Here are important words you need to know:

• مَشْفى (mashfa) — hospital
• طَبِيب (ṭabīb) — doctor
• مُمَرِّضَة (mumarriṣa) — nurse
• مَرِيض (marīḍ) — patient
• دَوَاء (dawāʾ) — medicine
• وَجَع (wajaʿ) — pain
• مَاء (māʾ) — water

Instructions a Doctor or Nurse Might Say

• اِقْعُدْ (iqʿud) — Sit down
• قُمْ (qum) — Stand up
• افْتَحْ فَمَكَ (iftah famaka) — Open your mouth
• خُذْ هَذَا الدَّوَاءَ (khudh hādhā al-dawāʾ) — Take this medicine
• اشْرَبْ المَاءَ (ishrab al-māʾ) — Drink water
• تَعَالَ هُنَا (taʿāla hunā) — Come here
• اذْهَبْ إِلَى الغُرْفَة (idhhab ilā al-ghurfa) — Go to the room

How to Ask for Help

If you are a patient and need to call the nurse, you can say:

• أَحْتَاجُ مَسَاعَدَةً (aḥtāju masāʿadan) — I need help
• هَلْ يُمْكِنُنِي أَنْ آكُلَ؟ (hal yumkinunī an ākula?) — Can I eat?

Nurse to Patient:

خُذْ هَذَا الدَّوَاءَ ثَلاَثَ مَرَّاتٍ فِي الْيَوْمِ
khudh hādhā al-dawāʾ thalāthan marrātin fī al-yawm
Take this medicine three times a day

Patient's Response:

شُكْرًا (shukran) — Thank you

Written instructions in a hospital usually use short, clear sentences. Look at this example:

** Doctor's prescription: **

تَنَاوَلْ هَذَا الدَّوَاءَ قَبْلَ الأَكْلِ
tanāwal hādhā al-dawāʾ qabla al-akl
Take this medicine before eating

1. Role play with a friend — One person acts as the doctor or nurse, the other as the patient.
2. Use simple sentences — Start with short instructions like "Sit" and "Drink water."
3. Listen carefully — When someone gives you an instruction, make sure you understand the key words.

In Tanzania, if you visit a hospital in Dar es Salaam or any other town and meet an Arab-speaking doctor or nurse, you can use these Arabic phrases to understand their instructions. For example, when the nurse says "خُذْ هَذَا الدَّوَاءَ" (take this medicine), you will know what to do. This is useful when Arabic-speaking medical staff work in hospitals in Tanzania.