May 13, 2004 11:29
20 yrs ago
56 viewers *
English term
Your language solution
Native in: Bulgarian 
Works in: Bulgarian, English to Bulgarian, Russian to Bulgarian, and 2 more.
Feeling sick vs Being sick
English
Medical
Medical: Pharmaceuticals
What is the difference. The text is a leaflet of a medicinal product.
Responses
Responses
+13
3 mins
Rowan Morrell
New Zealand
New Zealand
Native in English
&
English
Works in field
New Zealand
Committed to the Customer
Native in: English (Variant: New Zealand) 
Works in: French to English, German to English, Spanish to English
Related KudoZ points
:
8
Selected
feeling sick = experiencing a feeling of unwellness; being sick = in an unwell state
If you feel sick, you may not necessarily BE sick, but you are experiencing some feeling of unwellness (such as a headache). To BE sick means that you are unwell, no question about it, and this has a cause such as a virus or bacteria.
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Note added at 7 mins (2004-05-13 11:36:58 GMT)
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So basically, feeling sick may or may not mean that you are in fact sick. You might have a feeling of sickness that is entirely non-pathological, in other words, not caused by any virus or bacteria. For instance, you might feel nauseous after seeing something very unpleasant. But this sort of feeling will frequently pass quite quickly. If you ARE sick on the other hand, you will experience certain symptoms depending on the exact illness, and there will be a definite pathological cause.
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Note added at 8 mins (2004-05-13 11:38:08 GMT)
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Being sick can mean to vomit, but it can also mean to be unwell generally. For instance, if you\'re at home in bed with a cold, you might ring the office and say \"I\'m sick today\".
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Note added at 9 mins (2004-05-13 11:39:35 GMT)
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Feel sick can also mean to feel nauseous (like you\'re going to throw up), as others have said.
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Note added at 7 mins (2004-05-13 11:36:58 GMT)
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So basically, feeling sick may or may not mean that you are in fact sick. You might have a feeling of sickness that is entirely non-pathological, in other words, not caused by any virus or bacteria. For instance, you might feel nauseous after seeing something very unpleasant. But this sort of feeling will frequently pass quite quickly. If you ARE sick on the other hand, you will experience certain symptoms depending on the exact illness, and there will be a definite pathological cause.
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Note added at 8 mins (2004-05-13 11:38:08 GMT)
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Being sick can mean to vomit, but it can also mean to be unwell generally. For instance, if you\'re at home in bed with a cold, you might ring the office and say \"I\'m sick today\".
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Note added at 9 mins (2004-05-13 11:39:35 GMT)
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Feel sick can also mean to feel nauseous (like you\'re going to throw up), as others have said.
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Elena Sgarbo (X)
: Well explained :-)
15 mins
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Thanks Elena.
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| agree |
MJ Barber
38 mins
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Thanks MJ.
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Michele Johnson
: I find this the authoritative, comprehensive answer.
54 mins
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Thank you kindly, Michele.
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Melanie Nassar
: definitely, in US usage, at least. *sick* is not necessarily nauseous.
1 hr
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No, not necessarily. Thanks armaat.
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| agree |
Penelope Ausejo
1 hr
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Thanks pepis.
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| agree |
hookmv
1 hr
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Thanks Veronica.
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danya
1 hr
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Thanks Danya.
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RHELLER
: the feeling can pass momentarily; if one IS (really) sick, one must see a doctor and (usually) receive treatment :-)
1 hr
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Quite right - thanks Rita.
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| agree |
Mathew Robinson
2 hrs
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Thanks TechTrans.
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| agree |
Java Cafe
2 hrs
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Thanks Java Cafe.
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| neutral |
Refugio
: Ordinarily, you would be right about these meanings, but in the context where they are contrasted, it is clearly much more specific and should be considered a primary answer, not an afterthought.
2 hrs
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I have mentioned the vomiting one alluded to by others, if that specific meaning is indeed intended. But I am not satisfied that the context is specific enough to rule out general illness, so feel all my explanations apply currently.
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Kristina Thorne
5 hrs
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Thanks Kristina.
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| agree |
Liesbeth Huijer
19 hrs
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Thanks Liesbeth.
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| agree |
Iolanta Vlaykova Paneva
2 days 7 hrs
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Thanks Yolanta.
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
+10
4 mins
answer below
Feeling sick = having the feeling that you might be going to vomit
Being sick = actually vomitting
Being sick = actually vomitting
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Ruxi
: yes, in US. It also means not feeling well. Being sick also means having a disease.
8 mins
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| agree |
Spiros Doikas
16 mins
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| agree |
Vicky Papaprodromou
21 mins
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| agree |
Alfa Trans (X)
1 hr
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| neutral |
RHELLER
: how did vomiting come up here?
1 hr
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| agree |
Refugio
2 hrs
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| agree |
Kristina Thorne
5 hrs
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| agree |
Charlie Bavington
: oops, just seen, you had the same as Dee and nothing - well, you get an agree as well, then - all timed at 4 minutes - what's a bloke to do....:-) !!
7 hrs
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| agree |
Kim Metzger
: As an American, I associate "feeling sick" with nausea, too.
9 hrs
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| agree |
chica nueva
: sick = 1 feeling ill as if you are going to vomit eg Lucy felt sick the morning after the party.2 be sick = to vomit eg She was sick after she ate too much chocolate (Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)
22 hrs
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| agree |
ben baudoin
1 day 0 min
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+4
4 mins
Hermeneutica
Switzerland
Switzerland
Native in English
&
English
Specializes in field
Switzerland
Accurate, idiomatic value and service
Native in: Spanish , English
Works in: Dutch to English, German to English, French to English, and 16 more.
nausea/nauseous vs vomiting
That´s all there is to it ... very basic register though!
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Refugio
: Yes, they are well known euphemisms for nausea and vomiting
2 hrs
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Thanks Ruth!!!
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| neutral |
RHELLER
: a different point of view does not merit insults
3 hrs
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????
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| agree |
Kristina Thorne
5 hrs
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Thank you Kristina!
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| agree |
Charlie Bavington
: not sure whether you or nothing was first, but this is the basic distinction as I understand it (British Eng)
7 hrs
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| agree |
Orla Ryan
9 hrs
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+1
2 hrs
I think Rita is being confused by a slight difference between US and British English...
In BE, the primary meaning of "sick" is connected with nausea and vomiting - "I feel sick" = "I feel as if I'm about to vomit" (travel *sickness*, sea *sickness* etc), "The baby has just been sick" = vomited, "I'll clear up the sick" = I'll clear up the baby's vomit etc etc.
We do use the term "sick note" for a doctor's certification that you're not fit to go to work, and we "throw a sickie" = "take a day off work pretending to be ill" - but we're much more likely to say "You look ill/unwell/poorly" etc if we mean "sufering from an indisposition that doesn't involve vomiting!
So, if a BE speaker has e.g. flu, a cold, headache etc. he'd say "I don't feel well" or "I feel ill/rotten/terrible" etc - not "I feel sick"
HTH
We do use the term "sick note" for a doctor's certification that you're not fit to go to work, and we "throw a sickie" = "take a day off work pretending to be ill" - but we're much more likely to say "You look ill/unwell/poorly" etc if we mean "sufering from an indisposition that doesn't involve vomiting!
So, if a BE speaker has e.g. flu, a cold, headache etc. he'd say "I don't feel well" or "I feel ill/rotten/terrible" etc - not "I feel sick"
HTH
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
RHELLER
: thanks John. I feel that the Eng-Eng section owes non-native speakers a COMPLETE explanation; especially because little context is given. Who knows how they will be applying it?
4 mins
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| neutral |
Refugio
: That same meaning for sick is very common and completely understood by native English speakers in the United States. So the question still remains about just what it was that confused some prozers.
41 mins
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+4
4 mins
see exp
Feeling sick is when you have a sensation of nausea. Being sick is to actually vomit
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Note added at 2 hrs 16 mins (2004-05-13 13:45:50 GMT)
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I agree with Dee\'s reply to Rita. It\'s the same in England. If we were talking about headaches and heartaches, we would say \"feeling ill/being ill\", although we \"phone sick\" when we cannot go to work because of illness and are \"off sick\" if we are not at work for that reason
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Note added at 2 hrs 55 mins (2004-05-13 14:24:51 GMT)
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I was thinking that you should check where the drug was made but, it just came to my mind that there are not cure-alls, so your medicine must be an emetic
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Note added at 2 hrs 55 mins (2004-05-13 14:25:14 GMT)
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sorry an anti-emetic
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Note added at 2 hrs 16 mins (2004-05-13 13:45:50 GMT)
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I agree with Dee\'s reply to Rita. It\'s the same in England. If we were talking about headaches and heartaches, we would say \"feeling ill/being ill\", although we \"phone sick\" when we cannot go to work because of illness and are \"off sick\" if we are not at work for that reason
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Note added at 2 hrs 55 mins (2004-05-13 14:24:51 GMT)
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I was thinking that you should check where the drug was made but, it just came to my mind that there are not cure-alls, so your medicine must be an emetic
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Note added at 2 hrs 55 mins (2004-05-13 14:25:14 GMT)
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sorry an anti-emetic
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
IrinaGM
14 mins
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Thank you, Irina
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| neutral |
RHELLER
: I am at a loss as to why sick is being equated to nausea here
1 hr
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| neutral |
Java Cafe
: Perhaps because of the euphemistic use of "air sickness bags". :-)
2 hrs
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I think it probably started a lot earlier than that, more likely to come from sea sickness
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| agree |
Hermeneutica
: Thanks for the agree! I think Rita may not be very familiar with the kind of statements generally found in drug inserts.
2 hrs
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Cheers, Dee
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| agree |
Refugio
5 hrs
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| agree |
Charlie Bavington
: not sure if you or Dee was first, but from my Brit Eng understanding, this is the simple difference between them.
7 hrs
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+1
2 hrs
agreed with Rowan
WEBSTER'S
sick: a)affected with disease; not well or healthy; ill, ailing, indisposed;
b)affected with or attended by nausea
I am adding this because I feel it is the obligation of native speakers to give a complete explanation, rather than just part of an explanation
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Note added at 3 hrs 4 mins (2004-05-13 14:34:03 GMT)
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In the U.S. we use the expression \"feel sick\" when we have not yet been diagnosed with something specific. If we knew we had the flu, for example, we could say \"I am sick\".
I feel ill
I am not feeling well today
If someone were suddenly overcome by palpitations and a general sense of fatigue, they could say \"I feel sick\". This has NOTHING to do with nausea.
sick: a)affected with disease; not well or healthy; ill, ailing, indisposed;
b)affected with or attended by nausea
I am adding this because I feel it is the obligation of native speakers to give a complete explanation, rather than just part of an explanation
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Note added at 3 hrs 4 mins (2004-05-13 14:34:03 GMT)
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In the U.S. we use the expression \"feel sick\" when we have not yet been diagnosed with something specific. If we knew we had the flu, for example, we could say \"I am sick\".
I feel ill
I am not feeling well today
If someone were suddenly overcome by palpitations and a general sense of fatigue, they could say \"I feel sick\". This has NOTHING to do with nausea.
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
Refugio
: Precision in usage, and discernment in the use of the vernacular, are the obligation of native speakers, not a shotgun blitz of all possible answers including those extraneous to the specific context.
48 mins
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what context? that this is a medicinal product? for which purpose?
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| agree |
Ann Nosova
: I am not a native speaker but i read in many books- to feel sick in the stomach(to feel nausea)
14 hrs
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+1
7 hrs
Feeling sick = you are feeling sick (subjective), being sick = (you are actually sick)
The first describes you "feel" sick, but may be nothing wrong with you. Whereas the latter you are actually "being" sick and so diagnosed by a medical professional (doctor).
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Note added at 2004-05-13 19:09:32 (GMT)
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The difference is that the first is \"subjective\" and may not be proved (or no known cause for it), as opposed to the latter \"objective\" and so proved. If I was his/her doctor, I just send home without treatment or prescribing any drug (or might give a placebo -- if permissible). Whereas if he/she \"being sick\" I must give all necessary treatments, including prescription of medications.
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Note added at 2004-05-13 19:16:37 (GMT)
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Whether it is American English or British, I do not think \"sick\"ness is restricted to nausea. Its contexual spectrum is broader than that. However I agree with Rita, more context must be given before we can determine if the issue is about nausea alone.
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Note added at 2004-05-13 19:09:32 (GMT)
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The difference is that the first is \"subjective\" and may not be proved (or no known cause for it), as opposed to the latter \"objective\" and so proved. If I was his/her doctor, I just send home without treatment or prescribing any drug (or might give a placebo -- if permissible). Whereas if he/she \"being sick\" I must give all necessary treatments, including prescription of medications.
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Note added at 2004-05-13 19:16:37 (GMT)
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Whether it is American English or British, I do not think \"sick\"ness is restricted to nausea. Its contexual spectrum is broader than that. However I agree with Rita, more context must be given before we can determine if the issue is about nausea alone.
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
Charlie Bavington
: interesting answer - however in the context of a medical leaflet, I suspect the difference is, as others have explained, between a feeling of nausea and actually physically chucking up :-)
11 mins
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Thanks Charlie, read on.
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| agree |
Rowan Morrell
: With your added notes in particular.
6 hrs
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22 hrs
chica nueva
Native in English
&
English
http://youtube/iraVWQu3Zf8
Native in: English (Variants: British, New Zealand)
Works in: Chinese to English
2 meanings of sick = 1 ill (adj?) 2 vomit (verb?). In this case, it is 2.
1 sick (ill) = physically or mentally ill; not well or healthy eg He's off/away sick today. On sick leave. a sick child
2 sick (vomit) = 1 feeling ill as if you are going to vomit eg Lucy felt sick. 2 be sick = to vomit eg She was sick after she ate too much chocolate.
If you are feeling unwell, not 100%, then you say 'I'm not feeling very well/I don't feel too good'. If you are feeling queasy and nauseous, then you say 'I feel sick/I feel like throwing up/I think I'm going to be sick'...
2 sick (vomit) = 1 feeling ill as if you are going to vomit eg Lucy felt sick. 2 be sick = to vomit eg She was sick after she ate too much chocolate.
If you are feeling unwell, not 100%, then you say 'I'm not feeling very well/I don't feel too good'. If you are feeling queasy and nauseous, then you say 'I feel sick/I feel like throwing up/I think I'm going to be sick'...
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