Russian, there are two different verbs spelled the same way – ‘болеть’. They have exactly the same spelling in the infinitive, however slightly different meaning and different conjugations.

1. 'Болеть' (to hurt)

We already learnt this verb in Lesson 2. It means ‘to hurt’ and is used when talking about pain in a specific part of the body. It is a second-conjugation verb and is only used in the third person (singular or plural).

1. У меня болит голова.
My head hurts. (I have a headache.)

2. У него болят ноги.
His legs hurt.

2. 'Болеть' (to be sick, to be ill)

The second ‘болеть’ is the first-conjugation verb and means both ‘to be sick’ and ‘to be ill’. 

1. Я болею. У меня грипп.
I’m sick. I have the flu.

2. Джон болеет. У него простуда.
John is sick. He has a cold.

3. Дети болели две недели.
Children were sick for 2 weeks.

The perfective form of this verb is ‘заболеть’. It means ‘to get sick’, ‘to fall ill’

Я заболел в понедельник и всё ещё болею.
I got sick on Monday and I’m still sick.

Listen to the audio to hear the correct answers

Listen to the audio to hear the correct answers