Learn Hardcore Russian: Если у меня высокая температура, я иду к врачу. - If I have a high temperature, I go to the doctor.

The verb иметь (to have) exists, but in everyday speech it is much less common and sounds more formal or technical. You would not normally say:

✗ Я имею высокую температуру.

Instead, health states almost always use у меня:

У меня температура.
У меня кашель.
У меня болит голова. – I have a headache.

Why is it высокая температура and not высокий температура?

Adjectives in Russian agree with the noun in gender, number, and case.

температура is feminine, singular, nominative.
The adjective высокий (high) has gender forms:
- masculine: высокий
- feminine: высокая
- neuter: высокое
- plural: высокие

So with температура (fem.), the correct form is:

высокая температура – high temperature

высокий температура is grammatically incorrect, because высокий is masculine, while температура is feminine.

Does температура here mean “fever” or just “temperature”?

In everyday Russian, when talking about a person, температура almost always means body temperature, i.e. “fever”.

У меня температура. – I have a fever. (literally “I have temperature.”)
У меня высокая температура. – I have a high fever.

For weather or other kinds of temperature, speakers usually make it clear by adding a noun:

температура воздуха – air temperature
температура воды – water temperature

So in your sentence Если у меня высокая температура, я иду к врачу, it is naturally understood as “If I have a high fever, I go to the doctor.”

Why is it я иду к врачу and not я пойду or я хожу?

All three are possible but they express slightly different meanings.

идти – to go (on foot), in one direction, this time
- я иду к врачу – I go / I am going to the doctor.
- In a sentence with если, present tense can express a general rule:
  - Если у меня высокая температура, я иду к врачу.
  - If I have a high temperature, I (normally) go to the doctor.
ходить – to go (on foot), back and forth, habitually
- я хожу к врачу – I (regularly) go to the doctor (e.g. once a month).
- With если, this would sound more strongly habitual:
  - Если у меня высокая температура, я хожу к врачу.
  - Suggests a repeated pattern.
пойти – perfective, to set off / to go (once, future or completed)
- я пойду к врачу – I will go (I’ll set off) to the doctor (once).
- For a one-time future situation, you’d say:
  - Если у меня будет высокая температура, я пойду к врачу.

So your sentence with я иду is like an English “If I have a high temperature, I go to the doctor” – a general rule, not a single planned trip.

What is the difference between если and когда in this kind of sentence?

Both can be used with a similar structure, but they focus on slightly different things.

если = if, introduces a condition
- Если у меня высокая температура, я иду к врачу.
- If I have a high temperature, I go to the doctor.
- Emphasis: going to the doctor depends on this condition being true.
когда = when, introduces a time (often something that does happen)
- Когда у меня высокая температура, я иду к врачу.
- When I have a high temperature, I go to the doctor.
- Emphasis: what happens at the times when you have a high temperature.

In many “general truth / habit” sentences, both are possible, but:

если sounds more conditional (if this happens, then that),
когда sounds more temporal (at the times when this happens…).

Why is there a comma in Если у меня высокая температура, я иду к врачу?

Russian punctuation rules require a comma between a main clause and a subordinate clause introduced by conjunctions like если, когда, потому что, что, etc.

So:

Если у меня высокая температура, – subordinate clause
я иду к врачу. – main clause

The comma must be there, regardless of word order:

Если у меня высокая температура, я иду к врачу.
Я иду к врачу, если у меня высокая температура.

In English, the comma after “if…” is sometimes optional (especially if the if-clause comes second), but in Russian it is obligatory in this structure.

What case is врачу, and why is it used after к?

врачу is Dative singular of врач (doctor).

The preposition к (to, towards) always takes the Dative case:

к кому? – to whom?
к врачу – to the doctor
к маме – to (my) mom
к другу – to (a) friend

Mini-declension of врач (singular):

Nominative (who?): врач – the doctor
Genitive (of whom?): врача
Dative (to whom?): врачу
Accusative (whom?): врача
Instrumental (with whom?): врачом
Prepositional (about whom?): о враче

Because the preposition is к, you must use the dative: к врачу, not ✗к врача.

Can I say к доктору instead of к врачу? Is there a difference?

Yes, you can say к доктору, and it’s correct. The nuances:

врач
- Neutral word for a medical doctor.
- Common in official / written contexts: signs, documents.
- Often used in 3rd person: врач сказал, к врачу.
доктор
- Historically a title (like someone with a doctorate).
- In everyday speech, very common when addressing a doctor:
  - Доктор, посмотрите, пожалуйста.
- Also used in 3rd person, but feels a bit more conversational or “human”.

In your sentence, both are natural:

Если у меня высокая температура, я иду к врачу.
Если у меня высокая температура, я иду к доктору.

For a textbook-style neutral sentence, к врачу is slightly more standard.

Can I change the word order, for example put the если-clause second or move высокая?

Yes, Russian word order is relatively flexible, though it affects emphasis.

Swapping the clauses:
- Если у меня высокая температура, я иду к врачу.
- Я иду к врачу, если у меня высокая температура.

Both are correct; the second version may sound a little more like you’re focusing on when you go to the doctor.

Inside the если-clause:
- Neutral: Если у меня высокая температура…
- Also possible: Если у меня температура высокая…
  - Emphasis shifts slightly to температура, and высокая sounds a bit like appended extra info.
- More unusual / poetic: Если высокая у меня температура…
  - Possible, but marked; this is closer to stylistic or poetic language.

For normal, neutral speech, stick with:

Если у меня высокая температура, я иду к врачу.

How would I say this about a specific future situation, like “If I get a high temperature, I will go to the doctor”?

You normally change both clauses to express clear future:

Future in the если-clause:
- Если у меня будет высокая температура, …
- If I have / get a high temperature, … (one-time future situation)
Future in the main clause with пойти (perfective, one-time going):
- … я пойду к врачу.
- … I will go to the doctor.

Full sentence:

Если у меня будет высокая температура, я пойду к врачу.

You can also use a verb like поднимется (go up, rise):

Если у меня поднимется температура, я пойду к врачу.
If my temperature goes up, I will go to the doctor.

Why don’t we use бы in this conditional sentence?

бы is used for unreal / hypothetical / counterfactual or very tentative conditions.

Если у меня высокая температура, я иду к врачу.
- Real, possible condition. This describes something that does or can actually happen. No бы.
Если бы у меня была высокая температура, я бы пошёл к врачу.
- Hypothetical / unreal: If I had a high temperature (but I don’t), I would go to the doctor.
- Both the если-clause and the main clause use бы.

So:

For real or likely conditions → если
- normal tense, no бы.
For unreal / imagined situations → если бы
- past tense, main clause with бы.

How do you pronounce the sentence, especially температура and врачу?

Stress and approximate pronunciation (stressed syllables in CAPITALS):

Е́сли – YE-sli
у меня́ – u mi-NYA
высо́кая – vy-SO-ka-ya
температу́ра – tiem-pye-ra-TU-ra
- stress on ту: тем-пе-ра-ту́-ра
я иду́ – ya i-DU
к врачу́ – k vra-CHU

Full sentence, marked for stress:

Е́сли у меня́ высо́кая температу́ра, я иду́ к врачу́.

Notes:

ч is always “soft”, like ch in church.
Unstressed о often sounds like a (so высокая sounds closer to vysókaya → vysóka-ya).
к врачу is pronounced as one cluster: [kvra-CHU].