Colds and flu: What to do and say if you get sick in Germany

Eine Erkältung – this is the German term for a common cold. You can tell people “I have a cold” by saying either saying: ich habe eine Erkältung or ich bin erkältet.

A cold usually involves eine laufende Nase - a runny nose – so make sure you have a good supply of Taschentücher (pocket tissues) at home.

If you have a verstopfte Nase (blocked nose) you can buy a simple nasal spray (Nasenspray) from your local drugstore. 

But in Germany, because only pharmacies are able to sell medicines, you will need to pay a visit to die Apotheke if you want to get anything stronger.

READ ALSO: Why are medicines in Germany only available in pharmacies?

At the pharmacy, the pharmacist will usually need you to describe your symptoms, by asking you: Welche Symptome haben Sie?

If it’s a cold you’re suffering from, you may have Halsschmerzen or Halsweh (sore throat), Kopfschmerzen (headache) or Husten (cough).

For a sore throat, you might be given Halstabletten or Halsbonbon (throat lozenges).

If you’re buying cough medicine you will probably be asked if you have a dry, chesty cough - Reizhusten - or if it is a produktiver Husten (wet, productive cough).

If you have one of these you may need some Hustensaft or Hustensirup (cough medicine). If you have a headache, you may also want to pick up a packet of Ibuprofen.

While selecting your Medikamente (medication), the pharmacist might ask you a couple of questions, such as:

Sind Sie mit diesen Medikamenten vertraut?

Are you familiar with this medication?

Haben Sie irgendwelche Unverträglichkeiten?

Do you have any intolerances?

They will also tell you about any Nebenwirkungen (side effects) the medicine could have.

Die Grippe - if you've struck down with a more serious cold-type illness, it's likely to be die Grippe - the flu.

Flu symptoms usually include Fieber (fever), Schüttelfrost (chills), Gliederschmerzen (muscle aches), Schmerzen (aches) and Appetitlosigkeit (loss of appetite). While both Erkältungen and Grippe are very ansteckend (contagious), flu is usually more debilitating and might require some help from the doctor at some point.

If you need a sick note (eine AU-Bescheinigung) and are suffering from mild respiratory diseases, you can get this over the phone from your doctor's office (Arztpraxis) in most cases.

German labour law generally requires employees to get a note from a doctor from their fourth day of absence due to illness. But employers may require it sooner if it’s established in their sick leave policy and written into employment contracts.

READ ALSO: Should you get a flu shot in Germany before the winter season?

If you are really unwell, however, you will need to go to the doctor to get ein Rezept - a prescription. More serious cold and flu-related illnesses (Krankheiten) often involve Entzündungen (inflammation), which are often schmerzhaft (painful) and cause Rötung (redness).

Common inflammation includes Nebenhöhlenentzündung (sinusitis), Bronchitis (bronchitis) and Mandelentzündung (tonsillitis).

Corona – In German, Covid-19 is commonly called Corona. Testing is not widespread anymore but tests are available over the counter at drugstores like DM or Rossmann.

Doctors generally advise that people rest and try and recover from Covid - or similar conditions -  at home rather than go into the workplace. 

We updated this story in December 2024