Pharmacy & Health

1. Het bilong mi i pen. Yu gat marasin?

   Do you have headache medicine?

   Usage

   Ask for headache medicine at a pharmacy in Papua New Guinea

   Grammar Note

   Note: "marasin bilong het i pen" is ungrammatical. "Bilong" takes a noun phrase or a verb phrase, not a full clause with subject + "i" + predicate, so it reads as "medicine whose head hurts". State the symptom in its own clause, then ask. For painkillers in general the phrase is "marasin bilong daunim pen" (bilong + verb phrase).

2. Mi nidim marasin bilong bel

   I need stomach medicine

   Usage

   Use when you need stomach medicine

   Grammar Note

   "Bel" comes from English "belly". Tok Pisin has simple grammar derived from English

3. Mi nidim marasin bilong pekpek wara

   I need anti-diarrhea medicine

   Usage

   Ask for anti-diarrhea medicine

   Grammar Note

   Diarrhoea is "pekpek wara" (pekpek = stool, wara = water). "Yu pekpek wara o nogat?" is the standard question for "Do you have diarrhoea?"

4. Mi gat sik fiva

   I have a fever

   Usage

   Tell the pharmacist you have a fever

   Grammar Note

   "Sik" means "sickness/illness". "Fiva" is borrowed from English "fever"

5. Sampela samting i save mekim mi i sik nogut

   I have an allergy

   Usage

   Inform the pharmacist about your allergy

   Grammar Note

   ⚠ Tok Pisin has no established word for "allergy". Use the causative frame "X i save mekim mi i sik nogut" (X regularly makes me seriously ill) instead.

6. Mi nidim plasta

   I need bandages/plasters

   Usage

   Ask for bandages or plasters at a pharmacy

   Grammar Note

   A sticking plaster is "plasta" (e.g. "Putim wanpela plasta long pinga bilong em" = put a plaster on his finger). A wound dressing you wrap is "bandis" ("Sapos yu no taitim bandis gut…" = if you don't tie the bandage properly…); to dress a wound is "pasim sua".

7. Mi nidim marasin bilong kilim ol binatang

   I need insect repellent

   Usage

   Ask for insect repellent at a pharmacy

   Grammar Note

   "Binatang" is the word for insect/bug; a mosquito specifically is "natnat". "Marasin bilong kilim ol binatang" is the form used.

8. Mi nidim sunscreen

   I need sunscreen

   Usage

   Ask for sunscreen at a pharmacy

   Grammar Note

   ⚠ Tok Pisin has no settled word for sunscreen. PNG pharmacies label the product in English, so the English word inside a Tok Pisin frame is the reliable choice. If you need to explain it, add "marasin bilong banisim san" (medicine that keeps the sun off).

9. Olsem wanem mi mas dringim dispela marasin?

   How do I take this medicine?

   Usage

   Ask the pharmacist how to take the medicine

   Grammar Note

   "Olsem wanem" means "how". It expresses the meaning of English "how" in Tok Pisin

10. Mi mas gat pepa bilong dokta?

    Do I need a prescription?

    Usage

    Check if a prescription is needed

    Grammar Note

    "Pepa bilong dokta" = "paper belonging to the doctor" — the Tok Pisin term for prescription

11. Pepa bilong dokta

    Prescription

    Usage

    Ask whether a prescription is needed

12. Mask

    Face mask

    Usage

    Buy one at a pharmacy or shop

13. Kondom

    Condom

    Usage

    Point at it instead of asking out loud

14. Marasin bilong ai

    Eye drops

    Usage

    Buy at a pharmacy

15. Marasin bilong daunim pen

    Painkiller

    Usage

    Buy at a pharmacy

    Grammar Note

    "Marasin bilong daunim pen" = medicine that brings pain down. After "bilong" use a verb phrase. "Ol marasin bilong daunim pen" is used for pain relievers.

Browse all TravelPhrases languages