Parts of the body
Vocabulary
- a cabeçathe head
- o braçothe arm
- a mãothe hand
- a pernathe leg
- o péthe foot
- o estômagothe stomach
- as costasthe back
- o pescoçothe neck
- o olhothe eye
- o ouvidothe ear
Parts of the Body
"Doer" — Expressing pain
Portuguese uses doer (to hurt) with an indirect object:
- Dói-me a cabeça. → My head hurts. (lit. "It hurts me the head")
- Doem-me as costas. → My back hurts.
- Dói-te o estômago? → Does your stomach hurt?
Key pattern: "Dói-me" vs "Doem-me"
- Dói-me → singular (one body part)
- Doem-me → plural (multiple body parts)
Examples:
- Dói-me o braço. → My arm hurts. (singular)
- Doem-me os pés. → My feet hurt. (plural)
Describing physical states
- Estou doente. — I am sick.
- Estou cansado/a. — I am tired.
- Sinto-me mal. — I feel bad.
- Sinto-me bem. — I feel well.
- Tenho febre. — I have a fever.
Tip: Like "ter fome," physical states use ter: ter febre (fever), ter dores (pain), ter tosse (cough).
Expressions
- Dói-me a cabeça.My head hurts.
- Doem-me as costas.My back hurts.
- Estou doente.I am sick.
- Tenho febre e tosse.I have a fever and a cough.
- Sinto-me muito cansado/a.I feel very tired.
- Parti o braço.I broke my arm.
Common mistakes
Minha cabeça dói.Dói-me a cabeça.Portuguese uses dói-me + article + body part, not possessive + body part + verb.
Dói-me os pés.Doem-me os pés.Use doem (plural) to match os pés (plural).
Eu sou doente.Eu estou doente.Being sick is temporary — use estar, not ser.
Tenho dor de a cabeça.Tenho dor de cabeça.Dor de cabeça is a fixed expression — no article between de and cabeça.
Quick quiz
Question 1 of 5
How do you say “the neck” in Portuguese?
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