Talk about catching a cold

Here's some help with talking about getting sick and catching a cold:  "Sick" is an adjective, and we usually use "sick" with the "be" verb:
- I am sick. (Not "I have sick.")
- Jack is sick today, so he is not coming to work.
- I was sick last week, but I am feeling better now.
Note that you can also say “I got sick,” “I became sick,” “I feel sick”, but not “I have sick.”
"Cold" is an adjective,
but "cold" is used as a noun to mean sickness. We usually use "cold" with the verb "have":

• I have a cold.
• John had a cold last week, so he didn’t go to school.
• I had a cold all weekend, but I am feeling better now.

So, you can say “I am sick” or “I have a cold.”

We also use the idiom “catch a cold,” which means to become sick. This idiom is used in the past and future tense:

• I caught a cold. (This is my current situation)
• John caught a cold last week so he didn’t go to school.
• If you go outside with wet hair, you will catch a cold.

We also use “have” to talk about medical conditions and symptoms:

• I have a runny nose.
• I have a headache.
• I have a sore throat. (etc.)
• Jack has the flu. (influenza)       (YearOfEnglish)