Health Conversation: Examples and Practice for Tests

Want to improve your ability to speak about health in English? This guide introduces you to essential phrases, sample dialogues, and real-world practice tips to help you prepare for exams like IELTS or OET, or communicate more confidently in healthcare settings.

I. What Is a Health Conversation and Why Is It Important?

A health conversation in English is any spoken exchange that involves discussing health-related topics—ranging from describing symptoms and asking for medical advice to giving lifestyle recommendations or talking about emotional well-being. It can occur in formal settings, such as hospitals and clinics, or in informal situations, like daily conversations between friends or family members.

For English learners, mastering health conversations is essential. This topic appears frequently in IELTS Speaking Part 1 and Part 3, and is a key component of OET role-plays for healthcare professionals. Being able to discuss health naturally shows good vocabulary range, fluency, and awareness of tone.

1. Common Health Conversation Topics and Vocabulary

Health-related conversations often cover a wide range of everyday and clinical topics. Below are key subtopics that frequently appear in both spoken English and major English-language exams:

Describing symptoms and conditions: Learners should be able to describe how they or someone else is feeling using common nouns, adjectives, and verbs.

Useful vocabulary:

• Nouns: headache, fever, cough, nausea, sore throat, infection
• Verbs: feel, suffer from, experience, complain of
• Adjectives: dizzy, tired, swollen, painful, itchy

Example: I’ve been feeling a bit dizzy and have had a sore throat since yesterday.

Talking about daily habits and lifestyle: Being able to discuss routines that affect health is important both in exams and in real-life wellness discussions.

Useful vocabulary:

• Verbs: exercise, skip meals, smoke, drink, sleep
• Adverbs: regularly, sometimes, rarely
• Phrases: eat a balanced diet, lack of sleep, lead a sedentary lifestyle

Example: I try to exercise three times a week and eat more vegetables.

Medical instructions and advice: In both OET and workplace settings, providing or responding to advice is a core communication skill.

Common phrases:

• You should take this medicine twice a day.
• Try to avoid caffeine for a few days.
• Make sure to get plenty of rest.

Grammar focus: modal verbs (should, need to, must), imperatives, and time expressions.

2. Grammar Tips for Natural Health Conversations

To sound fluent and natural in English, it’s important to use accurate grammar structures. This improves both clarity and tone—key aspects in exams like IELTS and OET, as well as in real-world healthcare communication.

Describing how someone feels

Asking open-ended health questions

Expressing health concerns or observations

Giving health advice politely

II. Health Conversation in English Examples for Practice and Exams

Practicing real-life dialogues is one of the best ways to develop fluency and confidence in health-related communication. Whether you're preparing for IELTS, OET, or working in a healthcare setting, the following sample conversations show how to use appropriate structures, tone, and vocabulary in common situations.

1. Conversation 1: Inquiring about daily health

Grammar focus: Present perfect (“have you been feeling”), present continuous (“has been overwhelming”)

Useful vocabulary: stress, trouble sleeping, take time for yourself

2. Conversation 2: Inquiring about the health of someone you haven't seen for a long time

Grammar focus: Present perfect (“have you been taking”), verb + noun (“take medication”, “prescribe something”)

Test skill: Politeness, clarity, using appropriate wellness vocabulary

3. Conversation 3: Inquiring about the health of someone who is ill

Grammar focus: frequency adverbs (“rarely”), making suggestions (“you might want to...”)

Key phrases: physical activity, short daily walks, manageable

4. Conversation 4: Discussing ways to improve health

Grammar focus: present perfect progressive (“has been out sick”), informal tone with care

Useful expressions: get better soon, still feeling weak

5. Conversation 5: Discussing bad habits that affect health

Grammar focus: Present perfect progressive (“you’ve been drinking”), using modals for advice (“should”)

Vocabulary: energy drinks, caffeine, cut back

These sample dialogues mirror everyday interactions as well as those found in standardized English exams. When practicing, try reading them aloud, recording yourself, or switching roles with a partner to develop fluency, pronunciation, and confidence.

III. Best Resources to Learn and Practice Health Conversations

To build confidence in speaking about health-related topics, it's important to use high-quality, practical learning tools. These resources provide not only vocabulary and grammar support, but also real-life listening and speaking models tailored to healthcare or exam settings:

Mobile apps with health-related English content

• BBC Learning English – Health Vocabulary: Features real-life lesson videos, vocabulary in use, and pronunciation guides. Best for: Intermediate/Upper-intermediate learners
• British Council – LearnEnglish Apps: Includes themed topics, speaking practice, and quizzes on health & lifestyle. Best for: General practice with flexible exercises
• OET Preparation App (for healthcare professionals): Offers role-play prompts, sample questions, vocabulary by profession (e.g., nursing, pharmacy). Best for: OET candidates in medical professions

Textbooks and vocabulary builders for healthcare English

• Oxford – English for Careers Medicine: Teaches essential phrases, dialogues, and patient-care expressions. Targets: Nurses, caregivers, health workers
• Check Your English Vocabulary for Medicine: A practical workbook to build topic-specific language through matching, gap-fills, and synonyms. Useful for: Vocabulary consolidation and revision
• English for the Professional Nurse: Combines reading, writing, and speaking tasks based on real hospital scenarios.

Websites with dialogue samples and interactive practice

• Elllo.org (English Listening): Search "health" to access free recorded conversations with audio and transcripts.
• TalkEnglish.com – English Speaking for Health Topics: Offers guided speaking examples for patient–doctor situations and MP3 voice models.
• Breaking News English – Health Lessons: Provides up-to-date health-related news articles with vocabulary, grammar, and discussion tasks.
• Prep Talk English is an in-depth speaking course on the PREP platform. One of its key topics focuses on Medicine, helping learners explore essential health-related vocabulary, build confidence in medical dialogues, and develop fluency in expressing symptoms, treatments, and general well-being in natural English. 

PREP hopes that after reading this article, you have gained a wealth of vocabulary, phrases, and quality health conversations in English. Keep following PREP for more valuable English knowledge!