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up vote 3 down vote favorite

I know that the expression I have written is completely correct, but It does not feel very natural and I have never seen it being used in movies etc. Is it like I picked up fever or something like that?

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2  
"Not enough cowbell." – RegDwighт♦ Nov 28 '12 at 14:17
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"... suffering from fever" appeared 1,710,000 times on the web -- if you doubted it. What was the question? Or is it a non-Q? – Kris Nov 28 '12 at 15:02

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4 Answers

up vote 10 down vote accepted

In addition to the provided suggestions, I might also say,

  • I have (got) a fever.
  • I was down with a fever.
  • I've come down with a fever.
  • I'm running a fever. (I suspect that this is usually said of somebody else.)
  • I'm running a temperature.
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up vote 7 down vote

"I've had a fever (for the past three days / three weeks / etc.)" is all that's necessary. It's also natural and idiomatic. "I've been suffering from ..." is emotional and overly dramatic, but also natural and idiomatic. It's a style choice.

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up vote 7 down vote

I am feeling a tad feverish after being around all those sick kids.

fe·ver·ish adjective 1. having fever.

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This is technically correct, but rarely used. – Lynn Nov 28 '12 at 15:19
I heard the word befevered once, but I can't remember where. – Tom O'Connor Nov 28 '12 at 16:32
It might be easier to remember than a complicated idiomatic expression like "I'm running a fever" or "I've come down with a fever." That's my thinking. – tylerharms Nov 28 '12 at 17:40
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Something like “I was feverish for several days” doesn’t sound odd or unusual to me at all; this seems a pretty natural phrasing to me (British, lived for some years in NE US/Canada). – PLL Nov 28 '12 at 20:59
up vote 1 down vote

For some reason, if I hear "I have fever" or "I am suffering from fever" without "a" preceding it, I tend to think it is a disease, like Dengue Fever or Yellow Fever, rather than just an elevated body temperature, which is more likely a symptom of an infection or virus.

I would say, "I'm running a temperature" or "I'm running a fever"

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