Italian Phrase
Ci serve un dottore adesso.
Meaning
The sentence conveys an urgent need for medical assistance, stating that the speakers require a doctor immediately.
When to use
Use this phrase in emergency or urgent situations—when someone is injured, suddenly ill, or when you need to call for medical help right away.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Ciserveundottoreadesso
Ci (indirect object pronoun)
Clitic pronoun placed before the verb, meaning “to us” or “for us”. It shows who benefits from the action.
serve (impersonal verb)
Third‑person singular of “servire” used impersonally to express necessity: “is needed / needs”.
un (indefinite article)
Masculine singular indefinite article, equivalent to “a” or “an” in English.
dottore (noun)
Masculine singular noun meaning “doctor”.
adesso (adverb)
Adverb of time meaning “now”, indicating immediacy.
🗨In Conversation
Ci serve un dottore adesso!
We need a doctor now!
Chiama il 118 subito!
Call 118 right away!
✕Common Mistakes
Ci serve un dottori.
The noun must agree in number; “dottori” is plural, so the article should be “dei” and the verb would change.
Ci serve un dottore adesso?
Adding a question mark changes the intent; for a request you would use a statement or a polite form like “Potremmo avere…”.
Ci serve un dottore ora.
While “ora” also means “now”, “adesso” is more natural in urgent spoken Italian.
↔Alternatives
Abbiamo bisogno di un dottore subito.
We need a doctor right away.
Ci serve un medico adesso.
We need a doctor now.
Ci occorre un dottore immediatamente.
We need a doctor immediately.
Cultural Tip
In Italy the emergency medical number is 118 (or the EU-wide 112). When calling for help, Italians often say “Ci serve un dottore!” to stress urgency. Remember that “ci serve” expresses a collective need, while “mi serve” would be used for a personal need.