Saying What Hurts
Russian does not say I have a headache. It puts the body part in charge of the sentence: the part that hurts is the SUBJECT, and the person is у + genitive.
У меня *болит голова. — literally "at me hurts head". У ребёнка болит ухо.* — The child's ear hurts.
The verb agrees with the body part, not with you. One part болит; two or more болят.
| болит | голова, нога, горло, ухо |
| болят | ноги, уши, плечи |
| My arm hurts. | У меня болит рука. |
Болеть Has Two Lives
The same verb also means to be ill — but then it takes a PERSON as its subject and conjugates normally: Я болею, он болеет. Compare with болен, the short adjective you already know, which says the same thing as a state.
Do not confuse either with больно, the impersonal it hurts.
The Three Illnesses You Will Actually Need
| word | what it is |
|---|---|
| грипп | flu |
| кашель | a cough |
| насморк | a runny nose, a head cold |
Кашель drops its е as soon as an ending is added — кашель, but нет кашля.
| I have a cough and a runny nose. | У меня кашель и насморк. |
Where You Go
A поликлиника is the neighbourhood clinic you walk into for an ordinary appointment — not a больница, which is a hospital you are admitted to. Ask there for a справка, the signed note that proves you were ill.
| The doctor gives a certificate. | Врач даёт справку. |
