Unit 13 · HealthA2Lesson 2 of 5: What hurts?
Saying what hurts in European Portuguese
This is lesson 2 of 5 in Unit 13, Health (Saúde), an A2 unit in which you say what hurts, describe your symptoms and get help at the pharmacy, the health centre and the hospital. You will meet 7 new words, such as dói-me (it hurts), doem-me (they hurt) and a dor (pain), in 10 short sentences you can listen to. Building on The body, it gets you to sentences like A minha mãe tem dores nas costas (“My mother has back pain”). The unit’s grammar notes cover “Estou constipado: a cold, not constipation” and “The hand, not my hand”.
Words in this lesson
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
dói-me | it hurtsLiterally "it hurts me": Dói-me a cabeça. = My head hurts. |
doem-me | they hurtFor plural body parts: Doem-me os pés. = My feet hurt. |
a dor | painEu tenho dores de cabeça. = I have a headache. The plural dores is very common. |
a barriga | tummyDói-me a barriga. = I have a stomach ache. |
a garganta | throat |
as costas | backAlways plural: Doem-me as costas. = My back hurts. |
os dentes | teethOne tooth is o dente. |
Example sentences
- Dói-me a cabeça.My head hurts.Literally "the head hurts me". The pronoun me goes after the verb.
- Doem-me as costas.My back hurts.As costas is plural, so the verb is plural too: doem-me.
- Eu tenho dores de garganta.I have a sore throat.
- Onde é que lhe dói?Doctor: Where does it hurt?A doctor usually adds extra respect, with lhe. To a friend: Onde é que te dói? After onde, the pronoun goes before the verb.
- Dói-te a barriga?Does your tummy hurt?In a yes/no question, the pronoun stays after the verb: Dói-te?
- O bebé já tem dois dentes.The baby already has two teeth.
- Doem-me os dentes.My teeth hurt.
- A minha mãe tem dores nas costas.My mother has back pain.
- Já não me dói a cabeça.My head doesn't hurt any more.After já não (not any more), the pronoun goes before the verb: já não me dói.
- Dói-me muito o pé.My foot hurts a lot.
Grammar notes
The grammar notes for this lesson are on the page for Unit 13: Health: