# I'm having a headache...



## cazadora

While speaking to a friend I said:  I'm having a headache! She corrected me by saying that I should say:  "I'm getting a headache" or "I have a headache"... Was I wrong? 

Please help!


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## Silver Sapphire

As far as I know, your friend is right and you were mistaken.


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## Alisterio

Silver Sapphire said:


> As far as I know, your friend is right and you were mistaken.


 
I think so too, although I'm not really sure that there's a logical explanation. It would be quite normal to say "I'm having a party" or "I'm having a great time", but not "I'm having a headache". I guess it's just one of those cases where the only explanation is, that's just the way you say it...


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## col37400

You should say "I've got a headache" (if you've got it already) or "I'm getting a headache" (if it's just starting).


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## panjandrum

Hello cazadora, and welcome to WordReference 



col37400 said:


> You should say "I've got a headache" (if you've got it already) or "I'm getting a headache" (if it's just starting).


For the non-got population, "I have a headache," would be the natural alternative.
If the headache has not yet arrived but you know it's on its way: _I'm getting a headache_, or _I feel a headache coming on_.


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## gasman

Actually you can say what you like, but accuracy would indicate that the norm is "I have a headache".


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## Dimcl

cazadora said:


> While speaking to a friend I said: I'm having a headache! She corrected me by saying that I should say: "I'm getting a headache" or "I have a headache"... Was I wrong?
> 
> Please help!


 
Your friend is correct.  You *currently have *the headache.  You are not having the headache tomorrow, you are not having the headache an hour from now.  You have the headache now.  It is something that you have.


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## Loob

It would work as a plan or intention.

As in "Not tonight darling, I'm having a headache".


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## Thomas Tompion

There's a difference between being wrong and using the language in an original way.

In BE it would be quite possible to say 'I'm having a headache', because some people have headaches the way other people have parties, that's to say regularly and painfully.

It's not the normal thing to say, which would be one of:

I've got a headache
I have a headache

The continuous present is strange and suggests that you have wished this headache on yourself and are complicit in the pain it is causing you. Some old people - I'm thinking of Proust's Aunt Léonie , in particular - have days for being ill, and on those days they say things like 'I'm having a headache' to explain their refusal to join in ordinary social activity.

So it's not wrong in my view, but it's unusual, and like many unusual things in a language, best left to native speakers, like you and me, Casadora. Welcome to the forum.


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## Alisterio

Loob said:


> It would work as a plan or intention.
> 
> As in "Not tonight darling, I'm having a headache".


 
Ha ha ha - I must try that one some time


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## KHS

Like a number of other verbs, some meanings of _*have*_ are nonprogressive but other meanings are progressive.

An easier verb to deal with is _*think*_, so I'll give that example first.

_*Think*_ can mean _believe_, or it can mean that thoughts are simply going through your head.  When _*think*_ means _believe_, it is nonprogressive.
Example:  I think (= believe) that John is honest.

When _*think*_ means that thoughts are passing through your head, it is progressive.
Example:  I'm thinking about my vacation.

The pattern for _*have*_ that you will most often find in books is that, when it means _possess_, it is nonprogressive.
I have a car. (not *I'm having a car.)

The trouble is that the idea of possession is not clear.  In addition, _*have*_ has many idiomatic meanings, and it is not always clear which side of the progressive/nonprogressive line a particular usage will fall on.

So, understand that some meanings are nonprogressive, and then watch for the examples that you come across.


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## dec-sev

Thomas Tompion said:


> It's not the normal thing to say, which would be one of:
> 
> I've got a headache
> I have a headache


What would be a better way of asking someone whose headache started some time ago and they still have it:
a) How long have you had a headache?
b) How long do you have a headache?


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## DonnyB

dec-sev said:


> What would be a better way of asking someone whose headache started some time ago and they still have it:
> a) How long have you had a headache?
> b) How long do you have a headache?


(a) would work (especially if you change it to "*the* headache") but not (b), which would suggest that the person frequently has headaches and you were asking them how long they usually last.


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## dec-sev

Thank you, Donny.


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## Phil-Olly

For what it's worth, I would say "I'm having a migraine," and not because I have them as regularly as some people have parties.

More because it's an ongoing experience that develops through a number of stages, so I guess it's progressive by KHS's definition.


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## panjandrum

Phil-Olly said:


> For what it's worth, I would say "I'm having a migraine," and not because I have them as regularly as some people have parties.
> 
> More because it's an ongoing experience that develops through a number of stages, so I guess it's progressive by KHS's definition.


That's a very interesting distinction, and I absolutely agree.


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## Ivan_I

Well, I heard people say "I am having a problem". Would that mean that the problem is self-inflicted?


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## Hermione Golightly

> Would that mean that the problem is self-inflicted?



No, not any more than having a migraine is self-inflicted. The continuous can be used when describing a dynamic process being experienced at the time of speaking.


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## Ivan_I

Thomas Tompion said:


> The continuous present is strange and suggests that you have wished this headache on yourself and are complicit in the pain it is causing you. Some old people - I'm thinking of Proust's Aunt Léonie , in particular - have days for being ill, and on those days they say things like 'I'm having a headache' to explain their refusal to join in ordinary social activity.


I had this observation in mind while writing about "I am having a problem".


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## Xanisar

I want to say that I had a headache for a while and by taking a painkiller, I got better. In this case, Is this sentence correct?
"I had been having a headache for two days until I took a painkiller."


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## Ivan_I

Xanisar said:


> I want to say that I had a headache for a while and by taking a painkiller, I got better. In this case, Is this sentence correct?
> "I had been having a headache for two days until I took a painkiller."


Not a native, but I think the most natural way would be:

"I had had a headache for two days until I took a painkiller."


By the way, what about other pain? If someone has a stomachache, would we also be inclined to use the present simple?


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## Phil-Olly

If you say "I have been having a headache for two days" it suggest that your headache comes and goes - which is fine, if that's what happens, but it also suggests that it got better on a number of occasions without the painkiller!

Otherwise just say "I have had a headache for two days," or, if it's now better, "I had a headache for two days, and, by taking a painkiller, I got better"

Also: "by taking a painkiller etc." sounds a little unnatural.  We would probably say, "after taking a painkiller, it (the headache) got better"


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## Ivan_I

Phil-Olly said:


> If you say "I have been having a headache for two days" it suggest that your headache comes and goes - which is fine, if that's what happens, but it also suggests that it got better on a number of occasions without the painkiller!


I would take it as you deliberately inflicted pain on yourself. See post 9


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## Steven David

Xanisar said:


> I want to say that I had a headache for a while and by taking a painkiller, I got better. In this case, Is this sentence correct?
> "I had been having a headache for two days until I took a painkiller."



No, this sentence is not correct. It's not correct because a headache is something that exists as a state. It's not something we view as taking place progressively. It simply exists.

These are correct.

I had a headache for two days until I took a painkiller.

I had a headache for two days, and it went away after I took a painkiller.


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## Packard

I think I would say, "I feel a headache coming on"  or "I'm getting a headache".

My uncle who had never had a headache in his entire life understood others did, but he could not relate.  It is sort of like describing a color to a person born blind.   An enviable bit of ignorance in my opinion.


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## espider

Cazadora's friend is correct in the context of a literal, physical headache. However, if used figuratively it would for example be acceptable to say "I'm having a right headache with the builders at the moment, every day there is a new problem"


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## Packard

espider said:


> Cazadora's friend is correct in the context of a literal, physical headache. However, if used figuratively it would for example be acceptable to say "I'm having a right headache with the builders at the moment, every day there is a new problem"



I agree.  In the USA I think we would more likely hear, "With the builders, it is one headache after another."


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## SevenDays

cazadora said:


> While speaking to a friend I said:  I'm having a headache! She corrected me by saying that I should say:  "I'm getting a headache" or "I have a headache"... Was I wrong?
> 
> Please help!



-ing words convey a sense of continuity/ongoingness, and they feel right at home with _active verbs _(verbs showing action): _I am cutting wood; She is singing a song. _In this sense, it's understood that the action (and therefore, the continuity) has a beginning, middle, and an ending point. The objection to "I'm having a headache!" is that "having" is interpreted as a _stative verb _(a verb that describes a state of being, a state which is ongoing), and we don't normally use -ing words because the stative verb already conveys the idea of "continuity." Instead, we use the simple form: _I have a headache!_

Ah, but that's not the whole story. If you consider your headache as something that a beginning, a middle, and an ending point (perhaps a migraine headache of short duration), then "having" becomes _active_, at least as far as the person suffering the headache is concerned. In other words, he is in the middle of having this particular headache: _I'm having headache!" But come back in a couple of hours, and I'll feel better._ Put another way, it's continuity, but within a specific time frame. This usage is no different than _I'm having a baby! _where "having" becomes active rather than stative ("ongoing") because pregnancy has a natural end point. Then again, notice that in this thread, there isn't much support for "I'm having a headache!"

(And keep in mind that "have/having" also appears in various idioms and expressions; see post 8.)


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## JulianStuart

For migraine sufferers, the emphasis is on the ongoing experience.  There's a lot of discussion here I am having $200  /  a headache and support for "I'm having a migraine"   It is quite common, also, for people to say "He's having a stroke" (example), while "He has a stroke" sounds weird!


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## KHS

I can't think of a time when I would say, "I'm having a headache."  The corpora below support the idea that, if you're going to talk about your headache, non-progressive forms would likely be best.

I decided to check COCA (not the final arbiter, but useful):
having a headache - 4 instances (and one of those was a gerund - "complain of having a headache")
have a headache - 164 instances

and Ngram Viewer (again, this does not provide a complete look):


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## JulianStuart

The preference for "have" over "having" (again with the caveats associated with Ngrams) varies with the word: headache is, as people have commented, not often used with having, while migraine and stroke are both used several-fold more with "having".


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## Vronsky

In fact, there are no results for _"I'm having a headache"_ in Google Ngram.
(But there are for _"I'm having a party"_,  for the sake of comparison.)

"Having a headache" could be a participle phrase or as part of a perfect progressive verb.


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## PaulQ

Phil-Olly said:


> If you say "I have been having a headache for two days" it suggest that your headache comes and goes


In those circumstances, I would say, "I have been having a headache headache*s* for two days."


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## JulianStuart

Vronsky said:


> In fact, there are no results for _"I'm having a headache"_ in Google Ngram.
> (But there are for _"I'm having a party"_,  for the sake of comparison.)
> 
> "Having a headache" could be a participle phrase or as part of a perfect progressive verb.


But there are some for is and was having a headache - but, as noted above, they are less frequent than having a stroke.


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## Steven David

JulianStuart said:


> The preference for "have" over "having" (again with the caveats associated with Ngrams) varies with the word: headache is, as people have commented, not often used with having, while migraine and stroke are both used several-fold more with "having".
> 
> View attachment 32513




This makes sense.

A stroke is something that happens over a fixed amount of time. It's a process. We can understand a stroke as ongoing in a temporary time frame, which would be similar to a heart attack.

Someone might use progressive aspect with a migraine headache, which is worse than a regular headache, to emphasize the present moment as continual or ongoing during the time someone has a migraine headache.

A headache is a state. It's not a process, and there's usually no reason to emphasize the state of a headache with progressive aspect.


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## KHS

I agree with Steven David's analysis.


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## Steven David

I should add that, as the diagram tells us, progressive aspect is not impossible with "have a headache", just very infrequent.


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## JulianStuart

Steven David said:


> A headache is a state. It's not a process, and there's usually no reason to emphasize the state of a headache with progressive aspect.


I’m having trouble (  ) understanding this (undeniable) usage preference. I think it may be more associated with the word "ache" - I have a toothache, a stomach ache and headache.  These all actually do have durations: you are 1) ache-free, 2) an ache develops and 3) lasts a while and 4) eventually goes way. Such is how the language is defined by usage and not necessarily “logic”


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## Steven David

JulianStuart said:


> I’m having trouble (  ) understanding this (undeniable) usage preference. I think it may be more associated with the word "ache" - I have a toothache, a stomach ache and headache.  These all actually do have durations: you are 1) ache-free, 2) an ache develops and 3) lasts a while and 4) eventually goes way. Such is how the language is defined by usage and not necessarily “logic”




Of course, a headache has duration. Everything has duration. However, that's not the main idea here. The main idea is our perception of duration.

It's a question of how we view that duration. We understand a headache as a state of being, which is why we ordinarily or mostly do not use progressive aspect with "have a headache".

There's no movement and no process involved in a headache, which is unlike a stroke. And this is why we find progressive aspect is used more often with "have a stroke".

A headache has duration but it's unlike that of a stroke. This is reflected by the graph. Again, it's a question of how we view or perceive this duration. Our perception of an action or an activity causes us to use simple or progressive aspect. 



Verb use occurs as a result of how we view or perceive actions, activities, states, and conditions. To this, there is logic.


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## JulianStuart

I have migraines (thankfully far less frequently than before) and I have headaches.  My perception differs only in intensity not in duration, development, progress or stativeness.  That's the difficulty I'm having.  "This is reflected in the graph" - yes, that is the usage I was referring to


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## Steven David

The intensity of a temporary state of being, such as a headache, could cause someone to use progressive aspect, not as a conscious decision, of course.

Progressive aspect is used in other situations in which it is not ordinarily expected. It can intensify a state. 

Speakers choose automatically based on their viewpoint of actions, activities, conditions, and states. If this were not so, there would be no way to teach the language.


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## JulianStuart

Steven David said:


> The intensity of a temporary state of being, such as a headache, could cause someone to use progressive aspect, not as a conscious decision, of course.


No disagreement there, but my problem with the preference of one verb form over the other for two different kinds of headaches is still puzzling.  In both cases we can say "I am experiencing a headache" as it runs it course.  This is one meaning of "have" that was referred to above (or in another thread).


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## Steven David

JulianStuart said:


> No disagreement there, but my problem with the preference of one verb form over the other for two different kinds of headaches is still puzzling.



The intensity of a migraine is greater than that of a regular headache. That causes the choice, again, not a conscious decision, of course. 

It's not the headache itself but the intensity of a headache. It happens that migraines are worse than regular headaches. As we know, this is reflected by the graph.


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## JulianStuart

Steven David said:


> The intensity of a migraine is greater than that of a regular headache. That causes the choice, again, not a conscious decision, of course.
> 
> It's not the headache itself but the intensity of a headache. It happens that migraines are worse than regular headaches. As we know, this is reflected by the graph.


I know - I had 2-3 migraines a week for years and know all too well about the intensity.  Thsi does not explain the change in verb tense, however.

Added: one possibiity is that while headaches, toothaches and migraines are all temporary, in many cases a migraine sufferer has enough experience to know that it will be over in a predictable time, while a headache or toothache sufferer may not have any idea when it will end. So the migraine sufferer may be more likely to perceive "being in the middle of something" making the "-ing" form more likely.


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## PaulQ

Xanisar said:


> "I had been having a headache for two days until I took a painkiller."


This is wrong. The short answer is that it should be
"I *had *a headache for two days until I took a painkiller."
or if it is a series of headaches, then
"I *have been having* headache*s* for two days."

The long answer is:
*To have* is a pro-verb. *Pro*-verbs stand in place of a more accurate/precise or specific verb similarly to the way in which a *pro*noun stands in place of a noun (*The cat *is big; *it* eats a lot.)

The meaning of "to have" is decided by the context:

*To have *can mean
*"to be in possession of"* -> "I have a car." _In this sense, "to have" is a verb of state and is not used in the continuous form. _"I am having a car".
*"to receive"* = I am having a car as a present for my birthday. _In this sense, "to have" is a dynamic verb and *is* used in the continuous form. _
*"to experience"* -> "I had a good time at the party." _In this sense, "to have" is a dynamic verb and *is* used in the continuous form. -> _"I was having a good time at the party."
*"to eat"* -> "I had a sandwich for lunch" -> _In this sense, "to have" is a dynamic verb and *is* used in the continuous form but it requires another clause to be used in the continuous form: _"I *was having* a sandwich when James arrived/because I am trying to slim/etc."
*and other meanings, etc.*

In "*I had a headache* yesterday", to have is a verb of state - it indicates the possession of a headache - therefore the continuous is *in*appropriate.

In "I am worried because *I am having headaches*." to have is a dynamic verb - it indicates the experiencing of headaches - therefore the continuous is *appropriate*.


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## Steven David

JulianStuart said:


> I know - I had 2-3 migraines a week for years and know all too well about the intensity. Thsi does not explain the change in verb tense, however.
> 
> ... ... So the migraine sufferer may be more likely to perceive "being in the middle of something" making the "-ing" form more likely.



> ... ... So the migraine sufferer may be more likely to perceive "being in the middle of something" making the "-ing" form more likely. <


Yes, that's the speakers perception or viewpoint. This is what I mean.


> I know - I had 2-3 migraines a week for years and know all too well about the intensity. Thsi does not explain the change in verb tense, however. <


The second part of your post explains it. 

I wouldn't call it something that explains a change. 

It's something that causes a speaker to choose that particular verb form.


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## JulianStuart

Steven David said:


> The *intensity* of a temporary state of being, such as a headache, could cause someone to use progressive aspect, not as a conscious decision, of course.





JulianStuart said:


> So the migraine sufferer may be more likely to *perceive* "*being in the middle of something*" making the "-ing" form more likely.





Steven David said:


> Yes, that's the speakers perception or viewpoint. This is what I mean.


Of course it's the speaker's perception but I still reject the notion that it is the intensity. Rather  the quote you just agreed with "I have a good idea when this will go away and I know I'm in the middle of a migraine" hence the progressive "I'm having a migraine".


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## Steven David

JulianStuart said:


> Of course it's the speaker's perception but I still reject the notion that it is the intensity. Rather  the quote you just agreed with "I have a good idea when this will go away and I know I'm in the middle of a migraine" hence the progressive "I'm having a migraine".




Yes, and someone can also recognize being in the middle of having a regular headache. 

What would cause someone to use the progressive form with a regular headache?

Normally, we do not use the progressive form with a regular headache though it's possible.

[The graph reflects (us) what we understand and recognize to be usual and normal usage. We don't reflect the graph.]


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## JulianStuart

Steven David said:


> Yes, and someone can also recognize being in the middle of having a regular headache.
> What would cause someone to use the progressive form with a regular headache?


My point is that they would be more likely to use the progressive if they had a pretty good idea of when it was goiing to end.  If they don't know that, it resembles a "state" more than "timed event".  You suggested it was "intensity" that was (subconsciously or otherwise) a factor in tense selection.  However, I don't think there's anything to suggest that the severity of a ("normal") headache, toothache or stomach ache would influence the tense selection


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## Steven David

I understand what you mean completely now. At first, I didn't quite get exactly what you meant. We agree only that it has to do the speaker's perception of the event. What that perception includes is something else.


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## JulianStuart

Steven David said:


> I understand what you mean completely now.






Steven David said:


> What that perception includes is something else.


It's the migraine sufferer's knowledge/experience that affects the choice of tense.  A first-time migraine sufferer would not know how long "this terrible headache is going to last" and they would probably regard it as the "state" we have discussed


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## Phil-Olly

Fascinating discussion.  Independently I'd come to the same conclusion as Julian (also as a migraine sufferer, and also having less bad symptoms than previously - now virtually limited to the visual disturbances.)

So I may well say to my partner, "I'm sorry, I'm having a migraine at the moment, but it'll probably be over by lunchtime."


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## Xanisar

wow, Thanks guys!


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