Sickness and pain
Malattia e dolore
- Express sickness and pain.
- Express your medical condition at the doctor's office.
- Adverbs of manner
Learn essential Italian vocabulary and expressions for discussing sickness and pain, including words like mal di testa (headache), febbre (fever), and medicine (medicine). Practice describing symptoms and communicating clearly in healthcare situations.
Vocabulary (11) Share Copied!
Exercises Share Copied!
These exercises can be done together during conversation lessons or as homework.
Exercise 1: Reorder sentences
Instruction: Make correct sentences and translate.
Exercise 2: Match a word
Instruction: Match the translations
Exercise 3: Cluster the words
Instruction: Classify the words into two categories: common disease symptoms and ways to express pain.
Sintomi di malattia comuni
Modi per esprimere il dolore
Exercise 4: Translate and use in a sentence
Instruction: Pick a word, translated and use the word in a sentence or dialogue.
1
La salute
Health
2
Il mal di testa
The headache
3
La malattia
The illness
4
Il raffreddore
The cold
5
Guarisci presto!
Get well soon!
Esercizio 5: Conversation exercise
Istruzione:
- Describe the symptoms of each person. (Describe the symptoms of each person.)
- Play a dialogue at the doctor's office. (Play a dialogue at the doctor's office.)
Teaching guidelines +/- 10 minutes
Example phrases:
|
Ha dolore al collo. He has pain in the neck. |
|
Hai la febbre. You have a fever. |
|
Mi fa male la schiena. My back hurts. |
|
Dove ti fa male? Where does it hurt? |
|
Ho una tosse. I have a cough. |
|
Ho mal di testa. I have a headache. |
|
Ho mal di stomaco. I have a stomachache. |
|
Mi sento nauseato. I feel nauseous. |
| ... |
Exercise 6: Dialogue Cards
Instruction: Select a situation and practice the conversation with your teacher or fellow students.
Exercise 7: Multiple Choice
Instruction: Choose the correct solution
1. Il medico mi ___ aiutato a capire i miei sintomi.
(The doctor ___ helped me understand my symptoms.)2. Ieri sera io ___ un forte mal di testa.
(Last night I ___ a severe headache.)3. Mi ___ sentito male dopo aver preso la medicina.
(I ___ felt sick after taking the medicine.)4. Ti auguro di ___ presto e stare bene.
(I wish you to ___ soon and be well.)Exercise 8: Visit to the doctor
Instruction:
Verb Tables
Aiutare - Help
Passato prossimo
- io ho aiutato
- tu hai aiutato
- lui/lei ha aiutato
- noi abbiamo aiutato
- voi avete aiutato
- loro hanno aiutato
Avere - Have
Passato prossimo
- io ho avuto
- tu hai avuto
- lui/lei ha avuto
- noi abbiamo avuto
- voi avete avuto
- loro hanno avuto
Chiedere - Ask
Passato prossimo
- io ho chiesto
- tu hai chiesto
- lui/lei ha chiesto
- noi abbiamo chiesto
- voi avete chiesto
- loro hanno chiesto
Essere - Be
Passato prossimo
- io sono stato/a
- tu sei stato/a
- lui/lei è stato/a
- noi siamo stati/e
- voi siete stati/e
- loro sono stati/e
Guarire - Recover
Presente
- io guarisco
- tu guarisci
- lui/lei guarisce
- noi guariamo
- voi guarite
- loro guariscono
Exercise 9: Gli avverbi di modo
Instruction: Fill in the correct word.
Grammar: Adverbs of manner
Show translation Show answersbene, male, piano, forte
Grammar Share Copied!
It's not the most exciting thing, we admit, but it’s absolutely essential (and we promise it'll pay off)!
Verb conjugation tables for this lesson Share Copied!
Aiutare to help Share Copied!
Passato prossimo
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| (io) ho aiutato | I have helped |
| (tu) hai aiutato | You have helped |
| (lui/lei) ha aiutato | he/she helped |
| (noi) abbiamo aiutato | we helped |
| (voi) avete aiutato | You have helped |
| (loro) hanno aiutato | they have helped |
Don't see progress when learning on your own? Study this material with a certified teacher!
Do you want to practice Italian today? That is possible! Just contact one of our teachers today.
Lesson Overview: Sickness and Pain in Italian
This lesson introduces you to essential vocabulary and expressions to talk about health, sickness symptoms, and pain in Italian. You'll learn common words for symptoms like la febbre (fever) and il mal di testa (headache), plus useful phrases to describe how you feel and communicate with doctors or pharmacists.
Key Vocabulary and Expressions
- Sintomi di malattia comuni: la febbre, il raffreddore, l'influenza, la malattia, le medicine
- Modi per esprimere il dolore: il mal di testa, avere male, male
Example sentences you might use are: Ho il mal di testa da stamattina. (I've had a headache since this morning.) or Devi prendere le medicine con calma e attenzione. (You must take the medicine calmly and carefully.)
Practice Dialogues
The lesson includes dialogues simulating conversations at the pharmacy, doctor’s office, and hospital. For instance, you practice saying:
Buongiorno, ho un mal di testa forte. (Good morning, I have a strong headache.) or Dottore, ho un dolore forte alla schiena. (Doctor, I have strong back pain.)
Grammar Focus: Verbs in Context
Pay special attention to verb forms commonly used in health situations, especially the passato prossimo (present perfect) for describing past symptoms or actions, such as:
Il medico mi ha aiutato a capire i miei sintomi. (The doctor helped me understand my symptoms.)
This lesson includes exercises on conjugating verbs like aiutare, avere, chiedere, and guarire in helpful contexts.
Short Story and Verb Tables
A brief story reinforces vocabulary and verb conjugations, describing a visit to the doctor. Look out for practical verbs and their conjugations in the past and present tenses, vital for discussing health issues.
Example: Ieri ho aiutato mio padre a prepararsi per la visita dal medico. (Yesterday I helped my father prepare for the doctor's visit.)
Language Notes: Italian vs. English
Italian often uses specific phrases to express symptoms and pain that differ from English. For example, avere male means "to have pain" in a specific place, unlike English where "to be in pain" or "to hurt" are used. The Italian expression mal di testa literally means "badness of the head," equivalent to "headache." Also, Italian tends to use the passato prossimo tense frequently to talk about recent events or experiences, which is important when describing symptoms that started in the past but continue to affect you now.
Useful Phrases About Health
- Come ti senti oggi? (How do you feel today?)
- Hai dolore alla testa? (Do you have a headache?)
- Devi parlare piano, per favore. (You must speak softly, please.)
- Guarisci presto! (Get well soon!)
These lessons would not be possible without our amazing partners🙏
