Get Better Soon!

Source: Brittany Colette on Unsplash 

Not feeling well? Here are a few useful expressions:

What's the matter?

I have the flu.

BBC News - Coronavirus: Boris Johnson hospital stay and parallels to Lloyd George https://t.co/3jhsZDmZpE

— English in Madrid (@madteacher72) April 8, 2020

I have a cold*.

#PV COME DOWN WITH - to start to suffer from an illness
e.g. I think I'm COMING DOWN WITH A COLD.
e.g. I'm off home. I don't feel great. I must be COMING DOWN WITH SOMETHING.
e.g. My wife CAME DOWN WITH THE FLU and so we didn't get away for the weekend. pic.twitter.com/KQ65vRsqIt

— English in Madrid (@madteacher72) May 17, 2020

Put a warm jacket on otherwise you'll catch a cold.

JUST MY LUCK - in bed sick on my DAY OFF. http://t.co/AZ83CYEAEY The other day I was BOASTING that I hadn't CAUGHT A COLD this year.

— English in Madrid (@madteacher72) December 6, 2013

I can't stop sneezing.

I can't stop coughing.

I have a runny nose.

I am choked.

I have a temperature.

I have a headache*.

I have a sore* throat.

My leg hurts*.

I have a pain in my knee.

"The bull feels pain but doesn't suffer" I WISH we COULD TRY this theory OUT on José Antonio González Poncela. pic.twitter.com/1epE8N75Hr

— English in Madrid (@madteacher72) September 16, 2014

The Spanish are RENOWNED FOR their lateness, YET start queueing to board a plane long before the flight takes off. What a pain! #Barajas

— English in Madrid (@madteacher72) April 7, 2017

#idioms under the weather
(estar pachucho)
- I'm feeling a bit under the weather. I'm going to have an early night.
- If you feel under the weather, take the day off work.

Some useful expressions to express illness:https://t.co/H0FpkGkxy7 pic.twitter.com/3rJK9mXYkR

— Graham Mad Teacher (@madteacher72) February 15, 2018

The British 'sickie' is dead, but institute warns against working while ill https://t.co/DAV6cKmdMY

— English in Madrid (@madteacher72) May 3, 2018

*Confusing words:

• I have a cold : Estoy constipado.
• I am constipated : Estoy estreñido.

* an ache (noun):

I have:

• a headache
• a stomachache
• earache
• toothache
• backache

But no nouns exist for other parts of the body so we use sore (adjective):

• I have a sore foot.
• My knee is really sore.

#WOTD sore /sɔː/ (adj)
- I have a sore head. (Me duele la cabeza)
- I think I have A COLD COMING ON. My throat is so sore. (dolor de garganta)

- It's a sore point . (un tema delicado) Let's change the subject.#idioms
- The boss is like a bear with a sore head. (bad tempered) pic.twitter.com/0JULlInZXO

— English in Madrid (@madteacher72) February 26, 2019

or we use hurt (verb):

• My feet hurt.
• My neck hurts.

What's the best cure for

• a headache?
• a sore throat?
• stomachache?
• a cold?
• a sore back?

What aches and pains do you usually have?  

What's the difference between a disease and an illness? Both translate as enfermedad.

This is a difficult one to explain. Let me try.

A disease is a specific condition or a diagnosable problem with symptoms. However, people can have a disease but still feel well.

• Pope John Paul II suffered from Parkinson's disease.
• More and more elderly people have Alzheimer's disease.
• The first symptom of the disease is a high temperature.
• She caught a strange skin disease while travelling through Africa.

An illness is a state of feeling ill. Nothing specific has been diagnosed.

• She died peacefully at home after a long illness.
• She had a week off work because of illness.
• Mental illness is more common than you would think.
• If your child shows any sign of illness, take her to a doctor.