Everyday Dialogues B1

EVERYDAY DIALOGUES Treating a Cold

By Mariam Khan

Hello there. Do you have anything for a persistent cold? I thought I’d try the pharmacy before going to the doctor’s.

Of course! What are your symptoms?

I have a stuffy nose and a headache1 between my eyes. I can give you a decongestant and maybe some sort of2 painkiller to relieve3 your headache.

That sounds good. Do you have any natural remedies? I don’t want to take too much medication. That sounds good. Are there any natural painkillers4, too?

I’ll try that, thanks!

As a matter of fact, we do. You can try this saline nasal spray to break up your congestion. You’re welcome! I hope you get well6 soon.

A cold compress might help. And make sure you drink lots of fluids. Herbal teas like ginger5 or camomile are good.

NOW LET’S REVIEW THE VOCABULARY!

A persistent cold is a cold7 that lasts8 a long time and does not seem to go away.

An apostrophe is used in going to the doctor’s to indicate a possessive —it is actually short for ‘doctor’s office / surgery9’. The same goes for ‘going to the dentist’s (office), hairdresser’s10 (salon)’, etc.

A stuffy nose is a nose which is blocked (or ‘congested’) due to11 excessive mucus.

A decongestant is a treatment to clear a blocked nose. A painkiller does exactly that: it ‘kills’ pain. In other words, it is an analgesic.

Natural remedies are treatments made using natural ingredients, like herbs. As a matter of fact is a phrase used to add12 an explanation or something contrasting. A pharmacy sells medicinal treatments, but this one also sells natural remedies.

A nasal sprayforces liquid into13 the nose using a special device14 .

In this context, the phrasal verb to break up means ‘to clear’.

Congestion means blockage. Here, it refers to a blocked nose. It can also refer to a traffic jam15!

A cold compress is applied to an area of the body to relieve pain. It can be a cloth16 dipped17 in cold water, an ice pack or even a bag of frozen18 peas19 . Fluids are liquids like water, juice or tea.

Get well soon is a common phrase to use with a person who is ill20, to wish them a fast recovery21 .

GLOSSARY

1 headache: dolor de cabeza 2 some sort of: algún tipo de 3 to relieve: aliviar 4 painkiller: calmante, analgésico 5 ginger: jengibre 6 to get well: recuperarse, ponerse bien 7 cold: resfriado 8 to last: durar 9 surgery: consulta 10 hairdresser’s: peluquería 11 due to: debido a 12 to add: añadir 13 to force into: hacer entrar 14 device: aparato 15 traffic jam: atasco de tráfico 16 cloth: tela 17 to dip: mojar 18 frozen: congelado 19 peas: guisantes 20 ill: enfermo 21 recovery: recuperación