Lesson 109 · German A1-2

At the Veterinarian

Beim Tierarzt

A short follow-up to Lesson 79's pets vocabulary - if you have a pet in Germany, you'll eventually need a Tierarzt (vet). This reuses the doctor-visit structure from Lesson 14, just for an animal instead of yourself.

Today's win: book a vet appointment and describe a pet's symptoms.

Core vocabulary

der Tierarzt / die Tierärztinvet (m/f)die Impfungvaccination
der Chipmicrochipdie Tierklinikanimal clinic

Booking and describing

Mein Hund ist krank. (reusing krank, Lesson 91)
Er frisst nicht. (He's not eating - "fressen," the animal-specific verb for "to eat," distinct from "essen" for people.)
Ich brauche einen Termin für eine Impfung. (reusing Termin, Lesson 9)

fressen vs. essen is a small but real distinction: essen is for people, fressen is for animals - using the wrong one is a common, harmless-but-noticeable learner mistake.

Try it out loud: describe a symptom for an imaginary pet using "fressen," not "essen," and ask for a vet appointment.

Quick recall check

1. Which verb is used for animals eating, not "essen"?

Show answer
fressen

2. What's the German word for "vaccination"?

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Impfung

3. "He's not eating." (animal) - Er ______ nicht.

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frisst

4. What's the article for "Tierklinik"?

Show answer
die

5. What's the German word for "microchip" (for pet identification)?

Show answer
Chip

Primary source

Vocabulary cross-checked against the official Goethe-Zertifikat A1 Wortliste.

Have a real pet health concern you need to describe? Ask your teaching agent.