A2 Expressions & Patterns 1 min read سهل

Describing Symptoms

وضع علامة كمكتسب
Practice it

Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

Use 'Saya + [symptom]' or 'Saya merasa + [adjective]' to describe how you feel, keeping it simple and direct.

  • Use 'sakit' for general pain: 'Saya sakit kepala' (I have a headache).
  • Use 'merasa' for feelings: 'Saya merasa pusing' (I feel dizzy).
  • Use 'kena' for catching an illness: 'Saya kena flu' (I caught the flu).
Subject + (merasa) + Symptom/Body Part

Meanings

This pattern is used to communicate physical discomfort or illness to others, essential for medical or social situations.

1

Body Part Pain

Describing pain in a specific area.

“Saya sakit gigi.”

“Saya sakit punggung.”

2

General Feeling

Describing a state of being.

“Saya merasa lemas.”

“Saya merasa mual.”

3

Contracting Illness

Describing an external sickness.

“Saya kena flu.”

“Saya kena demam.”

Health Expression Patterns

Pattern Structure Example Meaning
Localized Pain Subject + sakit + Body Part Saya sakit gigi I have a toothache
General Feeling Subject + merasa + Adjective Saya merasa pusing I feel dizzy
Catching Illness Subject + kena + Illness Saya kena flu I have the flu
Negation Subject + tidak + Verb/Adj Saya tidak sakit I am not sick
Question Apakah + Subject + sakit? Apakah kamu sakit? Are you sick?
Intensity Subject + merasa + sangat + Adj Saya merasa sangat lemas I feel very weak

Common Shortened Forms

Full Form Short Form Usage
Saya merasa tidak enak badan Saya nggak enak badan Casual
Saya sakit kepala Sakit kepala Very casual

Reference Table

Reference table for Describing Symptoms
Form Structure Example
Affirmative Saya + sakit + [part] Saya sakit perut
Negative Saya + tidak + sakit Saya tidak sakit
Question Apakah + kamu + sakit? Apakah kamu sakit?
Feeling Saya + merasa + [adj] Saya merasa pusing
Catching Saya + kena + [illness] Saya kena flu
Intensity Saya + merasa + sangat + [adj] Saya merasa sangat lemas

طيف الرسمية

رسمي
Saya mengalami sakit kepala.

Saya mengalami sakit kepala. (Health)

محايد
Saya sakit kepala.

Saya sakit kepala. (Health)

غير رسمي
Kepala saya sakit.

Kepala saya sakit. (Health)

عامية
Pusing nih.

Pusing nih. (Health)

Health Vocabulary Map

Sakit

Body Parts

  • kepala head
  • perut stomach

Feelings

  • pusing dizzy
  • lemas weak
Sign up free to read full explanation

Examples by Level

1

Saya sakit.

I am sick.

2

Saya sakit gigi.

I have a toothache.

3

Saya sakit perut.

I have a stomachache.

4

Apakah kamu sakit?

Are you sick?

1

Saya merasa pusing.

I feel dizzy.

2

Saya tidak sakit.

I am not sick.

3

Saya merasa lemas.

I feel weak.

4

Saya kena flu.

I have the flu.

1

Kepala saya terasa nyeri.

My head feels painful.

2

Saya mengalami gejala flu.

I am experiencing flu symptoms.

3

Badan saya pegal-pegal.

My body is aching.

4

Saya merasa mual sejak pagi.

I have felt nauseous since morning.

1

Nyeri ini terasa menusuk.

This pain feels sharp.

2

Saya butuh istirahat karena kondisi kesehatan saya menurun.

I need rest because my health condition is declining.

3

Apakah ada obat untuk meredakan nyeri ini?

Is there medicine to relieve this pain?

4

Saya merasa tidak enak badan secara keseluruhan.

I feel generally unwell.

1

Rasa nyeri di punggung saya sangat mengganggu aktivitas.

The pain in my back is very disruptive to my activities.

2

Saya mengalami kelelahan kronis.

I am experiencing chronic fatigue.

3

Gejala yang saya alami cukup spesifik.

The symptoms I am experiencing are quite specific.

4

Saya perlu berkonsultasi dengan dokter spesialis.

I need to consult with a specialist.

1

Kondisi ini membuat saya merasa kurang fit untuk bekerja.

This condition makes me feel less than fit to work.

2

Saya merasa ada yang tidak beres dengan kesehatan saya.

I feel like something is not right with my health.

3

Gejala-gejala ini mengindikasikan adanya peradangan.

These symptoms indicate inflammation.

4

Saya merasa sangat tidak nyaman dengan kondisi ini.

I feel very uncomfortable with this condition.

Easily Confused

Describing Symptoms مقابل Sakit vs Nyeri

Both mean pain, but one is general and one is specific.

Describing Symptoms مقابل Merasa vs Sakit

Both describe health, but one is a feeling and one is a state.

Describing Symptoms مقابل Kena vs Sakit

Both describe illness.

أخطاء شائعة

✗

Saya pusing sakit

✓

Saya merasa pusing

Pusing is a feeling, not a body part.
✗

Sakit saya kepala

✓

Saya sakit kepala

Subject must come first.
✗

Saya kena sakit

✓

Saya sakit

Kena is for specific illnesses like flu.
✗

Saya nyeri kepala

✓

Saya sakit kepala

Nyeri is too formal/specific for a common headache.
✗

Saya merasa sakit kepala

✓

Saya sakit kepala

Sakit kepala is a state, not a feeling.
✗

Saya kena pusing

✓

Saya merasa pusing

Kena is for external illnesses.
✗

Saya sakit merasa

✓

Saya merasa sakit

Word order.
✗

Saya nyeri flu

✓

Saya kena flu

Nyeri is for pain, not illness.
✗

Saya merasa sakit gigi

✓

Saya sakit gigi

Sakit gigi is a specific condition.
✗

Saya kena nyeri

✓

Saya merasa nyeri

Nyeri is a feeling/state.
✗

Saya sakit secara kronis

✓

Saya menderita penyakit kronis

Sakit is too simple for chronic conditions.
✗

Saya merasa nyeri yang sakit

✓

Saya merasa nyeri yang tajam

Redundant.
✗

Saya kena kondisi medis

✓

Saya memiliki kondisi medis

Kena is for illnesses, not medical conditions.
✗

Saya sakit pada bagian perut

✓

Saya sakit perut

Too wordy.

Sentence Patterns

Saya ___ ___.

Saya merasa ___.

Saya kena ___.

Apakah kamu merasa ___?

Real World Usage

Doctor's office constant

Dokter, saya sakit perut.

Texting a friend very common

Aku sakit nih.

Work email common

Saya merasa tidak enak badan.

Pharmacy common

Saya sakit tenggorokan.

Social media common

Lagi kena flu.

Travel occasional

Saya merasa pusing.

Sign up free to see all examples
💡

Be direct

Indonesians appreciate directness when describing health. Don't over-explain.
⚠️

Avoid 'sakit' for feelings

Always use 'merasa' for dizziness or nausea.
🎯

Use 'masuk angin'

It's a great way to describe general malaise.
💬

Politeness

Always add 'maaf' (sorry) when telling someone you are sick.

Smart Tips

Always specify the body part after 'sakit'.

Saya sakit. → Saya sakit kepala.

Use 'merasa' instead of 'sakit'.

Saya sakit pusing. → Saya merasa pusing.

Use 'kena' for illnesses.

Saya sakit flu. → Saya kena flu.

Add 'maaf' before saying you are sick.

Saya sakit. → Maaf, saya sakit.

النطق

/ˈsa.kɪt/

Sakit

Pronounced sa-kit, stress on the first syllable.

Question

Kamu sakit? ↑

Rising intonation at the end indicates a question.

Memorize It

Mnemonic

Sakit is for the body, Merasa is for the mind/feeling.

Visual Association

Imagine a person holding their head (sakit kepala) and then feeling their forehead (merasa pusing).

Rhyme

Sakit gigi, sakit perut, jangan lupa minum obat biar tidak kalut.

Story

Budi woke up. His head hurt (sakit kepala). He felt dizzy (merasa pusing). He realized he caught the flu (kena flu).

Word Web

sakitmerasakenapusinglemasfludemamnyeri

تحدٍّ

Write down 3 symptoms you have felt recently using the patterns.

ملاحظات ثقافية

Indonesians often use 'masuk angin' (literally 'entered by wind') to describe a general feeling of being unwell, which is a very common cultural concept.

Sakit is an Austronesian root word meaning pain or illness.

Conversation Starters

“

Kamu kenapa?

“

Bagaimana perasaanmu hari ini?

“

Apakah kamu sering sakit kepala?

“

Apa gejala yang kamu rasakan?

Journal Prompts

Write about a time you were sick.
Describe how you feel when you have the flu.
Explain the difference between feeling tired and feeling sick.
Discuss the importance of health in your daily life.
Sign up free to see all tips

Test Yourself

Fill in the blank.

Saya sakit ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: kepala
Sakit needs a body part.
Choose the correct sentence. اختيار متعدد

Which is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Saya sakit kepala
Sakit kepala is the standard term.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Saya sakit pusing.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Saya merasa pusing
Pusing is a feeling.
Make it negative. Sentence Transformation

Saya sakit.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Saya tidak sakit
Use tidak for negation.
Match the symptom to the pattern. Match Pairs

Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: 1. Kena, 2. Sakit
Kena for illness, sakit for body parts.
What is the best way to say you have a toothache? اختيار متعدد

Toothache?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Saya sakit gigi
Sakit gigi is the standard term.
Fill in the blank.

Saya ___ flu.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: kena
Kena is for catching an illness.
Order the words. Sentence Building

merasa / pusing / saya

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Saya merasa pusing
Subject + verb + feeling.

Score: /8

تمارين تطبيقية

8 exercises
Fill in the blank.

Saya sakit ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: kepala
Sakit needs a body part.
Choose the correct sentence. اختيار متعدد

Which is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Saya sakit kepala
Sakit kepala is the standard term.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Saya sakit pusing.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Saya merasa pusing
Pusing is a feeling.
Make it negative. Sentence Transformation

Saya sakit.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Saya tidak sakit
Use tidak for negation.
Match the symptom to the pattern. Match Pairs

Match: 1. Flu, 2. Kepala

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: 1. Kena, 2. Sakit
Kena for illness, sakit for body parts.
What is the best way to say you have a toothache? اختيار متعدد

Toothache?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Saya sakit gigi
Sakit gigi is the standard term.
Fill in the blank.

Saya ___ flu.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: kena
Kena is for catching an illness.
Order the words. Sentence Building

merasa / pusing / saya

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Saya merasa pusing
Subject + verb + feeling.

Score: /8

الأسئلة الشائعة (8)

No, 'sakit' is for body parts. Use 'merasa' for feelings.

It's a cultural term for feeling generally unwell.

No, 'nyeri' is more specific and sharp.

You can say 'Saya demam' or 'Saya kena demam'.

No, but adding 'maaf' is polite.

No, 'kena' is for external illnesses.

Ask 'Kamu kenapa?' or 'Kamu sakit?'

'Lemas' is weak, 'pusing' is dizzy.

Sign up free to practice

In Other Languages

Spanish moderate

Tener dolor de...

Indonesian doesn't use a verb like 'tener'.

French moderate

J'ai mal à...

French requires prepositions.

German moderate

Ich habe Schmerzen in...

German is more noun-focused.

Japanese low

Watashi wa ... ga itai desu.

Japanese uses particles.

Arabic low

Ana ash'uru bi-alam fi...

Arabic is more formal.

Chinese high

Wo ... teng.

Chinese is even more concise.

Previous
Medical Vocabulary
Next
Expressing Physical States

Related Grammar Rules

A0

Basic Greetings (Salam)
A0

Polite Introductions
A0

Identifying Objects
A0

Survival Phrases
A0

Asking for Help
Was this helpful?

التعليقات (0)

تسجيل الدخول للتعليق
لا توجد تعليقات بعد. كن أول من يشارك أفكاره!