Colloquial Expression for "Go to see doctor"?

[Williamyh]

Hi Everybody,

When I got sick, I'll go to clinic to see doctor, but I think this is not a proper expression in english. I want to know how to say "go to clinic to see a doctor" in colloquial expression. Thanks.

W

[Barb_D]

If you put an article with "clinic" it's just fine.

[Williamyh]

If you put an article with "clinic" it's just fine.

That means I just say "go to clinic", that's good enough to express it, right?

[Tdol]

It expresses it, but many will look on it as an error. You will find people missing articles, but I can't see why you want to do it here.

[Williamyh]

It expresses it, but many will look on it as an error. You will find people missing articles, but I can't see why you want to do it here.

Actually I don't understand what you mean.....you mean I missed the article "a"....."Go to see a doctor"? Please make it clear...thanks.

[Barb_D]

As I tried to express in my first response, the word "clinic" needs an article as well as the word "doctor."

I went to the clinic [to see the doctor].
I had to go a clinic [to see a doctor].
etc.

[BobK]

The 'go to see' is colloquial enough. A fancy way of saying this would be 'consult' or 'visit', but 'go to see' is fine. If you want to make it more colloquial, change the noun 'Go to see the quack'. ('Quack' can be an insult - meaning 'unqualified and incompetent doctor', but it can also be used as a colloquial term for any (medical) doctor.

b

[magimagicE]

I had a very sore throat this morning, so I went to the doctors to get it treated.

My boss asked why I was absent yesterday - I told him that I was at the doctors.


Here, "doctors" implies the act of going to a clinic to see a doctor, so you don't need to mention it. Note, however, that clinic, more often than not, refers to a place (surgery) operated by one or more general practioner doctors (GP).

This is slightly different to hospitals and hospital doctors. If your illness gets escalated by your GP to a condition requiring hospital treatment, then the above would become:

I had a very sore throat this morning, so I went to the hospital to get it treated.

My boss asked why I was absent yesterday - I told him that I was at the hospital.