Questions & Answers about Mam kaszel i katar.
Why don't kaszel and katar change their endings, given they are the objects of the verb mam?
The verb mieć (to have) requires the accusative case. However, both kaszel and katar are masculine inanimate nouns. For these nouns, the accusative form is identical to the nominative (dictionary) form, so no ending changes are visible.
If I wanted to say 'I do not have a cough', how would kaszel and katar change?
Negating the verb changes the required case from accusative to genitive. For kaszel, the 'e' drops out (it is a fleeting 'e') and it takes the genitive ending -u, becoming kaszlu. Katar simply adds -u to become kataru. The negative sentence is Nie mam kaszlu i kataru.
Does katar mean a general cold, or just a runny nose?
Katar specifically means a runny or stuffy nose. If you want to say you have a general cold, you would use przeziębienie (for example, Mam przeziębienie or Jestem przeziębiony).
Can I use verbs instead of nouns to express these symptoms?
For coughing, yes! You can use the verb kaszleć (to cough) and say Kaszlę (I am coughing). However, there is no common verb for having a runny nose, so you always use mam katar for that symptom.
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