Portuguese for the pharmacy: symptoms, medicine and false friends
Farmácias in Brazil are everywhere, and pharmacists can often recommend something for minor issues without a doctor's visit. These are the phrases for describing what's wrong, plus the false friends most likely to cause real confusion at the counter.
Describing symptoms
Estou com dor de cabeça.
I have a headache.
Estou constipado.
I have a cold.
constipado means having a cold or stuffy nose, not constipated. Constipated is preso do intestino or com prisão de ventre.
Estou com febre.
I have a fever.
Minha barriga está doendo.
My stomach hurts.
Estou assim há três dias.
I've had this for three days.
At the counter
Vocês têm alguma coisa para dor de cabeça?
Do you have something for a headache?
Preciso de receita para isso?
Do I need a prescription for this?
É seguro tomar isso junto?
Is this safe to take together?
Quantas vezes ao dia devo tomar isso?
How many times a day should I take this?
Vocês têm protetor solar?
Do you have sunscreen?
Vocês vendem preservativo?
Do you sell condoms?
preservativo means condom. A food preservative is conservante.
Explaining and problems
Tenho alergia a penicilina.
I'm allergic to penicillin.
Foi um acidente, não foi de propósito.
It was an accident, not on purpose.
A physical injury is lesão or ferimento. An injúria in Portuguese is a verbal insult, not a physical injury.
Por favor não molesta ele, ele está descansando.
Please don't bother him, he's resting.
molestar here means to bother or annoy, milder than the worst sense of the English word, but incomodar is the safer everyday choice.
Preciso ver um médico.
I need to see a doctor.
Onde fica o hospital mais próximo?
Where's the nearest hospital?
False friend traps
constipado looks like constipated, but means having a cold, stuffy nose
Estou constipado means I have a cold. Constipated, in the intestinal sense, is preso do intestino or com prisão de ventre - a very different problem to describe at a counter.
preservativo looks like preservative, but means condom
Ask for conservante if you mean a food preservative. Preservativo at a pharmacy counter means condom, with no ambiguity.
injúria looks like injury, but means a verbal insult (legally, defamation)
A physical injury is lesão or ferimento. Injúria is specifically an insult to someone's honor, a legal term in Brazil.
molestar looks like molest, but means to bother, annoy
Não me molesta just means don't bother me. It carries none of the severity of the English word, but incomodar is the safer everyday choice.
decepção looks like deception, but means disappointment
Que decepção! means what a disappointment! Deception, the act of lying, is engano or fraude.
FAQ
Common questions
Short answers to what people ask most about this situation.
Can a Brazilian pharmacist prescribe medicine?
For minor issues, pharmacists often recommend an over-the-counter remedy without a doctor's visit, and many farmácias have a private room for quick consultations or injections. For antibiotics, a receita (prescription) is legally required.
Is estou constipado really about a cold?
Yes, in Brazilian Portuguese it almost always means a cold or stuffy nose. If you actually mean constipated, be specific: estou com prisão de ventre.
Do pharmacies deliver in Brazil?
Many do, especially in cities, through their own apps or delivery platforms - useful if you're too unwell to go out.
What should I say if I just need pain relief?
Vocês têm alguma coisa para dor? (do you have something for pain?) is enough; the pharmacist will usually ask where it hurts and offer a couple of options.