Pattern
Mă doare + body part = "my ___ hurts." Mă doare capul (My head hurts), Mă doare stomacul (My stomach hurts). The body part takes the definite article.
Explanation
To say a body part hurts, Romanian doesn't say "my head hurts." Instead, it uses an accusative clitic + the verb a durea (to hurt) + the body part with the definite article. Mă doare capul literally is "the head hurts me." The body part is the grammatical subject of doare.
The clitic indicates who feels the pain:
- Mă doare (I have pain in / my ___ hurts)
- Te doare (your ___ hurts)
- Îl/o doare (his/her ___ hurts)
- Ne doare (our ___ hurts)
- Vă doare (your pl. ___ hurts)
- Îi doare (their ___ hurts)
When the body part is plural, the verb becomes plural too: Mă dor picioarele (My feet hurt). Mă dor ochii (My eyes hurt). For singular: Mă doare un picior (One foot hurts me) — but with the definite article, Mă doare piciorul stâng (My left leg hurts).
Examples
| Romanian | English |
|---|---|
| Mă doare capul. | My head hurts. |
| Te doare stomacul? | Does your stomach hurt? |
| Copilul îl doare burta. | The child has a stomachache. |
| Mă dor picioarele după muncă. | My feet hurt after work. |
| Bunica o doare spatele. | Grandma's back hurts her. |
Common mistakes
- Translating literally: "My head hurts" → don't say Capul meu doare. Use Mă doare capul.
- Forgetting the article on the body part: Mă doare cap is wrong; it's capul.
- Forgetting plural agreement: Mă doare picioarele is wrong; it's Mă dor picioarele.
Heritage learner note
Heritage speakers usually get this right — you grew up with bunica saying mă doare spatele. Where heritage learners trip up is when speaking quickly: you may forget the article and say mă doare cap. Slow down — it's always capul, stomacul, picioarele with the definite article. Also notice the plural agreement: singular body part → mă doare (the head hurts), plural body part → mă dor (the feet hurt). Heritage speakers often default to singular doare even with plural body parts. Watch for it.