As opposed to many languages, such as, for example, my native language of Swedish and the world language of English, Russian language regards diseases as something coming from the outside the organism, not from inside. The vocabulary used for talking about ailments in Russian clearly points out that not only is the sick person in no way responsible for being unwell, but also that there’s nothing he or she that can do to improve the situation. This might explain why Russian hospitals tend to want to keep patients suffering from anything from cancer to tick bites there for at least a month.

For example, if you’re feeling sick to your stomach or nauseous, you might think that using the verb тошнить in first person would be normal, such as: «Я тошню». Don’t even dare! It is one of the very common impersonal Russian verbs that can only be used with dative, or, like in this case, with the accusative. The correct use would be: «Меня тошнит» [I’m nauseous/ I feel sick to my stomach] and there you go – all of the sudden you yourself are not to responsible for anything. The same goes for the synonym «Меня мутит» [I’m feeling nauseous].

Coming home from a party after mixing just a tiny bit too much Stolichnaya vodka with Sovetskoe champagne you might find yourself bent over the toilet until dawn. And despite that you in this very moment gladly would blame this unhealthy condition on yourself, use your last energy to hold back any twinge of guilt. In Russia you are not throwing up, but ‘something’ throwing you up: «Меня рвёт». Once again – innocent as innocent can be.

In some cases, when you not only feel that the infection has nothing to do with you, but know that it has been brought onto you from the hostile surroundings, Russian language is on your side. «Меня лихорадит» [I have a fever/I’m feverish] literally means “it is fevering me”, «Меня знобит» [I have a chill] “it is chilling me” and «Меня претят» could not only be translated as “it makes me sick/ it disgusts me”, but should also be translated in these precise words.

Or you could simply, to make a long story short, put it like this: «Мне плохо!» [I’m ill/ I’m unwell/I’m not well/I’m sick – but literally – “it is bad to/for me”.]