Talking About Illnesses

Use the following expressions to talk about general pains and aches.

General aches and pains

I’ve got a horrible cold.
Have you got a headache?
I’ve a backache.
I think I’ve got the flu.
I’ve an earache.
I’m getting toothache. OR I’m getting a toothache.
There’s a lot of flu around at the moment.
I’m never sea-sick.
Have you had the measles?
I’ve a pain in the stomach.
I’ve got a sore throat.

Be sick can mean ‘vomit’.
I feel sick to my stomach. (= I want to vomit.)
I was sick two times in the night. (= I vomited two times in the night.)
I feel sick. (= I want to vomit.)
The expression throw up can also mean ‘vomit’.
I’ve got a slight headache. (= a headache that isn’t very bad)
I’m not feeling very well.
I’ve got a splitting headache. (= a very bad headache.)
I must be going down with a cold. I’ve got a sore throat.
I’m feeling sleepy.
I’ve got a shooting pain in the head.
I’m not sleeping very well at the moment.
I feel a little faint.
I’ve got a nagging pain in my shoulder. (nagging = a pain that won’t go away)
I’ve got a dull pain in the head.

Sympathetic responses

When people talk about their health problems, you will want to sympathize with them. Here are some sympathetic responses.
I’m sorry to hear that.
I hope it’s nothing serious.