Portuguese Phrase
O Dr. Smith aceita pacientes?
Meaning
Literally, “Does Dr. Smith accept patients?” It is used to ask whether a doctor is currently taking on new patients or has availability for appointments.
When to use
Use this question when you want to know if a particular physician is open for new consultations, especially in private clinics or when scheduling a first‑time visit.
✦Grammar Breakdown
ODr.Smithaceitapacientes?
Definite article O
The masculine singular article 'O' is used before masculine nouns or titles, like 'Dr.'.
Abbreviation Dr.
In Portuguese, 'Dr.' (or 'Dra.' for women) is the abbreviation for 'Doutor', a title for doctors.
Verb aceitar (present)
‘aceita’ is the third‑person singular present indicative of ‘aceitar’, meaning ‘to accept’ or ‘to take’.
Plural noun pacientes
‘pacientes’ is the plural form of ‘paciente’, meaning ‘patients’. The question mark belongs to the whole sentence.
🗨In Conversation
O Dr. Smith aceita pacientes?
Does Dr. Smith accept patients?
Sim, ele tem vagas para novos pacientes nas próximas semanas.
Yes, he has slots for new patients in the coming weeks.
✕Common Mistakes
O Dr. Smith é pacientes?
‘É’ means ‘is’; using it changes the meaning to ‘Is Dr. Smith a patient?’
O Dr. Smith tem pacientes?
‘Tem’ means ‘has’; while understandable, it is less natural than ‘aceita’ for asking about taking patients.
O Dr. Smith aceitar pacientes?
Using the infinitive ‘aceitar’ without conjugation is grammatically incorrect.
↔Alternatives
O Dr. Smith está recebendo pacientes?
Is Dr. Smith taking patients?
O Dr. Smith tem disponibilidade para novos pacientes?
Does Dr. Smith have availability for new patients?
Posso marcar uma consulta com o Dr. Smith?
Can I schedule an appointment with Dr. Smith?
Cultural Tip
In Brazil it is common to address doctors with the title ‘Doutor’ (Dr.) followed by the surname, even if they are not medical doctors (e.g., lawyers). When speaking to the doctor directly, you would use ‘senhor’ or ‘senhora’ plus the surname. Asking if a doctor “aceita pacientes” is a polite way to check if they are taking new cases, especially in private practice where slots are limited.