How to Describe Your Symptoms in English: What, Where and Since When

Sofia walks into a clinic and sits down in front of the nurse. She has practised one sentence on the bus: “I am headache since two days.”

The nurse understands that Sofia’s head hurts. But she is not sure about the rest. Is it a fever? Is it the whole head or one side? Did it start two days ago, or does it last two days? So the nurse asks three more questions, and Sofia, who is nervous, says “yes” to all of them.

Nothing here is a big mistake. Each one is small, and each one has a short fix. This page takes six of them, one at a time. The examples were written for this page. The idea of three clues (what, where, since when) comes from the podcast episode linked at the end. It teaches English, not medical advice: if you think it is an emergency, call your local emergency number first.

”I am headache”: two verbs for two kinds of problem

What Sofia said: I am headache.

What she needs: I have a headache.

English uses have for a health problem that is a thing: a headache, a fever, a cough, a sore throat, a runny nose. It uses feel for a state of your body: weak, dizzy, tired, hot, cold. Say the two together and the nurse sees a clear picture.

Use	Pattern	Example
A thing	I have + a/an + word	I have a fever.
A thing, with no “a”	I have + word	I have a cough.
A state	I feel + word	I feel dizzy.
Hurting	My + body part + hurts	My throat hurts.

Two checks help. If you can put a in front of it, you probably say have. If it is a word like weak, dizzy or tired, you probably say feel. A third check: I have dizzy sounds odd, because dizzy describes you. You do not “have” it like a headache.

”Everything hurts”: give the nurse a place

What Sofia said: My head. (and then nothing)

What she needs: I have a headache. It hurts here.

A word alone leaves the nurse to guess. Add where. You can point with your hand and say It hurts here. That is the second clue, and it works for any part of the body, even when you do not know the English word.

If you know the word, use it: My throat hurts. My back hurts. My stomach hurts. If you do not, point, and say here. Pointing is not rude. In a clinic it is the clearest thing you can do.

”Since two days”: since or for?

What Sofia said: Since two days.

What she needs: For two days. Or: Since Monday.

The nurse asks, When did it start? or How long have you had it? You can answer with a starting point or with a length of time.

Word	What comes after it	Example answer
since	the moment it started	Since yesterday. / Since Monday. / Since this morning.
for	how long it has lasted	For two days. / For a week. / For three hours.

The test: can you point to a day or an hour on a calendar or a clock? Then use since. Monday is a day, so since Monday. Two days is an amount, so for two days. If you are not sure, take the easy way out and answer the first question with a full sentence: It started on Monday. That sentence is always right.

”Yes, no allergy”: answer the allergy question in full

What Sofia said: Yes, no allergy.

What she needs: No, I don’t. Or: I’m allergic to penicillin.

Before the doctor gives you any medicine, you will hear Do you have any allergies? It is a yes-or-no question, but the answer yes does not tell the doctor what to avoid. The useful answer is the name.

• No allergies: No, I don’t.
• An allergy to something: I’m allergic to penicillin. (Change the name: peanuts, bees, dust, a medicine.)

Learn your answer before you get sick. Write it in your phone in English. It is one of the few sentences in a clinic that can really matter.

”Two times day”: read the medicine plan

What the doctor said: Take one tablet twice a day, after meals.

What Sofia heard: Take one tablet… something.

This one has two halves, and each half is a small, fixed phrase.

Phrase	What it means
once a day	one time every day
twice a day	two times every day, usually morning and evening
three times a day	morning, afternoon and evening
after meals	after you eat
before bed	just before you go to sleep

So one tablet twice a day, after meals means: one small pill after breakfast and one small pill after dinner. If you want to check the plan, say it back: So, one tablet, twice a day? The doctor will say yes or fix it. Do not say two times day. English needs the word a: twice a day.

And before you leave, ask: How often should I take it? Many learners learn the question and then miss the answer.

”Yes, yes”: say so when you did not understand

What Sofia did: nodded and said yes.

What she needs: One more time, please.

This is the most important repair on the page. When you are nervous, a nurse who speaks fast can sound like a wall. You nod, you say yes, and then you do not know if you should take one tablet or two.

The nurse would much rather say it again. These three sentences are enough:

• One more time, please. (the shortest)
• Can you explain that again, please? (when you want a clearer explanation)
• Sorry, slowly, please. (when it is too fast)

Say it with a small smile. Asking again is polite, and it is the safest thing you can do in a clinic.

One visit, start to finish

Here is the same visit, repaired. Read it out loud, with a friend if you can. The nurse is N, and the patient is P.

N: Good morning. What brings you in today?
P: I have a headache. It hurts here. (points)
N: I see. When did it start?
P: Since Monday. I also feel dizzy.
N: Any fever?
P: I have a small fever, I think.
N: Do you have any allergies?
P: I’m allergic to penicillin.
N: Thank you. Take one tablet twice a day, after meals.
P: Sorry, one more time, please.
N: Of course. One in the morning, one in the evening, after you eat.
P: So, one tablet, twice a day. Thank you.

Count the clues: what (a headache, dizzy, a small fever), where (here), since when (since Monday). That is all the nurse needed.

Exercises

Fix each sentence. The answers are below.

1. I am a fever.
2. I have weak.
3. It started since two days.
4. My head. My head. (add a place sentence)
5. Yes, allergy. (the doctor asked about allergies; you are allergic to peanuts)
6. Take two times day. (say the right phrase)
7. You did not understand the doctor. What do you say?
8. Choose since or for: I have had a cough ______ Tuesday. / I have had a cough ______ three days.

Answers

1. I have a fever.
2. I feel weak.
3. It started two days ago. Or: It started on Monday. Or: I’ve had it for two days. (Do not use since with two days.)
4. I have a headache. It hurts here.
5. I’m allergic to peanuts.
6. Take it twice a day.
7. One more time, please. Or: Can you explain that again, please?
8. since Tuesday / for three days

Before you walk in: your symptom note

Keep a note in your phone with three lines. Fill it in before you go.

1. What: I have a ______. I feel ______.
2. Where: It hurts here. (or the body word)
3. Since when: Since ______. / For ______.

Add two more lines if you can: your allergy sentence, and One more time, please.

Hear it in a real conversation

Want to hear these sentences in a full clinic visit, with the front desk, the nurse, the doctor, the medicine and a note for work? Listen to the episode and read its Show Note: A Visit to the Doctor in English: Three Clues, Medicine Plans and One Pocket Sentence. If you need the front desk first, read Front-Desk English at the Doctor’s Office: Fix the Answers That Slow Down Your Check-In.