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German Phrase

Ich verschreibe dir ein Medikament.

/ɪç fɛɐ̯ˈʃʁiːbə diːɐ̯ aɪn ˈmeːdiˈkaːmɛnt/
Meaning"I prescribe you a medication."
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Meaning

Literally, ‘I prescribe you a medication.’ The speaker (usually a doctor or a qualified health professional) is giving a written or verbal order for a specific drug to the listener.

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When to use

Use this sentence in a medical setting when a doctor, dentist, or other health professional tells a patient which drug they should take. It is informal because of ‘dir’; for a formal relationship you would use ‘Ihnen’. It is not used for handing over a drug as a gift.

✦Grammar Breakdown

IchverschreibedireinMedikament

1

Ich (personal pronoun)

First‑person singular nominative pronoun, always used as the subject of a sentence.

2

verschreibe (verb)

Present‑tense 1st person singular of verschreiben ‘to prescribe’. It is a separable verb: the prefix ‘ver‑’ stays attached in the infinitive, but the stem ‘schreibe’ is conjugated.

3

dir (dative pronoun)

Second‑person singular dative pronoun. With verbs that involve giving or prescribing something to someone, the recipient is in the dative case.

4

ein (indefinite article)

Neuter indefinite article in the accusative case, matching the noun ‘Medikament’.

5

Medikament (noun)

Neuter noun meaning ‘medication, drug’. In the accusative it stays ‘Medikament’ because neuter nouns have the same form in nominative and accusative.

🗨In Conversation

A

Ich verschreibe dir ein Medikament gegen deine Kopfschmerzen.

I’m prescribing you a medication for your headache.

Vielen Dank, Doktor. Wie oft soll ich es einnehmen?

Thank you, doctor. How often should I take it?

B

✕Common Mistakes

  • Ich verschreibe mich ein Medikament.

    ‘mich’ is accusative; the recipient of a prescription must be in the dative, so ‘dir’ (or ‘Ihnen’) is required.

  • Ich verschreibe du ein Medikament.

    Using the nominative ‘du’ after ‘verschreibe’ gives the wrong case; the correct dative form is ‘dir’.

  • Ich verschreibe dir ein Medikamenten.

    ‘Medikament’ is neuter singular; the plural ‘Medikamente’ would need a different article (‘ein’ cannot be used).

↔Alternatives

  • Ich verschreibe Ihnen ein Medikament.

    I prescribe you (formal) a medication.

  • Ich verordne dir ein Medikament.

    I order you a medication.

  • Ich gebe dir ein Medikament.

    I give you a medication.

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Cultural Tip

In Germany, Austria and Switzerland prescriptions are usually written on a special paper (or entered electronically) that the pharmacist must see before dispensing the drug. Saying ‘Ich verschreibe dir …’ is therefore a formal, professional act. Use the informal ‘dir’ only with patients you know well, such as children or long‑term patients; otherwise default to the polite ‘Ihnen’. Also note that many drugs are sold only with a prescription, so the phrase signals that the medication is not over‑the‑counter.