacist (Eczacı).

Mark:     İyi akşamlar.
          (Good evening.)

Eczacı:   İyi akşamlar, buyurun. Nasıl yardımcı olabilirim?
          (Good evening. How can I help?)

Mark:     İki gündür boğazım çok ağrıyor ve ateşim var. Biraz da kuru öksürüğüm var.
          (My throat has been really sore for two days and I have a fever. I also have a slight dry cough.)

Eczacı:   Geçmiş olsun. Ateşinizi ölçtünüz mü? Kaç derece?
          (Sorry to hear that. Have you taken your temperature? How high is it?)

Mark:     Dün gece otuz sekiz buçuktu. Başım da zonkluyor.
          (It was 38.5 last night. My head is throbbing too.)

Eczacı:   Herhangi bir ilaca alerjiniz ya da kronik bir rahatsızlığınız var mı?
          (Are you allergic to any medicine, or do you have a chronic condition?)

Mark:     Hayır, bilinen bir alerjim yok.
          (No, no known allergies.)

Eczacı:   Boğazınız için bu spreyi ve pastilleri vereyim. Ateş ve baş ağrısı için de bu ağrı kesiciyi öneririm.
          (I'll give you this spray and these lozenges for your throat. For the fever and headache, I'd recommend this painkiller.)

Mark:     Aç karnına mı, tok karnına mı almalıyım?
          (Should I take it on an empty or a full stomach?)

Eczacı:   Tok karnına, sabah ve akşam birer tane. Dozu kutunun üstüne yazıyorum. Ateşiniz üç günden fazla sürerse mutlaka doktora görünün.
          (On a full stomach, one in the morning and one in the evening. I'm writing the dose on the box. If the fever lasts more than three days, do see a doctor.)

Mark:     Teşekkür ederim. Kartla ödeyebilir miyim?
          (Thank you. Can I pay by card?)

Eczacı:   Tabii. Geçmiş olsun, acil şifalar!
          (Of course. Get well soon!)

Almalıyım (“should I take”) uses the necessitative -meli/-malı, and Geçmiş olsun is the standard thing to say to anyone who is ill; see our guide to essential Turkish expressions.

4. Dialogue: at the doctor’s

Doktor:   Buyurun, şikâyetiniz ne?
          (Come in. What's the problem?)

Hasta:    Üç gündür midem bulanıyor ve karnım ağrıyor.
          (I've felt sick and had stomach pain for three days.)

Doktor:   Ateşiniz var mı? İshal ya da kusma oldu mu?
          (Do you have a fever? Have you had diarrhoea or vomiting?)

Hasta:    Ateşim yok ama dün iki kere kustum.
          (No fever, but I was sick twice yesterday.)

Doktor:   Sizi bir muayene edeyim. Kan tahlili de isteyeceğim.
          (Let me examine you. I'll also ask for a blood test.)

5. Symptoms vocabulary

The most useful pattern is body part + my + ağrıyor (“…hurts”): başım ağrıyor (my head hurts). The -ım/-im/-um/-üm ending is the possessive suffix “my”, and ağrıyor is the present continuous. For more body parts, see our guide to body parts in Turkish.

To say how long something has lasted, add -dir to the time: iki gündür (for two days), bir haftadır (for a week). To ask whether something is available, use var mı?: Bu ilacın eşdeğeri var mı? (Is there a generic version of this medicine?).

6. Reading dosage instructions

Pharmacists often write the dose on the box by hand. These are the words you’ll see:

7. Get-well phrases

• Geçmiş olsun! (getch-MEESH ol-SUN) — “May it pass!”, said to anyone who is ill, injured or has had a bad experience. Reply Sağ olun or Teşekkür ederim.
• Acil şifalar! (ah-JEEL shee-fah-LAR) — “Get well soon!”, literally “speedy healing”.

Next steps

Practice the body part + ağrıyor pattern until you can say it without thinking, and save the symptom phrases you’re most likely to need on your phone. To learn more body parts, continue with body parts in Turkish.