Learn how to ask for medical assistance
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| In today’s lesson, we will go over a phrase that you hopefully won’t have to use. There are times when emergency medical assistance is necessary. And to be in a foreign country not knowing how to get to the hospital can put you in a real bind. So in today’s lesson, we will go over the phrase, I need a doctor. Now, there is a cultural issue that we should address. In many western nations, people go to doctor offices. There you can get checkups, prescriptions and get treated for illness that aren’t so serious. Hospitals however are usually reserved for extreme illnesses and surgeries. In Korea, there aren’t many doctor offices. People go to hospitals for nearly everything from the most minor checkups to the most difficult surgeries. |
| Hospitals do it all and for that reason, when we say we need to go to a doctor, we can say I have to go to the hospital. That phrase in Korean is 병원에 가야 해요 (byeonwone gaya haeyo). One time slowly, it’s 병원에 가야 해요 (byeongwone gaya haeyo). And now by syllable, 병-원-에 가-야 해-요 (byeong-wo-ne ga-ya hae-yo). The first word of the phrase is 병원 (byeongwon). This means hospital. What follows immediately after that is 에 (e). This is a location particle and can be translated roughly as to. These two are spoken together. Let’s hear them together again. 병원에 (byeongwone). Literally this means hospital to. What we have after that is 가야 (gaya) This means go and what follows immediately after that is 해요 (haeyo). This is a grammatical structure which conveys the meaning that you have to or you must. The word go and the grammatical structure have to are spoken together. |
| Let’s hear it again. 가야 해요 (gaya haeyo). This literally means go have to. The phrase altogether once again is 병원에 가야 해요 (byeongwone gaya haeyo). This is literally hospital to go have to but this is understood as, I have to go to the hospital. Now, this can be interpreted as something serious or maybe something as simple as a cold but remember, any sickness is 병원에 가야 해요 (byeongwone gaya haeyo). Now if we know what we need and can take the doctor out of the equation, we can say, I have to go to the pharmacy. To say, I have to go to the pharmacy, we can say 약국에 가야 해요 (yakguge gaya haeyo). This sounds nearly identical to the first phrase 병원에 가야 해요 (byeongwone gaya haeyo). The only difference is the word 병원 (byeongwon) or hospital is replaced with 약국 (yakguk) or pharmacy. |
| Let’s hear the word for pharmacy again, 약국 (yakguk). Now let’s hear the whole phrase again. 약국에 가야 해요 (yakguge gaya haeyo). One time slowly, it’s 약국에 가야 해요 (yakguge gaya haeyo). And by syllable, 약-국-에 가-야 해-요 (yak-guk-e ga-ya hae-yo). This literally means pharmacy to go have to and this is translated as, I have to go to the pharmacy. Now, if you need to go anywhere else, say the location and add 에 가야 해요 (e gaya haeyo). Now if you need to go to Korea for some eastern healing techniques, the phrase would be 한국에 가야 해요 (hanguge gaya haeyo). 한국 (hanguk) means Korea. One more time, it’s 한국에 가야 해요 (hanguge gaya haeyo). And by syllable, 한-국-에 가-야 해-요 (han-guk-e ga-ya hae-yo). Korean medicine has been around for centuries and believe me, Koreans know what’s going on. |
| When I was living in Korea, I had insomnia for a period of time. I didn’t know why but I went to the pharmacy to see if they had anything to offer me. The pharmacist gave me some pills in this bottle that smelled really, really terrible. I took the pills, I drank the drink. Next thing you know, I was knocked out for 15 hours. I swear 15 but hey insomnia cured instantly. |
| Okay. To close our today’s lesson, we’d like for you to practice what you’ve learned. I will provide you with the English equivalent of the phrase and you are responsible for shouting it out loud. You will have a few seconds before I give you the answer. So 화이팅 (hwaiting)! |
| I have to go to the hospital - 병원에 가야 해요 (byeongwone gaya haeyo). |
| I have to go to the pharmacy - 약국에 가야 해요 (yakguge gaya haeyo). |
| I have to go to Korea - 한국에 가야 해요 (hanguge gaya haeyo). |
| All right, that’s going to do it for today. |
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