Здоро́вье и самочу́вствие
Chapter Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Name common body parts, symptoms, and expressions of well-being.
- Use the dative experiencer pattern to say how someone feels, physically and emotionally.
- Use мне нужно, мне можно, and мне нельзя to express need, permission, and prohibition.
- Use the dative case to say who receives an action, a call, a piece of advice, or a gift.
- Offer softened advice using patterns such as вам лучше and вам стоит.
- Describe a simple visit to a pharmacy or a doctor's appointment.
- Connect a plan from Chapter 12 to a change caused by how someone feels.
This chapter continues Unit III and introduces new grammar. It also continues to recycle leisure, weather, and planning vocabulary from Chapter 12, along with earlier material on daily routine and preferences.
Communication Scenario
Anna and Sergéy had a plan to meet in the park, but Sergéy wakes up on Saturday feeling unwell. He needs to explain how he feels, decide whether he can still meet Anna, and figure out what he needs to do about it, perhaps a trip to the pharmacy, perhaps a call to a doctor.
- You will learn the language needed to talk about how someone feels, physically and emotionally.
- You will practice saying what someone needs, may, or may not do.
- You will practice giving and softening advice, and connecting a change in plans to how someone feels.
Core Vocabulary
The words below support the chapter's central function, discussing health and well-being. Vocabulary from Chapters 1 through 12 remains fully productive.
| Russian | English |
|---|---|
| голова́, го́рло, живо́т | head, throat, stomach |
| рука́, нога́, спина́ | arm/hand, leg/foot, back |
| зуб, у́хо, глаз | tooth, ear, eye |
| Russian | English |
|---|---|
| боле́ть, температу́ра, ка́шель | to hurt/be sick, temperature/fever, cough |
| уста́лый, здоро́вый, больно́й | tired, healthy, sick |
| пло́хо, хорошо́ себя́ чу́вствовать | to feel bad, to feel well |
| Russian | English |
|---|---|
| апте́ка, лека́рство, врач | pharmacy, medicine, doctor |
| запи́сь, приём, реце́пт | appointment, appointment/office visit, prescription |
| отдыха́ть, лежа́ть, вы́здороветь | to rest, to lie down, to get better/recover |
Every dative experiencer and softened advice pattern introduced in this chapter appears again in the Grammar and Sentence Patterns section with its relevant forms.
Pronunciation Focus
No new pronunciation system is introduced in this chapter. Two patterns deserve special attention here, because this chapter uses the dative case so often.
- The dative pronouns мне, тебе́, and вам are short and unstressed in normal speech when they open a sentence, as in мне пло́хо, but the stressed content word that follows still carries the main pitch movement.
- Continue reducing unstressed о and а, as in голова́ and больно́й.
Grammar and Sentence Patterns
Dative Experiencer New
Use the dative case of the person, with no verb needed, plus a short adverb or a body part construction, to describe how someone feels, physically or emotionally.
- Серге́ю пло́хо сего́дня.Sergéy feels bad today.dative experiencer, third-person dative noun
- У меня́ боли́т го́рло.My throat hurts.у + genitive experiencer, боле́ть with body part as subject
- Как ты себя́ чу́вствуешь?How do you feel?чу́вствовать себя́, reflexive verb of feeling, recycled from Chapter 7
Боле́ть, to hurt, agrees with the body part that hurts, not with the person: голова́ боли́т, the head hurts; но́ги боля́т, the legs hurt. The person who feels the pain appears with у plus the genitive, as already familiar from Chapter 4.
мне ну́жно, мо́жно, нельзя́ New
Use мне ну́жно plus an infinitive to say what someone needs to do. Use мо́жно and нельзя́ to say what is allowed or not allowed, with or without a dative person.
- Мне ну́жно пойти́ в апте́ку.I need to go to the pharmacy.мне ну́жно + infinitive, need
- Мо́жно откры́ть окно́?May I open the window?мо́жно + infinitive, permission, no dative person stated
- Вам нельзя́ рабо́тать с высо́кой температу́рой.You should not work with a high fever.вам нельзя́ + infinitive, prohibition, formal/plural вам
The Dative Recipient New
Use the dative case to say who receives an action, such as a phone call, a piece of advice, a gift, or an explanation.
- Я звоню́ врачу́.I am calling the doctor.dative recipient, звони́ть + dative
- Врач даёт мне реце́пт.The doctor gives me a prescription.dative recipient, дава́ть + dative
- Она́ говори́т мне, что ну́жно де́лать.She tells me what I need to do.dative recipient, говори́ть + dative
You now know the dative case in two connected functions, the experiencer who feels something and the recipient who receives something. In both functions, the dative answers the question кому́, to whom or for whom, and the case ending on the noun works the same way in both.
Softened Advice New
Use вам лу́чше or вам сто́ит plus an infinitive to offer advice more gently than a direct command or a flat statement of necessity.
- Вам лу́чше пойти́ к врачу́.You had better go to the doctor.dative + лу́чше + infinitive, softened advice
- Тебе́ сто́ит отдохну́ть сего́дня.It is worth it for you to rest today.dative + сто́ит + infinitive, softened advice
Compare тебе́ ну́жно отдыха́ть, a statement of need, with тебе́ сто́ит отдохну́ть, softer advice that leaves more room for the listener's own decision. This chapter activates ну́жно, мо́жно, нельзя́, лу́чше, and сто́ит as productive dative-based predicates; a fuller conditional and comparative system is not active until later in the volume.
Model Dialogue: Что у тебя́ боли́т?
Context: Anna calls Sergéy on Saturday morning after he does not arrive at the park.
Notice how the dialogue moves between the dative experiencer, мне пло́хо and у меня́ боли́т, the dative-based predicates, ну́жно, мо́жно, and нельзя́, and softened advice, тебе́ лу́чше, all within a natural conversation about feeling unwell.
Listening Practice
If no audio recording is available, ask a partner, instructor, or text to speech tool to read the passage below aloud, or read it aloud to yourself slowly.
- What two symptoms does Sergéy mention?
- What does Anna suggest he do if the fever is high?
- What is Sergéy not allowed to do today?
Speaking Practice
Управля́емая пра́ктика — Controlled practice: symptoms and dative experiencer
With a partner, take turns naming a body part and producing a sentence with боле́ть, such as у меня́ боли́т рука́, and a sentence with the dative experiencer, such as мне пло́хо or мне уста́ло.
Коммуникати́вное зада́ние — Communicative task: giving advice
With a partner, one person describes how they feel today, and the other person responds with at least one мне ну́жно, мо́жно, or нельзя́ sentence, plus one softened advice sentence using лу́чше or сто́ит.
Самостоя́тельная пра́ктика — Solo alternative
Record yourself describing how you feel today, including at least one dative experiencer sentence, one мне ну́жно/мо́жно/нельзя́ sentence, and one piece of softened advice you would give a friend who feels the same way.
Reading Practice
Запи́ска для колле́ги — A note for a colleague
Приве́т! Извини́, что не бу́ду сего́дня на рабо́те. Мне о́чень пло́хо, у меня́ боли́т голова́ и, ка́жется, есть температу́ра. Вчера́ ве́чером я до́лго гуля́л под дождём, и, наве́рное, поэ́тому сего́дня мне так пло́хо. Врач говори́т мне, что нельзя́ рабо́тать с высо́кой температу́рой, и что мне ну́жно то́лько лежа́ть до́ма и отдыха́ть. Он даёт мне реце́пт, и я пойду́ в апте́ку по́сле обе́да. Мне сто́ит верну́ться на рабо́ту то́лько тогда́, когда́ мне бу́дет лу́чше, наве́рное, в понеде́льник и́ли во вто́рник. Спаси́бо за понима́ние.
Зада́ние по чте́нию — Reading task:
- Why does the writer think they feel unwell today?
- What does the doctor say the writer needs to do, and what is not allowed?
- When does the writer plan to return to work?
Writing Workshop
Complete the following linked writing tasks in order. This workshop applies the new grammar from this chapter, the dative experiencer, мне ну́жно/мо́жно/нельзя́, the dative recipient, and softened advice.
Зада́ние 1 — Complete the sentence: Choose the correct form to complete each sentence.
Зада́ние 2 — A note about feeling unwell: Write eight to ten sentences describing how you feel today and what you plan to do about it, including at least one dative experiencer sentence, one мне ну́жно/мо́жно/нельзя́ sentence, one dative recipient sentence, and one piece of softened advice.
- Review the Core Vocabulary tables above. Confirm the meaning of any body part, symptom, or pharmacy word you intend to use.
- Decide how you feel and what caused it. Choose one or two symptoms and, if useful, a simple reason.
- Draft your description. Include at least one dative experiencer sentence, one мне ну́жно/мо́жно/нельзя́ sentence, one dative recipient sentence, and one softened advice sentence.
- Read your description aloud once. Listen for the reduced dative pronouns мне, тебе́, and вам.
- Check each system against the Grammar and Sentence Patterns section. Confirm that боле́ть agrees with the body part, not with the person.
Спи́сок прове́рки — Editing checklist:
- The dative experiencer is used correctly to describe how someone feels.
- Мне ну́жно, мо́жно, or нельзя́ is used correctly with a dative person and an infinitive.
- The dative recipient is used correctly to show who receives an action.
- At least one softened advice pattern, лу́чше or сто́ит, is used correctly.
- Vocabulary and grammar from Chapters 1 through 12 are used correctly where they appear.
Culture and Communication
In many Russian-speaking communities, a trip to the pharmacy is often the first response to minor symptoms, with pharmacists able to give some guidance before a formal doctor's visit, but pharmacy practices, prescription requirements, and appointment systems vary by country, region, and healthcare system. Treat the вра́ч and апте́ка expressions in this chapter as a useful starting point, not a description of every healthcare system.
How directly people offer health advice can vary by relationship, age, and setting. A close friend may use тебе́ ну́жно quite directly, while advice to a stranger, a colleague, or an older person often leans on softer patterns such as вам, наве́рное, сто́ит. Adjust your directness to the relationship, not only to the grammar.
Common Mistakes
Error: Saying Я боли́т голова́ instead of У меня́ боли́т голова́.
Correction: Боле́ть agrees with the body part, голова́ боли́т, the head hurts, not with the person who feels it. The person appears with у plus the genitive: у меня́ боли́т голова́, not я боли́т голова́.
Error: Saying Я ну́жно отдыха́ть instead of Мне ну́жно отдыха́ть.
Correction: Ну́жно, мо́жно, and нельзя́ take a dative person, not a nominative subject: мне ну́жно, not я ну́жно, just as with мне хо́лодно and мне жа́рко.
Error: Using нельзя́ for every kind of refusal or disagreement, including personal opinions.
Correction: Нельзя́ specifically expresses that something is not allowed or not advisable, usually for a practical or health-related reason: тебе́ нельзя́ рабо́тать с высо́кой температу́рой. For a personal opinion or a simple disagreement, use other expressions instead.
Chapter Review
Dative experiencer
Describes how someone feels, physically or emotionally, with the person in the dative case.
мне ну́жно/мо́жно/нельзя́
Expresses need, permission, and prohibition with a dative person and an infinitive.
Dative recipient
Shows who receives an action, such as a call, a gift, or a piece of advice.
Softened advice
Offers gentler suggestions with вам лу́чше and вам сто́ит plus an infinitive.
Часть A — Понима́ние (Comprehension)
1. Return to the Model Dialogue, and answer these short questions.
- What two symptoms does Sergéy describe to Anna?
- What does Anna tell Sergéy he needs to do, and what does she say he must not do?
Часть B — Пи́сьменная речь (Writing)
1. Write three sentences describing how you feel today, using the dative experiencer for at least one of them and мне ну́жно/мо́жно/нельзя́ for at least one of them.
2. Write one sentence of softened advice you would give a friend who feels unwell.
Часть C — Чте́ние (Reading)
1. Return to the note about feeling unwell, and list, in order, what the writer says they need to do, may do, and must not do.
Часть D — Говоре́ние (Speaking)
1. With a partner, describe how you feel today, and have your partner respond with at least one мне ну́жно/мо́жно/нельзя́ sentence and one softened piece of advice.
Practical Performance Task
Chapter 13 Practical Task
Что у тебя́ боли́т: What Hurts
Complete the following connected tasks, in order, applying the new grammar from this chapter along with recycled material from Chapters 1 through 12.
- Read the Model Dialogue and the reading passage about the colleague's note. Answer the comprehension questions above before continuing.
- Describe how you feel today. Use at least one dative experiencer expression from the Core Vocabulary.
- Say what you need to do about it. Use мне ну́жно plus an infinitive.
- Say what you may or may not do today. Use мо́жно or нельзя́.
- Say who you would call or talk to about how you feel. Use the dative recipient.
- Give a partner one piece of softened advice about how they feel. Use лу́чше or сто́ит.
- Write your eight to ten sentence note from the Writing Workshop. Apply the editing checklist.
| Criterion | What is assessed |
|---|---|
| Dative experiencer accuracy | The learner uses the dative case correctly to describe how someone feels. |
| мне ну́жно/мо́жно/нельзя́ accuracy | The learner uses these dative-based predicates correctly with an infinitive. |
| Dative recipient accuracy | The learner uses the dative case correctly to show who receives an action. |
| Softened advice accuracy | The learner uses лу́чше or сто́ит correctly to offer gentle advice. |
| Health and well-being vocabulary | The learner uses body-part, symptom, and pharmacy vocabulary accurately and appropriately. |
| Connected performance | The learner moves smoothly between describing symptoms, stating needs, and offering advice within one coherent exchange. |
This task builds on the systems activated in this chapter. Only material from Chapters 1 through 13 is required.
Answer Key
Listening — Comprehension
- Sergéy mentions a headache and a sore throat.
- Anna suggests that Sergéy call the doctor if the fever is high.
- Sergéy is not allowed to play soccer or walk in the park today; he only needs to lie at home and rest.
Model Dialogue — Comprehension
- Sergéy describes a headache and a sore throat, and mentions that he seems to have a fever.
- Anna tells Sergéy he needs to go to the pharmacy and buy medicine, and that he had better call the doctor if the fever is high; she also says he must not think about plans today.
Writing
- 1. Мне. 2. боли́т. 3. ну́жно. 4. нельзя́. 5. лу́чше.
- Sample answer: Сего́дня мне не о́чень хорошо́. У меня́ боли́т голова́ и, ка́жется, есть температу́ра. Мне ну́жно пойти́ в апте́ку и купи́ть лека́рство. Мне нельзя́ сего́дня рабо́тать до́лго за компью́тером. Я, наве́рное, позвоню́ врачу́ по́сле обе́да. Врач ска́жет мне, что ну́жно де́лать. Мне сто́ит лежа́ть до́ма и отдыха́ть весь день. Мои́ друзья́ говоря́т, что мне лу́чше не выходи́ть на у́лицу сего́дня. Я наде́юсь, что за́втра мне бу́дет лу́чше. Other combinations using material from Chapters 1 through 13 are also correct.
Reading
- The writer thinks they feel unwell because they walked in the rain for a long time the evening before.
- The doctor says the writer needs to lie at home and rest; the writer is not allowed to work with a high fever.
- The writer plans to return to work only once they feel better, probably on Monday or Tuesday.
Looking Ahead
Что вы уже уме́ете — What you can do now
You can describe common body parts, symptoms, and states of well-being, say how someone feels using the dative experiencer, express need, permission, and prohibition with мне ну́жно/мо́жно/нельзя́, say who receives an action with the dative recipient, and offer softened advice.