Episode 9 · Living in Italy
Mi fa male la testa - what to say at an Italian pharmacy
Headache in Italy? At the farmacia, say: mi fa male la testa - my head hurts.
Tom walks into a pharmacy with a headache and no words. Laura plays the pharmacist.
Laura ·
In this lesson
| Italian | Word for word | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Mi fa male la testa | my head hurts | swap testa for pancia (stomach), gola (throat), schiena (back) |
| Ho mal di testa | I have a headache | |
| Mi dica | how can I help? / tell me | what pharmacists and shop staff say |
| Dopo i pasti | after meals | you will read it on the box |
Mi fa male works for any body part: mi fa male la gola (my throat hurts), mi fa male la schiena (my back hurts).
The dialogue
Every line from the video, with the English meaning under the Italian.
Laura
Buongiorno, mi dica.
Good morning, how can I help?
Tom
Ehm... la testa... fa... ahi!
Um... the head... does... ouch!
Laura
Ha mal di testa?
Do you have a headache?
Tom
Yes! How do I say that properly?
Laura
Dica: mi fa male la testa.
Say: my head hurts.
Tom✓ Correct
Mi fa male la testa.
My head hurts.
Laura
Ecco, prenda questa. Dopo i pasti.
Here, take this. After meals.
Tom
Grazie mille!
Thanks a lot!
The voices in this video are synthetic and the on-screen host is generated. The Italian itself is written and checked by a native speaker.
Ready to speak, not just watch?
Practise these phrases out loud with Laura in a small group or a private lesson.
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