Sickness and pain
Malattia e dolore
- Express sickness and pain.
- Express your medical condition at the doctor's office.
- Adverbs of manner
Explore essential Italian vocabulary for discussing health, symptoms, and pain, including words like "mal di testa" (headache) and "febbre" (fever), as well as expressions to describe and respond to sickness.
Listening & reading materials
Practice vocabulary in context with real materials.
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: Divide the following words into two categories: disease symptoms and expressions for talking about health or care.
Sintomi di malattia
Espressioni per salute o cura
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
The 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. Ho ______ la mia amica quando aveva il mal di testa.
(I ______ my friend when she had a headache.)2. Lei ______ preso le medicine perché aveva la febbre alta.
(She ______ taken the medicine because she had a high fever.)3. Il dottore ______ visitato il paziente con molta attenzione.
(The doctor ______ examined the patient very carefully.)4. Noi ______ parlato forte per spiegare i sintomi.
(We ______ spoken loudly to explain the symptoms.)Exercise 8: A visit to the doctor
Instruction:
Verb Tables
Avere - Have
Passato prossimo
- io ho avuto
- tu hai avuto
- lui/lei ha avuto
- noi abbiamo avuto
- voi avete avuto
- loro hanno avuto
Andare - Go
Passato prossimo
- io sono andato/a
- tu sei andato/a
- lui/lei è andato/a
- noi siamo andati/e
- voi siete andati/e
- loro sono andati/e
Aiutare - Help
Passato prossimo
- io ho aiutato
- tu hai aiutato
- lui/lei ha aiutato
- noi abbiamo aiutato
- voi avete aiutato
- loro hanno aiutato
Portare - Bring
Passato prossimo
- io ho portato
- tu hai portato
- lui/lei ha portato
- noi abbiamo portato
- voi avete portato
- loro hanno portato
Dire - Tell
Passato prossimo
- io ho detto
- tu hai detto
- lui/lei ha detto
- noi abbiamo detto
- voi avete detto
- loro hanno detto
Exercise 9: Gli avverbi di modo
Instruction: Fill in the correct word.
Grammar: Adverbs of manner
Show translation Show answersbene, male, piano, forte
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Verb conjugation tables for this lesson Share Copied!
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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 |
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Lesson Overview: Sickness and Pain in Italian
This lesson introduces you to essential Italian vocabulary and expressions related to sickness and pain, suitable for A1 beginners. You will learn how to describe common symptoms, express pain, and understand basic medical conversations. The focus is on practical communication for everyday health situations such as talking about headaches, fever, and visiting the doctor or pharmacy.
Key Vocabulary
- Sintomi di malattia comuni (Common illness symptoms): la febbre (fever), il raffreddore (cold), l'influenza (flu), la malattia (illness), le medicine (medicines)
- Modi per esprimere il dolore (Ways to express pain): il mal di testa (headache), avere male (to have pain), male (pain, hurt)
Useful Phrases and Expressions
Learn to ask and answer health-related questions, like:
- Come ti senti oggi? Hai dolore alla testa? (How do you feel today? Do you have a headache?)
- Devi parlare piano, per favore, ho mal di gola. (You have to speak softly, please, I have a sore throat.)
- Prendi le medicine e riposa bene a casa. (Take the medicine and rest well at home.)
Dialogue Practice
Practice realistic dialogues such as talking in a pharmacy or describing symptoms to a doctor. Example scenarios include:
- Buying medicine for a headache and explaining how the pain feels.
- Describing back pain to the doctor, detailing duration and intensity.
- Reporting fever and cough symptoms during a hospital visit.
Grammar Focus: Past and Present Tenses
This lesson also helps you master important verb conjugations in the passato prossimo (present perfect) and present tense, useful for describing symptoms and health conditions. Sample verbs include:
- ho aiutato (I helped)
- ho avuto (I had)
- ho chiesto (I asked)
- è stata (it has been [feminine])
- guarisca (he/she/it heals - subjunctive present)
Differences Between English and Italian
In Italian, expressing pain often uses the verb phrase avere male (literally “to have pain”) plus the body part, e.g., ho mal di testa (I have a headache), whereas English typically uses “to be” plus an adjective (“I am sick”). Also, adjective and verb agreement varies with gender and number in Italian, unlike English. For example, la febbre è alta means “the fever is high,” where the adjective alta matches the feminine noun febbre. Understanding such structures helps communicate symptoms naturally. Useful expressions to remember include mi sento male (I feel ill), guarire (to heal), and polite phrases for medical contexts like le consiglio di (I advise you to).
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