Making a Clinic Appointment When You Feel Unwell | Learn Chinese in English

Sentence explanations

1. 我咳嗽，今天觉得很累。

   I have a cough and feel tired today.

   我

   I; me

   咳嗽

   cough

   今天

   today

   觉得

   feel; think

   累

   tired

   More detail

   我 means “I” here, the first-person singular subject. It refers to the speaker. The same form can also mean “me” when it is an object; its role is determined by its position in the sentence. 咳嗽 means “to cough” in this sentence. It can function as a verb without a separate verb ending, so the form itself does not show tense or person. For example, 他咳嗽 means “He coughs” or “He is coughing,” with the time understood from context. 今天 means “today” and sets the time for the utterance. It commonly appears before the predicate, as here. Example: 我今天上班。 — “I work today.” 觉得 means “to feel” here, specifically to have a personal perception or impression. It can also mean “to think” in other contexts, but the following 累 makes the physical-feeling reading appropriate. Example: 我觉得很好。 — “I feel that it is very good.” 累 means “tired.” It is a descriptive adjective. In Chinese, an adjective can serve as the predicate without an equivalent of English “am”: 我累 means “I am tired.” Here, 很 before it makes the description sound natural and means “very” or, in this pattern, provides a degree marker: 我觉得很累 means “I feel very tired.” The utterance has two coordinated descriptions of the speaker. 我咳嗽 states the symptom “I have a cough” or “I am coughing.” 今天觉得很累 adds that today the speaker feels very tired. The comma links the two statements, and the full meaning is: “I have a cough and feel tired today.”

2. 你应该打电话给诊所，预约看医生。

   You should call the clinic and ask for an appointment.

   你应该

   you should

   打电话

   call by phone

   诊所

   clinic

   预约

   make an appointment

   看

   see; visit

   医生

   doctor

   More detail

   你应该 means “you should.” 你 is the second-person pronoun “you,” and 应该 is a modal verb expressing advice or what is appropriate. Chinese modal verbs do not change for person or number, so 应该 stays the same with other subjects. Example: 我应该走了。 — “I should leave now.” 打电话 means “to call by phone.” It is a reusable verb phrase. With 给 + recipient, as in 打电话给某人, it means “call someone.” Example: 请给妈妈打电话。 — “Please call Mom.” 诊所 means “clinic.” Here it is the place receiving the call. In 打电话给诊所, 给 introduces the recipient or destination, so the whole phrase means “call the clinic.” 预约 means “make an appointment” or “schedule.” Here it names the action to be arranged through the call. It can also be used as a noun in other contexts, but it is a verb here. Example: 我想预约。 — “I would like to make an appointment.” 看 can mean “look at” in general contexts, but before a medical professional it means “see” or “visit” that professional for medical care. Example: 她明天要看医生。 — “She is going to see a doctor tomorrow.” 医生 means “doctor.” In 看医生, it is the person visited or consulted for medical care. The sentence uses the pattern subject + 应该 + action: 你应该 gives the advice, 打电话给诊所 specifies the call, and 预约看医生 says what to arrange—an appointment to see a doctor. Together, the utterance means: “You should call the clinic and ask for an appointment.”

3. 我打电话时应该说什么？

   What should I say when I call?

   我

   I; me

   打电话

   make a phone call

   时

   when; at the time

   应该

   should; be expected to

   说

   say

   什么

   what

   More detail

   我 means “I” here, the speaker. It is the first-person singular pronoun and can be used as the subject of a sentence: 我是学生 means “I am a student.” 打电话 means “to make a phone call” or “to call.” It is a reusable verb-object expression: 打 means “make/do” in this expression, while 电话 means “telephone.” The same expression appears in the context sentence 你应该打电话给诊所 (“You should call the clinic”). 时 marks the time when the preceding situation occurs. In 打电话时, the pattern is “when making a phone call” or “when I call.” It commonly follows a verb phrase: 吃饭时不要说话 means “Do not talk while eating.” The subject of the time phrase can be understood from the surrounding sentence; here, 我 supplies the subject. 应该 expresses what is advisable, expected, or appropriate: “should.” It comes before the action that is recommended. For example, 你应该休息 means “You should rest.” It is not the past-tense form of another verb; it is a modal expression that comments on the action. 说 means “to say” or “to speak.” In this sentence it introduces the content of the speech. For example, 我应该说什么？ means “What should I say?” 什么 is the question word “what.” It asks for an unspecified thing or content. In 说什么, it asks what words or content should be said. The same question word can occur after other verbs, as in 你想吃什么？ (“What do you want to eat?”). Together, 我打电话时 means “when I call,” 应该说 means “should say,” and 什么 asks for the content. The full sentence therefore means “What should I say when I call?” The order places the time setting before the main question about what to say.

4. 告诉他们你不舒服，想看医生。

   Tell them you feel unwell and would like to see a doctor.

   告诉

   tell

   他们

   them

   不舒服

   unwell

   想

   want to; would like to

   看

   see

   医生

   doctor

   More detail

   告诉 means “tell” and is a useful verb for passing information to someone. Its common pattern is 告诉 + person + information: for example, 告诉我答案。 means “Tell me the answer.” The person receiving the information comes before what is said. 他们 means “them” here. It is the third-person plural pronoun, used for a group of people receiving the message. It is not the form for one person: 他 means “him” and 她 means “her” when the gendered written forms are relevant. The translation identifies the intended recipients as a group, but does not specify exactly who they are. 不舒服 describes feeling physically unwell or uncomfortable. It functions as a description of the subject’s condition; it is not an action verb. The negating element 不 comes before 舒服, producing the fixed expression “not comfortable / unwell.” For example, 我今天不舒服。 means “I feel unwell today.” 想 expresses wanting or would-like-to when it comes before an action. In this sentence, 想 + verb gives the intended action: “would like to see.” It can also describe a thought or intention in other contexts, so its exact meaning comes from the following words and situation. 看 means “see” in this use. Before a person such as 医生, it commonly means to see or consult that person, especially a doctor: 我想看医生。 means “I would like to see a doctor.” The same form can mean “look at” or “read” with other objects, so the following noun helps determine the sense. 医生 means “doctor.” It is a noun and can be used directly after 看 in the pattern 看医生, “see a doctor.” For example, 她明天看医生。 means “She is seeing a doctor tomorrow.” Together, 告诉他们 means “tell them.” The next clause, 你不舒服, gives the information to tell: “you feel unwell.” Then 想看医生 expresses the desired action, “would like to see a doctor.” The whole utterance therefore means: “Tell them you feel unwell and would like to see a doctor.”

5. 我还想问什么时候有空。

   I also want to ask what times are available.

   我

   I; me

   还

   also; still

   想

   want to

   问

   ask

   什么时候

   when; what time

   有空

   be available; have free time

   More detail

   我 means “I” here, the speaker. It is the first-person singular pronoun and can also mean “me” when it is the object of a verb. Chinese pronouns do not change for grammatical case. 还 means “also” in this sentence, adding this intention to the earlier message. In other contexts, 还 can mean “still,” but here the intended meaning is additive: “also want to ask.” 想 means “want to” or “would like to.” It comes before the action the speaker wishes to carry out. A reusable pattern is 想 + verb, as in 我想休息。 (“I want to rest.”) Chinese does not change 想 for person or tense; time is understood from context or expressed with additional words. 问 means “ask” or “inquire.” It is a lexical verb, so 想问 means “want to ask,” not simply “want” by itself. Example: 我想问一个问题。 means “I want to ask a question.” 什么时候 asks “when” or “at what time.” It is used when the missing information is a time, for example 你什么时候有空？ (“When are you available?”). Unlike an English verb, this question word does not move to the beginning in the fixed sentence; it appears inside the larger question content after 问. 有空 means “to have free time” or “to be available.” Here 有 means “have,” while 空 means “free” in the sense of free time, not physically empty. The pattern 有空 can describe availability without adding a tense ending. Example: 我下午有空。 means “I am available in the afternoon.” The meaningful structure is 我 + 还 + 想 + 问 + 什么时候有空: “I also want to ask when there is availability” or, more naturally, “I also want to ask what times are available.” 什么时候有空 supplies the time information being asked about, while the preceding words identify the speaker’s additional intention. In the surrounding appointment context, the utterance asks for suitable available times; it does not specify a particular time.

6. 这样他们就能帮你找到合适的预约时间。

   That will help them find an appointment that works for you.

   这样

   that way

   他们

   they

   就能

   can then

   帮

   help

   你

   you

   找到

   find

   合适

   suitable

   预约时间

   appointment time

   More detail

   这样 means “in this way” or “that way.” Here it points to the relevant way of arranging the search, without naming a separate action inside this sentence. Chinese 这样 does not change for person or number. A reusable pattern is 这样 + clause, meaning “that way, …” or “in this way, …”. 他们 means “they.” It is a third-person plural pronoun. Unlike English, this written form does not mark the gender of the people referred to. The sentence and translation identify them as the people who can help, but do not specify who they are. 就能 combines 就 and 能. 就 adds the sense of “then,” “thereby,” or “in that case,” linking the situation to its result; 能 means “can” or “be able to.” 能 expresses ability or possibility here, not permission. Chinese verbs do not mark future tense in the form itself, so the future-oriented reading comes from the context and meaning. A reusable pattern is subject + 就能 + verb, “then the subject can …”. 帮 means “to help.” A useful Chinese pattern is 帮 + person + verb: 帮你找到 means “help you find.” The person after 帮 is the person receiving help, while the following verb states what the help enables. 你 means “you,” the second-person singular pronoun here. Chinese 你 does not mark the listener’s grammatical gender. In a different context, the plural form is 你们, but this sentence addresses one “you” in the fixed translation. 找到 means “find successfully” or “manage to find.” It consists of 找, “look for,” plus 到, which marks reaching the intended result. 找 describes the search activity, while 找到 presents the successful outcome. For example, 我找到了钥匙 means “I found the keys,” with 到 showing that the search reached its result. 合适 means “suitable” or “appropriate.” It describes whether something fits the person or situation; it is not the verb “to suit” in this sentence. Before a noun, an adjective can commonly be followed by 的, as in 合适的时间, “a suitable time.” In the fixed sentence, 合适 directly precedes the compound noun 预约时间. 预约时间 means “appointment time.” 预约 is the idea of making an appointment or booking, and 时间 means “time”; together they name a time for an appointment. Chinese commonly places a modifying element before the noun it describes, so 合适 + 预约时间 means “a suitable appointment time.” Combining the parts in order, 这样 sets up the relevant way or result, 他们就能 says “they can then,” and 帮你找到 says that they help you reach the result of finding something. 合适 describes the appointment time, giving the whole utterance: “That way, they can help you find a suitable appointment time.”

7. 我现在就给诊所打电话。

   I will call the clinic now.

   我

   I; me

   现在就

   right now

   诊所

   clinic

   打电话

   make a phone call

   More detail

   我 means “I” here: the speaker is the person who will make the call. This pronoun does not change for grammatical gender or number. Example: 我来帮你。 — “I’ll help you.” 现在就 combines 现在 (“now”) with 就, which emphasizes that the action will happen immediately or without waiting. 现在 alone simply states the time; 就 adds the sense of “right away” in this sentence. Example: 我们现在就开始。 — “We’ll start right now.” 诊所 is “clinic,” the healthcare facility identified as the call’s recipient. It is a noun and can be used in other phrases, such as 这家诊所 — “this clinic.” 打电话 is the reusable verb construction “to make a phone call.” The verb 打 has the base form shown here; in this construction it does not mean simply “hit.” Chinese does not add a future ending to 打电话, so the time and context show when the call will occur. Example: 我给医生打电话。 — “I’ll call the doctor.” In 给诊所打电话, 给 marks the recipient or target of the call: “call the clinic.” The pattern 给 + person or organization + 打电话 is reusable for naming whom to call. Together, 我 + 现在就 + 给诊所打电话 means “I will call the clinic right now.” The sentence presents the speaker as the caller and 诊所 as the call’s target; 现在就 adds immediate timing.

8. 把你的症状写下来，这样你就能说清楚。

   Write your symptoms down so you can explain them clearly.

   把

   object-marking word

   你的

   your

   症状

   symptoms

   写下来

   write down

   这样

   so that; this way

   你

   you

   就能

   can then

   说清楚

   explain clearly

   More detail

   把 introduces the specific object that the action deals with. In 把你的症状写下来, the object is placed before the verb, and the phrase presents the action as producing a clear result for that object. A useful pattern is 把 + object + verb + result/directional complement. 你的 means “your.” 你 is the pronoun “you,” and 的 marks the possessive relationship: 你的症状 = “your symptoms.” The form 你的 does not itself indicate number or gender. 症状 means “symptoms,” the physical signs or problems being described here. It is a noun; its plural-like English translation does not require a visible plural ending in Chinese. 写下来 means “write down.” 写 is “write,” while 下来 functions here as a complement showing that the writing is completed into a recorded form. The useful pattern is verb + 下来, as in 记下来 (“write/note it down”). 这样 means “this way” and links the first action to its consequence here. It refers to the method or result just described rather than naming a separate participant. 你 is the subject of the second part and means “you.” Chinese pronouns do not change form for grammatical gender, and this form is used for singular or plural “you”; the sentence itself does not specify the number. 就能 combines 就, which marks the resulting or expected next step in this context, with 能, “can/be able to.” The pattern 这样……就能…… means roughly “in this way, … can then …,” expressing that the first action enables the second. 说清楚 means “explain clearly” in this sentence. 说 means “say/speak,” and 清楚 is a result complement showing that what is said becomes clear. Compare 说 (“say”) with 说清楚 (“make clear by explaining”). Together, 把你的症状写下来 means “write your symptoms down,” using the 把 construction to foreground the symptoms as the object being dealt with. 这样你就能说清楚 means “so you can explain them clearly”: recording the symptoms is presented as enabling a clear explanation. The complete utterance is therefore “Write your symptoms down so you can explain them clearly.”