The most common ways to ask about someone’s health are:
- How do you feel (today)?
- How are you feeling?
- Is everything okay?
They will most likely respond:
- I’m fine.
- I feel sick.
- Not so good.
- Not very well.
- I don’t feel well.
- I’m sick.
When you see (or hear) that they are not well, then you can ask:
- What’s the matter?
- What’s wrong?
If the person wants to say what is wrong, they may give the reason they feel that way:
- I have … (+ health condition)
- I’ve got … (+ health condition)
- I have a headache
- I’ve got a sore throat.
ESL List of Health Problems
The following is a list of common health problems (ailments and illnesses) with the definition of each word or expression:
an allergy: a medical condition that causes you to react badly or feel sick when you eat or touch a particular substance.
asthma: a respiratory condition where spasms in the lungs cause difficulty in breathing. An asthmatic uses an inhaler to calm the spasms.
a backache: a prolonged pain in the back.
a broken leg: when a bone in the leg is broken. A broken leg is put in a cast to help immobilize the leg so that it heals quicker. Other parts of the body with bones can also be broken, for example a broken arm, a broken wrist etc.
cancer: a serious disease caused by an uncontrolled division of abnormal cells that kill normal body cells in a part of the body.
a cold: a common viral infection which causes mucus to run from the nose, gives a sore throat and often includes sneezing.
a cough: the act of expelling air from the lungs with a sudden sharp sound.
diarrhoea: (America English: diarrhea) an illness in which faeces are discharged from the bowels frequently and in a liquid form.
an earache: pain inside the ear.
a fever: an abnormally high body temperature, usually accompanied by shivering and a headache.
