This report focuses on the communication that takes place between nurses and patients in a hospital setting. Nurses have for years been accused of talking at patients rather than talking to them. They have also been accused of using a language that patients do not know. The problem is partly a result of individual roles within the medical profession hierarchy and a specialized language. To discuss this problem, specific sections address the following: the nursing profession; communication in general; conversations in general; hospitalization conversations (between nurse and patient); and hospitals and patients. Four conversations between nurses and patients at Roskilde hospital in Denmark are analyzed, and to conclude, the results of the conversations are discussed. (VWL)