Blut abnehmen

You use the verb abnehmen with the dative case for the person. For example, you say Der Arzt nimmt mir Blut ab. This means 'The doctor takes blood from me.' If you are talking about the action generally, you just use the phrase as is. Remember that abnehmen is a separable verb. In a normal sentence, the ab goes to the very end.

Use this when you have a check-up at the doctor. Use it when you are talking about lab results. You might say it to a friend if you are running late because of a blood test. It is the perfect phrase for any clinical or hospital setting. You will also see it on medical forms or appointment reminders.

Do not use this if you are bleeding from a cut. If you fall and scrape your knee, you are just bluten (bleeding). Do not use it for donating blood. For that, use Blut spenden. Also, be careful because abnehmen also means 'to lose weight.' If you say Ich nehme ab without the word Blut, people will think you are on a diet!

Germans are very big on Vorsorgeuntersuchungen (preventative check-ups). It is very common to have a 'großes Blutbild' (complete blood count) once a year. Because of this, almost every German is familiar with the phrase. It is a routine part of the healthcare culture. Don't be surprised if your German doctor suggests it even for minor issues.

You might hear eine Blutprobe entnehmen. This is much more formal and technical. It is mostly used in lab reports. Another one is Blut zapfen. This is very informal and a bit funny. It sounds like tapping a keg of beer. Use Blut zapfen only with close friends to be a bit dramatic.