We all know that speaking English can be challenging some days. However, if you have to speak English when you are sick, it can be terrible! So, it’s important to have a lot of English vocabulary for this. In this blog, I’d like to give you the verbs to go with the symptoms (nouns and adjectives) to help you describe how you are feeling and what may have happened.

How are you?

• I don’t feel well at all.
• I feel very unwell.
• Everything hurts.

I have/ don’t have…..

• a headache.
• a sore throat.
• a sore ear.
• a runny nose.
• a fever / a temperature.
• chills.
• a rash.
• a cough.
• diarrhoea 

Something aches/hurts.

• My head aches/hurts.
• My ear aches/hurts.
• My muscles ache/hurt.
• My back aches/hurt.
• My stomach aches/hurts.
• It hurts when I breathe/stand/sit/go to the toilet/swallow.

If you’d like more information on the difference between hurt, pain and sore, I’ve written a blog on that. Click here to read it.

I feel or I am….

• sick like I’m going to vomit.
• nauseous
• dizzy
• tired all the time.
• anxious all the time.
• stressed out.
• more emotional than normal.

I am….

• constipated.
• congested.
• unable to work.
• unable to function normally.

Some miscellaneous expressions:

• I can’t sleep.
• I’ve lost my appetite.
• I can’t see properly.
• I think I’ve broken something/a bone.
• I think I’ve pulled a muscle.
• I can’t move my wrist/finger/ankle/foot/shoulder.
• When I do this (do the movement), it really hurts.
• My glans/joints/something are/is swollen.

Describe the pain:

• It is a sharp pain. It’s like a knife.
• It’s a dull pain/ache. It never stops.
• It feels like a bruise.
• I can’t stand on it (your foot, ankle, or knee is the problem).
• I can’t use it without pain (arms, legs)

What happened?

• It happened while I was playing football/cleaning my house etc.
• I woke up feeling like this.
• I fell over.
• I fell off my scooter/bike/chair/horse.
• I fell down the stairs/a hill.
• I cut myself while cooking.
• I burned myself while camping.
• I hit my head against the wall/a tree/another football player.
• I think I ate something that was bad.

I hope you don’t have to use this language, but if you do, I hope I’ve helped you today.

Have a great day!