Skip to content
Mythic Mandarin

I don't feel well

HSK 1 Unit 8: Weather, health and celebrations · Lesson 2 of 7 · About 15 minutes

Preview version — Chinese review in progress.

Your mission: By the end of this lesson, you can say you feel unwell or tired, ask how someone is, and understand advice to rest or see a doctor.

Warm-up: do you remember?

Two quick questions from earlier lessons. Recalling before you learn makes the new material stick.

  1. Meaning

    What does 下雪 mean?

    1. to listen
    2. to ask
    3. to snow
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, to snow.

    下雪 (xiàxuě) means to snow.

  2. Characters

    Which word means “weather”?

    1. 天气
    2. 电影
    3. 飞机
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, 天气.

    “weather” is 天气 (tiānqì).

  3. Listening

    From an earlier unit. Listen. What does the word mean?

    Cannot listen? Read it instead

    空 kòng

    1. to live (somewhere), to stay
    2. free time
    3. airport
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, free time.

    You heard 空 (kòng): free time.

New words

  • 身体shēntǐbody, health
  • 舒服shūfucomfortable, well
  • 生病shēngbìngto get ill
  • 药yàomedicine

Feeling unwell

不舒服 (bù shūfu) is the everyday way to say you don't feel well. 身体 is your body or your health.

  • 我今天不太舒服。

    Wǒ jīntiān bú tài shūfu.

    I don't feel very well today.

  • 你身体怎么样？

    Nǐ shēntǐ zěnmeyàng?

    How's your health?

  • 她生病了，在家休息。

    Tā shēngbìng le, zài jiā xiūxi.

    She's ill and resting at home.

Advice

Advice is often a plain sentence: 你休息, rest. 吃药 is to take medicine; 看医生 is to see a doctor.

  • 你去医院看医生。

    Nǐ qù yīyuàn kàn yīshēng.

    Go to the hospital and see a doctor.

  • 你吃药，多休息。

    Nǐ chī yào, duō xiūxi.

    Take your medicine and rest a lot.

  • Not: 我是不舒服。

    But: 我不舒服。 Wǒ bù shūfu.

    No 是 before an adjective.

Characters

Open a character to see how it is written, stroke by stroke, with its meanings and words.

I'm not well

Li Ming speaks to Teacher Wang before class.

Listen first

Play the whole conversation and answer the questions before you open the transcript.

  1. Listening

    Listen first. How does Li Ming feel?

    1. busy with work
    2. unwell and tired
    3. happy and well rested
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, unwell and tired.

    李明 says 我今天不太舒服 and 我很累.

  2. Listening

    What does Teacher Wang tell him to do?

    1. come to class this afternoon
    2. buy medicine and come to class
    3. see a doctor and rest
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, see a doctor and rest.

    你去医院看医生。今天你休息.

Show the transcript
Pinyin
Translation

  1. 李明

    王老师Wáng lǎoshī，我wǒ今天jīntiān不bú太tài舒服shūfu。

    Teacher Wang, I don't feel very well today.

  2. 王老师

    你Nǐ身体shēntǐ怎么样zěnmeyàng？

    How are you feeling?

  3. 李明

    我Wǒ很hěn累lèi，不bù想xiǎng吃饭chīfàn。

    I'm very tired and I don't want to eat.

  4. 王老师

    你Nǐ去qù医院yīyuàn看kàn医生yīshēng。今天Jīntiān你nǐ休息xiūxi，明天míngtiān再zài来lái上课shàngkè。

    Go to the hospital and see a doctor. Rest today and come back to class tomorrow.

  5. 李明

    好Hǎo。谢谢Xièxie王老师Wáng lǎoshī！

    OK. Thank you, Teacher Wang!

Speak: listen, record, compare

Listen to each model, record yourself, then play both and compare: the rhythm, the tones, the vowels. No automatic score: your ear is the judge.

  • 你身体怎么样？

    Nǐ shēntǐ zěnmeyàng?

    How are you feeling?

  • 王老师，我今天不太舒服。

    Wáng lǎoshī, wǒ jīntiān bú tài shūfu.

    Teacher Wang, I don't feel very well today.

  • 好。谢谢王老师！

    Hǎo. Xièxie Wáng lǎoshī!

    OK. Thank you, Teacher Wang!

Practice

  1. Meaning

    What does 身体 mean?

    1. body, health
    2. grandpa (father's father)
    3. English (language)
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, body, health.

    身体 (shēntǐ) means body, health.

  2. Characters

    Which word means “comfortable, well”?

    1. 生病
    2. 舒服
    3. 游泳
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, 舒服.

    “comfortable, well” is 舒服 (shūfu).

  3. Pinyin

    How do you read 生病 (to get ill)?

    1. shēngbǐng
    2. shēngbìng
    3. shéngbìng
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, shēngbìng.

    生病 is read shēngbìng. Check the tone mark on every syllable.

  4. Listening

    Listen. What does the word mean?

    Cannot listen? Read it instead

    药 yào

    1. medicine
    2. please
    3. hundred
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, medicine.

    You heard 药 (yào): medicine.

  5. Pinyin

    Type the pinyin of 身体 (body, health). Tone marks or tone numbers are welcome.

    Show the answer

    Answer: shēntǐ

    身体 is shēntǐ in pinyin.

  6. Grammar

    Which sentence means I don't feel well?

    1. 我不舒服。
    2. 我是不舒服。
    3. 我舒服不。
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, 我不舒服。.

    我不舒服。 不 before the adjective, no 是.

  7. In context

    A friend says 我不舒服。 What advice do you give?

    1. 我们去打球。
    2. 你喝咖啡。
    3. 你去看医生。
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, 你去看医生。.

    你去看医生。: 你去看医生: go and see a doctor.

  8. Fill the gap

    Complete: Take your medicine and rest.

    你吃＿＿，多休息。

    1. 药
    2. 饭
    3. 菜
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, 药.

    你吃药，多休息。 吃药 is to take medicine.

  9. Your turn

    Type the Chinese for I don't feel well

    Show the answer

    Answer: 我不舒服

    我不舒服: I don't feel well.

At the doctor's

Act out a short visit to the doctor out loud, playing both parts.

  1. As the patient: say how you feel.
  2. As the doctor: ask 你身体怎么样？ and give advice.

Sentence frames

  • 我今天不太舒服，我很＿＿。

    Wǒ jīntiān bú tài shūfu, wǒ hěn ＿＿.

    I don't feel very well today, I'm very ...

Record your attempt (three and a half minutes at most) and listen back:

Review and finish

Can you do this? If a line feels shaky, go back to that part before you move on.

  • I can say 我不舒服 and 我很累.
  • I understand advice with 休息, 吃药 and 看医生.

Review works best spaced out: answer these exercises again tomorrow, then after a few days. Your progress is saved in this browser.

Completing records that you finished the lesson. Mastery is separate: it grows as reviews bring the exercises back and you answer them correctly.

Next lesson: Birthdays and years