[General] Do you have any side effects?

[Silverobama]

My friend who got vaccinated a month ago for the COVID virus. I asked her today "Do you have any side effects of the vaccine?" I wonder if the question is natural.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Hi, Silver!

That's not bad. More likely:

- Did you have any side effects from the vaccine?

- Did the vaccine have any side effects?

- Were there any side effects?

 

[GoesStation]

- Did the vaccine have any side effects?

I wouldn't recommend that. It sounds like it was the vaccine, rather than the patient, that suffered the side effects.

You could say Did the vaccine cause any side effects, but I prefer to put the focus on the person and ask Did you have a reaction/any side effects?

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

I wouldn't recommend that. It sounds like it was the vaccine, rather than the patient, that suffered the side effects.

You could say Did the vaccine cause any side effects, but I prefer to put the focus on the person and ask Did you have a reaction/any side effects?

I think it's fine and natural for conversation, which is what I was shooting for.

It might not be precise. But we often talk about drugs' side effects. So even though a side effect is what we experience, not what the drug experiences, it's functional English. It's a secondary effect — that is, a side effect — of the drug.

So I think it's okay for Silver to keep it in his English arsenal — and to keep your comment in mind.

 

[Tarheel]

My friend [STRIKE]who[/STRIKE] got vaccinated a month ago for the COVID virus. I asked her today "Do you have any side effects of the vaccine?" I wonder if the question is natural.

It would make more sense to say: "Did you have any kind of reaction to it?" or "Did you experience any side effects?"

(My opinion.)