I had a terrible headache vs I have a terrible headache

Both phrases are correct, but they are used in different contexts. "I had a terrible headache" is used when referring to a past event, while "I have a terrible headache" is used when talking about the present. The choice between the two depends on the timing of the headache in relation to the current moment.

Last updated: March 15, 2024 • 9968 views

I had a terrible headache

This phrase is correct when referring to a past event.

This phrase is used to talk about a headache that occurred in the past. It indicates that the headache has already happened and is no longer present.

Examples:

Yesterday, I had a terrible headache after work.
When I woke up this morning, I had a terrible headache.

Show examples from the web [+]
Last updated: November 18, 2024

On the morning that I was 37 weeks' gestation (to the day no less), I had a terrible headache. I did not feel well and was nauseous. I was due for a non ...
Mar 26, 2024 ... I had a terrible headache and passed out after seeing a movie. My husband took me straight to the small local hospital, which was three ...
Jul 15, 2022 ... I had a terrible headache. This was years ago. And I did a very stupid thing: I got on an aircraft and I flew home. It turned out I had two ...
Then I had a terrible headache; it was as if I had an ice pick plunging into my temple for hours. I called a neurologist explained my symptoms, and he ...
Jul 6, 2023 ... About the time my vision was getting blurry, and I had a terrible headache I went to the ER. I learned my A1C was 14. A normal level is ...
Sep 22, 2013 ... I had a terrible headache, and it only got worse as I began to realize the only thing I could move were my eyeballs.” He soon recovered from ...
Mar 8, 2008 ... I had a terrible headache. I also felt very light-headed and kept getting these surges in my body that could cause me to feel like something ...
Only one parathyroid gland was removed in surgery. Post surgery the pain was not in my throat, but I had a terrible headache that lasted for about two days.
Jul 21, 2022 ... I had a terrible headache, fever and bad insomnia. I was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) overnight and then spent two days at a ...
Mar 14, 2024 ... I had a terrible headache and was throwing up a ton. After a CT scan in the emergency room revealed a mass on my brain, I was immediately ...

Alternatives:

I experienced a terrible headache.
I suffered from a terrible headache.

I have a terrible headache

This phrase is correct when referring to the present moment.

This phrase is used to talk about a headache that is currently being experienced. It indicates that the headache is happening at the time of speaking.

Examples:

I have a terrible headache right now.
Sorry, I can't go out tonight. I have a terrible headache.

Show examples from the web [+]
Last updated: November 18, 2024

Jan 31, 2024 ... Client presents to emergency department and states, “I have a terrible headache.” Client reports having a headache for the past three days and the pain is ...
Translations in context of "I have a terrible headache" in English-Russian from Reverso Context: First, I have a terrible headache, which isn't normal.
Can you tell me how you feel? Sasha: Well, I have a terrible headache. Dr. Smith: Hmm…Anything else? Does your throat hurt?
Jan 26, 2022 ... You hop on Zoom and can say, “I have COVID,” “I have a cold,” or “I have a terrible headache,” but you can't say, “My uterine lining is ...
Jan 9, 2020 ... I have a terrible headache. I _____ do anything. View Solution.
Aug 20, 2013 ... I have bitten the right side of my tongue, I have a terrible headache and I am extremely nauseated. I am confused and sleepy after the ...
“I just thought 'Okay, it's a Tuesday afternoon, I'm at work and I have a terrible headache and need to go throw up.'” Then one day, during a bootcamp ...
Nov 9, 2024 ... extreme in degree, power, or effect I have a terrible headache. Synonyms & Similar Words. intense · intensive · fierce · ferocious · deep.
physiological/biological needs "I have a terrible headache. It's really splitting." belonging needs "It gets lonely in my apartment on the weekends.
A: Yes. I was on the porch, putting fabric on my dresser drawers and I did that about an hour and now I have a TERRIBLE headache!

Alternatives:

I am experiencing a terrible headache.
I am suffering from a terrible headache.

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I had a terrible headache vs I have a terrible headache