🤒 Under the Weather — 5 Words That Make You Sound Native

Five chunks natives reach for on sick days — from softening "I'm slightly ill" to admitting you powered through when you really shouldn't have.

The 5 Words

1. under the weather (idiom)

Meaning: feeling a little ill — not seriously sick. "I'm a bit under the weather today, so I'll stay home." ⚠️ Minor sickness ONLY — never use it for something serious. 💡 Casual; the classic soft way to tell work or friends you're slightly sick without drama.

2. call in sick (expression)

Meaning: phone your workplace to say you can't come in because you're ill. "I called in sick on Monday and stayed in bed all day." ⚠️ Never "call sick" — the IN is fixed: call IN sick. And it's call in sick TO work, not "at work." 💡 Workplace register, casual-safe; standard in offices everywhere.

3. catch a cold (collocation)

Meaning: become mildly sick with a cold. "I caught a cold from my roommate last week." ⚠️ You CATCH a cold — never "take" or "receive" one. Irregular past: caught, not "catched." 💡 Catch works for contagious things: catch a cold, catch the flu — but you GET sick, never "catch sick."

4. fight off (phrasal verb)

Meaning: recover from or resist an illness. "I'm fighting off a cold with tea and soup." ⚠️ Pronouns go INSIDE: fight it off — never "fight off it." 💡 Often in the continuous for an illness you're currently beating: "I'm fighting something off."

5. power through (phrasal verb)

Meaning: keep going despite feeling awful or exhausted. "I powered through the meeting even with a fever." ⚠️ Casual register — great for work chat, too slangy for formal writing. 💡 Natives debate it constantly: power through or call in sick? Pick a side.

✨ Magic Sentence

Last week I caught a cold and felt under the weather, so I called in sick to fight off the bug instead of powering through — best decision ever.

🗣️ Real-Life Dialogue

A: You weren't at the meeting — you okay? B: Not really. I'm feeling a bit under the weather. A: Oh no. Did you call in sick? B: This morning. I caught a cold from my roommate. A: Yikes. Fighting it off okay? B: Tea, soup, and Netflix. No powering through this one. A: Smart. Get some rest — see you Monday.

💧 Translations

English	中文	日本語	Français	Español
under the weather	有点不舒服	体調が悪い	patraque	indispuesto
call in sick	打电话请病假	病欠の連絡をする	se porter malade	faltar por enfermedad
catch a cold	感冒	風邪をひく	attraper un rhume	coger un resfriado
fight off	击退（疾病）	撃退する	venir à bout de	combatir
power through	硬撑下去	突き進む	foncer malgré tout	seguir adelante

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