Episode 0084

Hello everyone, welcome back to EnglishPod. My name is Marco.

And I'm Erica.

And where are we going today, Erica?

To the pharmacy.

Alright, to the pharmacy or drugstore?

Yes.

Or also in British English, sometimes people will say the chemist.

That's right.

So, as you know, at the pharmacy you get medicine, but there are certain vocabulary words that are related to this place that we need to learn.

That's right. So we're gonna learn some vocabulary about medicine and also some interesting phrases.

So before we listen to the dialogue, let's take a look at vocabulary preview.

Vocabulary preview.

We're going to look at two words today that you'll hear in the dialogue.

And the first one, milligrams.

Milligrams.

Milligrams.

Also the abbreviation for this is MG.

That's right.

Okay. So a milligram is

a hundredth of a gram.

So, there are 100 milligrams in a gram.

Exactly. And it's very common to be used with medicine, right?

Exactly. You buy medicine in milligrams.

Mhm. Okay, and what's our next word?

Price check.

A price check.

A price check.

Okay, so at the pharmacy or at the supermarket, sometimes the cashier will ask for a price check.

And that is the action of checking to find out the price.

Mhm. Okay, so a price check.

With this, I think we're ready now to listen to our dialogue for the first time, and let's see what our shopper is buying at the pharmacy.

Hello, sir. How can I help you?

Yes, I, I need this prescription, please.

Let's see. Okay. So 50 milligrams of Prozac. Would you prefer this in capsule or tablet?

Capsules are fine.

Okay. You should take one capsule three times a day. Be sure not to take it on an empty stomach and also, don't ever mix it with alcohol.

Oh, yes, I know. It's not the first time I'm taking this. Don't worry, I won't overdose.

Okay. Anything else I can get you?

Oh, yes, I almost forgot. Can I also get some eye drops and um, some condoms?

Sure.

Darn, condoms aren't registered in our system.

Oh, well, that's okay. I'll get some later, thanks.

Really, it's no problem.

Just hang on there a sec.

Can I get a price check on Funtimes Ribbed Condoms, please?

Oh no, how embarrassing!

A little bit embarrassing that she asked for a price check on these condoms, right?

Yeah, but you know what, it almost, it seems like every time you have to buy something embarrassing at the pharmacy, there's a million people watching you.

Yeah, yeah. It never fails.

Well, let's take a look at some of those words that we were talking about related to medicine in language takeaway.

Language takeaway.

Alright, well the first word, a prescription.

Prescription.

Prescription.

Alright, so what is a prescription?

Well, a prescription is a note from your doctor, explaining what medicine you need.

So, this note from your doctor is necessary to buy that medicine, right?

Exactly.

Prescription.

Well, this shopper was getting some medicine and, well, the chemist or the pharmacist asked if he wanted it in capsules or tablets.

So let's look at those two words. A capsule.

Capsule.

Capsule.

Now, a capsule is like a small tube, right?

Yeah, it's a form of a pill. And it's shaped like a tube with the medicine inside.

Inside. And it's covered in plastic, right?

Exactly.

Now, you swallow the the capsule.

Yeah.

And the tablet is like a pill that is round and flat.

Okay. So, tablet and capsule. Both are the same thing basically, but just different presentations.

Different shapes.

Different shapes.

It's easier maybe for some people to swallow a capsule.

You think so?

I don't know, I think so. Because sometimes tablets are a little bit like big circles and it's hard to swallow.

Yeah, and I guess, and I guess capsules are smoother.

Yeah, exactly.

So the pharmacist warned the patient not to take too much medicine, right?

Mhm.

Because he might overdose.

Overdose.

Overdose.

Okay, so to overdose, like you said, is to take too much medicine and get really sick or even die.

Mhm. So, so if you overdose on medicine, it could be bad for you instead of good.

Well, obviously, very bad.

And what about our last word for today?

Well, the shopper also asked for some eye drops.

Eye drops.

Eye drops.

So, this is medicine for your eyes.

Yeah, usually liquid, like water, that you put in your eyes.

Okay. So I think now with this medicine language clear, we can listen to our dialogue again, but it's gonna be slowed down a little bit.

That'll help us understand these phrases just a little bit better.

Hello, sir. How can I help you?

Yes, I need this prescription, please.

Let's see. Okay. So 50 milligrams of Prozac. Would you prefer this in capsule or tablet?

Capsules are fine.

Okay. You should take one capsule three times a day. Be sure not to take it on an empty stomach and also, don't ever mix it with alcohol.

Yes, I know. It's not the first time I'm taking this. Don't worry, I won't overdose.

Okay. Anything else I can get you?

Oh, yes, I almost forgot. Can I get some eye drops and um, some condoms?

Sure.

Darn, condoms aren't registered in our system.

Oh, well, that's okay. I'll get some later, thanks.

Really, it's no problem.

Just hang on there a sec.

Can I get a price check on Funtimes Ribbed Condoms, please?

Okay, so now it's time for us to take a look at some of the phrases that we saw in this dialogue in putting it together.

Putting it together.

We're going to look at two phrases here and we're going to see how we can use them in different situations.

The pharmacist warned, "be sure not to take it on an empty stomach."

Okay, so be sure not to.

Be sure not to.

So, what does he mean by this?

He just means don't do this.

Okay. So don't, don't take the medicine without eating.

We can mix it up a little bit. Why don't we listen to some examples of how we can use this in different situations.

Example one.

Be sure not to leave your bike outside or it will be stolen.

Example two.

Be sure not to forget your umbrella, it's raining today.

Example three.

I told him to be sure not to do anything stupid, but he did.

So Marco, um, why should we say be sure not to instead of don't?

I think don't is sounds more like an order. A very direct, maybe, be sure not to is a little bit softer, a little bit more friendly.

So, be sure not to.

Now, for our last phrase, so the pharmacist, in the end, wanted to check for the price and he said, "Just hang on there a sec."

So that's interesting. Hang on.

Hang on.

Hang on.

Well, hang on. What, what does he mean by hang on?

He means wait.

Wait. It's an informal way of saying wait.

Exactly. It's also a little bit more friendly than just saying wait.

Right.

Exactly. And we can change the time a little bit, right?

Yeah, so you can say, hang on a second.

Mhm, or hang on a moment.

Hang on a minute.

Alright.

What about hang on an hour?

Well, maybe if you're telling someone to wait for an hour, just hang on there for an hour, I'll be there soon.

Yeah, but I guess it's more common, hang on a minute, hey?

Right, maybe for shorter periods of time.

Mhm. Okay, so with these phrases, I think now we can use them in different circumstances, obviously not only in the pharmacy.

Yeah.

And well, let's listen to our dialogue for the last time.

Hello, sir. How can I help you?

Yes, I, I need this prescription, please.

Let's see. Okay. So 50 milligrams of Prozac. Would you prefer this in capsule or tablet?

Capsules are fine.

Okay. You should take one capsule three times a day. Be sure not to take it on an empty stomach and also, don't ever mix it with alcohol.

Oh, yes, I know. It's not the first time I'm taking this. Don't worry, I won't overdose.

Okay. Anything else I can get you?

Oh, yes, I almost forgot. Can I also get some eye drops and um, some condoms?

Sure.

Darn, condoms aren't registered in our system.

Oh, well, that's okay. I'll get some later, thanks.

Really, it's no problem.

Just hang on there a sec.

Can I get a price check on Funtimes Ribbed Condoms, please?

Okay, so with medicine, an interesting thing comes up, right?

That's right. A lot of people think that you eat medicine.

Okay, or drink medicine?

Yeah, but in English you always take medicine.

Always take medicine.

Yeah, so you never can say, oh I ate my medicine yesterday. It always like has to be I took my medicine.

Okay, so you take the capsules.

Exactly, or take the tablets.

Alright. So you take medicine. Now an interesting thing in the United States, for example, it's very hard to get medicine without a prescription.

That's right. So we always talk about prescription medicine and OTC medicine or over the counter medicine.

So over the counter medicine is

is medicine you can just buy without that prescription or note from your doctor.

Okay, so for example, if you have a headache, you can go to the pharmacy and buy aspirin.

Yeah, and that's over the counter medicine.

Mhm. But prescription medicine, you can't get it without the doctor's note.

Yes, and like you said, in America, you almost have to have a prescription for everything.

Which is strange because people can overdose on aspirin.

Mhm.

So tell us how medicine and pharmacies work in your countries and also, if you have questions or comments, our website Englishpod.com is always open and ready for you.

The English Pod audio review.

Listen to the meaning, then say the vocabulary word.

A list of drugs written by a doctor.

Prescription.

A unit for measuring weight.

Milligram.

Drug contained in a plastic container.

Capsule.

Drug formed in round hard shape.

Tablet.

Take more drugs than suggested.

Overdose.

Liquid used to drop into eyes to treat eye diseases.

Eyedrop.

Hold on.

Hang on.

Type in the number of something to check its price.

Get a price check.

A device made of a hollow tube and a needle that is used to force fluids into or take fluids out of the body.

Syringe.

A usually sweet liquid that contains medicine used to stop coughing, called also cough medicine.

Cough syrup.

A covering, such as a strip of cloth, that protects or supports part of the body that has been hurt.

Bandage.

A liquid that is used to make things lighter in color or to kill bacteria.

Hydrogen peroxide.

A smooth substance that is rubbed on the skin to help heal a wound or to reduce pain or discomfort.

Ointment.

Let's try that faster.

Drug contained in a plastic container.

Capsule.

Drug formed in round hard shape.

Tablet.

Take more drugs than suggested.

Overdose.

Liquid used to drop into eyes to treat eye diseases.

Eyedrop.

A device made of a hollow tube and a needle that is used to force fluids into or take fluids out of the body.

Syringe.

A liquid that is used to make things lighter in color or to kill bacteria.

Hydrogen peroxide.

A covering, such as a strip of cloth, that protects or supports part of the body that has been hurt.

Bandage.

Type in the number of something to check its price.

Get a price check.

A list of drugs written by a doctor.

Prescription.

A unit for measuring weight.

Milligram.

A usually sweet liquid that contains medicine used to stop coughing, called also cough medicine.

Cough syrup.

A smooth substance that is rubbed on the skin to help heal a wound or to reduce pain or discomfort.

Ointment.

Hold on.

Hang on.

Now say the word and hear it in a sentence.

Prescription.

In order to buy medicine in the US, you need to bring your doctor's prescription.

Prescription.

I lost my prescription and I don't remember what medicine I had to buy.

Prescription.

Valium is medicine that you can only buy with a prescription.

Tablet.

Children should only take half a tablet of cold medicine.

Tablet.

I find it hard to swallow tablets, they are just too big.

Tablet.

I had a box full of medicine tablets, but I don't know where I left it.

Overdose.

My dog accidentally swallowed some aspirins and almost overdosed.

Overdose.

A lot of famous movie stars have accidentally overdosed on drugs and died.

Overdose.

You must follow your doctor's instructions when taking medicine, otherwise, you might overdose.

Eyedrop.

Your eyes are really red, you should get some eyedrops.

Eyedrop.

When I wear contact lens, I have to use these eyedrops, or else my eyes get irritated.

Eyedrop.

Susan got pink eye, so her doctor prescribed some eyedrops and told her not to touch her eyes.

Some new merchandise arrived today, so we need to run a price check on each item.

This item doesn't have a price on it. Can you run a price check to make sure we sell it here?

That store always has to run a price check on new items since they don't have a modern pricing system.