EFE learning modules / Emergencies & First Aid

Emergencies & First Aid @ Calling for emergency help, using basic first-aid language, and reacting to urgent medical situations.

Common Expressions Back to Catalog

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A matter of life and death

/አ ማተር ኦፍ ላይፍ ኤንድ ዴዝ/

የሞት ሽረት ጉዳይ

A situation of extreme urgency or importance

እጅግ በጣም አጣዳፊ ወይም አስፈላጊ የሆነ ሁኔታ

In Practice

"This surgery is a matter of life and death."
"Calling the ambulance was a matter of life and death."
Fluent Tip

Used to emphasize the extreme seriousness of a situation.

Keep your head

/ኪፕ ዩር ሄድ/

መረጋጋት

To remain calm in a crisis

በአደጋ ጊዜ መረጋጋት

In Practice

"You need to keep your head while applying first aid."
"He kept his head and called 911 immediately."
Fluent Tip

Used when advising someone to stay calm during an emergency.

In the nick of time

/ኢን ዘ ኒክ ኦፍ ታይም/

በመጨረሻዋ ሰዓት

At the last possible moment

በመጨረሻው ሊሆን በሚችል ቅጽበት

In Practice

"The paramedics arrived in the nick of time."
"We stopped the bleeding in the nick of time."
Fluent Tip

Used when something happens just before it is too late.

Out of the woods

/አውት ኦፍ ዘ ዉድስ/

ከአደጋ መውጣት

Out of danger or difficulty

ከአደጋ ወይም ከችግር መውጣት

In Practice

"The patient is stable, but not yet out of the woods."
"Is she out of the woods after the reaction?"
Fluent Tip

Often used in medical contexts to say a patient is no longer in critical danger.

Fight for one's life

/ፋይት ፎር ዋንስ ላይፍ/

ለህይወት መታገል

To struggle to stay alive

በህይወት ለመቆየት መታገል

In Practice

"He is in ICU fighting for his life."
"She fought for her life after the accident."
Fluent Tip

Used for patients in very critical condition.

On the mend

/ኦን ዘ ሜንድ/

በማገገም ላይ

Recovering from an illness or injury

ከህመም ወይም ከጉዳት በማገገም ላይ

In Practice

"After the stitches, he is on the mend."
"I'm glad to hear you are on the mend."
Fluent Tip

Used to describe the recovery process.

Catch someone off guard

/ካች ሰምዋን ኦፍ ጋርድ/

ሳይዘጋጁ መድረስ

To surprise someone in a vulnerable moment

አንድን ሰው ባልተዘጋጀበት ሰዓት ማስደንገጥ

In Practice

"The heart attack caught him off guard."
"Emergencies often catch people off guard."
Fluent Tip

Used when an emergency happens unexpectedly.

Keep an eye on

/ኪፕ አን አይ ኦን/

መከታተል

To watch or monitor someone carefully

አንድን ሰው በጥንቃቄ መከታተል ወይም መጠበቅ

In Practice

"Keep an eye on his breathing."
"The nurse will keep an eye on your vitals."
Fluent Tip

Common in first aid to monitor a victim's condition.

Breathe a sigh of relief

/ብሪዝ ኤ ሳይ ኦፍ ሪሊፍ/

እፎይ ማለት

To feel better after a period of tension

ከጭንቀት በኋላ እፎይታ መሰማት

In Practice

"We breathed a sigh of relief when the doctor arrived."
"He sighed with relief when the bleeding stopped."
Fluent Tip

Used when a dangerous situation is resolved.

Back on one's feet

/ባክ ኦን ዋንስ ፊት/

እንደገና መቆም / ማገገም

To be healthy again after being sick

ከታመሙ በኋላ እንደገና ጤናማ መሆን

In Practice

"We hope to see you back on your feet soon."
"It took a month to get back on my feet."
Fluent Tip

Used to wish someone a full recovery.

Under the knife

/አንደር ዘ ናይፍ/

ለቀዶ ጥገና መግባት

Undergoing surgery

ቀዶ ጥገና ማድረግ

In Practice

"He had to go under the knife for his appendix."
"Is she still under the knife?"
Fluent Tip

Informal way to say someone is having surgery.

Pull through

/ፑል ስሩ/

መተርፍ / መዳን

To survive a serious illness or injury

ከከባድ ህመም ወይም ጉዳት መትረፍ

In Practice

"The doctor thinks he will pull through."
"She pulled through after the emergency surgery."
Fluent Tip

Used for survival against the odds.