At the Farmácia: The European Portuguese You Need When You're Sick in Portugal

Sooner or later it happens: the summer cold, the sunburn, the headache after a long flight. In Portugal, your first stop is not the doctor — it's the farmácia, marked everywhere by a glowing green cross.

Portuguese pharmacists are highly trained and act as the country's first line of healthcare. For anything minor, you walk in, describe the problem, and walk out with the right box. This guide gives you the European Portuguese to do exactly that.

Why the Farmácia Is Not a Drugstore

An American-style drugstore sells medicine next to snacks and shampoo. A Portuguese farmácia is stricter:

• Almost all medicine — even ibuprofen — lives behind the counter. You have to ask for it.
• A parafarmácia (often a corner inside Continente or Wells) sells vitamins, sunscreen, and baby products, but not real medication.
• Prescription drugs require uma receita médica — no exceptions, including antibiotics.

So you can't browse. You have to talk. Here's how.

"Estou Constipado" — The False Friend That Gets Everyone

Let's deal with the famous one first:

"Estou constipado." / "Estou constipada."
= "I have a cold."

It does not mean what English speakers fear it means. (That would be "Tenho prisão de ventre" — literally "imprisonment of the belly," which is at least honest.) Walk into any farmácia in January and you'll hear constipado every thirty seconds.

Describing Symptoms: The Verb That Works Backwards

To say something hurts, Portuguese uses doer — and the body part is the grammatical subject, not you:

• "Dói-me a cabeça." — My head hurts. (Literally: "The head hurts to-me.")
• "Dói-me a garganta." — My throat hurts.
• "Doem-me as costas." — My back hurts. (Costas is plural, so the verb is too: doem.)

Swap the pronoun to talk about someone else: Dói-te? (Does it hurt you? — informal), Dói-lhe? (formal). This construction appears constantly in daily life and in the CIPLE A2 exam's role-play section, so it's worth drilling.

For everything else, use ter (to have):

• "Tenho febre." — I have a fever.
• "Tenho tosse." — I have a cough.
• "Tenho o nariz entupido." — My nose is blocked.
• "Tenho alergia a..." — I'm allergic to...

The Symptom Cheat Sheet

To ask for something over the counter, the magic formula is:

"Tem alguma coisa para a tosse?" — Do you have something for a cough?

Replace a tosse with anything from the table.

Understanding the Pharmacist's Instructions

The answer comes fast, but it follows patterns. Listen for these:

• "Tome um comprimido de oito em oito horas." — Take one pill every eight hours. (De X em X horas = every X hours.)
• "Em jejum." — On an empty stomach.
• "A seguir às refeições." — After meals.
• "Antes de se deitar." — Before bed.
• "Se os sintomas persistirem, consulte o médico." — If symptoms persist, see a doctor. (Also the closing line of every Portuguese medicine ad.)

A Real Conversation at the Counter

Farmacêutica: Boa tarde. Diga.
You: Boa tarde. Estou constipado e dói-me a garganta. Tem alguma coisa para isto?
Farmacêutica: Tem febre?
You: Acho que não. Só tosse.
Farmacêutica: Leve este xarope. Tome de oito em oito horas.
You: Quanto é?
Farmacêutica: São seis euros e cinquenta.
You: Obrigado. Bom dia!

Seven lines, and every one of them is A2-level Portuguese. If the farmácia is busy, take uma senha (a numbered ticket) from the machine by the door and wait for your number — the same ritual as the supermarket deli counter, which we cover in our free supermarket lesson.

Quick Questions

Do Portuguese pharmacists speak English?

In cities and the Algarve, usually yes. But pharmacists everywhere appreciate the attempt, and in smaller towns the Portuguese above stops being optional. Either way, you'll understand the box and the dosage instructions better if you know the vocabulary.

Can I buy antibiotics without a prescription?

No. Antibiotics always require uma receita médica from a doctor. A pharmacist can handle most minor complaints, but they will send you to a clinic when it matters.

What is a "farmácia de serviço"?

Pharmacies rotate 24-hour duty. If your local one is closed, the farmácia de serviço sign (or a quick search for "farmácias de serviço" + your town) shows which one is open all night.

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Want the pharmacy vocabulary as a structured lesson with the doer grammar drills? It's free: At the Pharmacy: Describing Symptoms. And for the full beginner path, browse all our free European Portuguese lessons.