I have the flu.

Hi everyone,

Last week, I wrote about the sentence pattern "I have a 〜." One exception (例外) is with influenza, which is commonly called "the flu." Hopefully, none of you reading this blog will ever have to use the phrase "I have the flu." (インフルエンザにかかっている). As I got my flu shot (インフルエンザの予防接種を受けた) today, I feel confident (自信がある) that I won't need to worry about influenza at all . . . at least until next year's flu season.

Take care,

Alan

I have a cold.

Hi everybody,

Recently (最近), many students have been under the weather (体調が悪い). With the temperatures dropping, it's easy to catch a cold (風邪を引く), so please take care. If you do get sick, however, try using the sentence pattern "I have a 〜" to express yourself clearly (明確に表現する). Here are some examples:

• I have a cold. (風邪をひいている)
• I have a sore throat. (喉が痛い)
• I have a stuffed-up nose. (鼻が詰まっている)
• I have a running/runny nose. (鼻水が出ている)
• I have a fever. (熱がある)

Cheers,

Alan

P.S. Of course, sometimes people are under the weather because they drank too much (飲み過ぎた) the night before. In this case (この場合), feel free to say I have a hangover (二日酔いです).