I can name body parts, say what hurts, that I have a fever or a cold, and ask where the pharmacy is.
What hurts: body part + 疼
What hurts: body part + 疼
To say what hurts, name the body part and put 疼 (téng) after it: 妈妈肚子疼。(Māma dùzi téng.) — “Mom has a stomachache”. There's no word for “have” here, and 疼 works like an adjective: 很疼 (hěn téng), 有点儿疼 (yǒudiǎnr téng). The body parts are in the table.
The question is short: 哪儿疼？(Nǎr téng?) — “Where does it hurt?” or 哪儿不舒服？(Nǎr bù shūfu?) — “What's wrong?” To a doctor or a stranger, use 您.
发烧 (fāshāo) — “a fever”, 感冒 (gǎnmào) — “a cold”. What has happened to you takes the 了 of change: 他发烧了。(Tā fāshāo le.) — “He has a fever.” You buy medicine at a 药店 (yàodiàn) — a pharmacy.
Common mistakes:
• ×我有头疼 (×Wǒ yǒu tóu téng) → 我头疼。(Wǒ tóu téng.) — English “I have a headache” is not 有: just say 我 + body part + 疼.
• ×他是发烧 (×Tā shì fāshāo) → 他发烧了。(Tā fāshāo le.)
• ×疼肚子 (×téng dùzi) → 肚子疼 (dùzi téng) — the body part comes first.
Body parts
You already know 头; the other words are new in this lesson.
| Word | Pinyin | In English |
|---|---|---|
| 头 | tóu | head (you already know it) |
| 眼睛 | yǎnjing | eye, eyes |
| 耳朵 | ěrduo | ear, ears |
| 鼻子 | bízi | nose |
| 嘴 | zuǐ | mouth |
| 牙 | yá | tooth, teeth |
| 嗓子 | sǎngzi | throat |
| 手 | shǒu | hand |
| 肚子 | dùzi | stomach |
| 腿 | tuǐ | leg |
| 脚 | jiǎo | foot |
Lesson notes
What hurts: body part + 疼
To say what hurts, name the body part and put 疼 (téng) after it: 妈妈肚子疼。(Māma dùzi téng.) — “Mom has a stomachache”. There's no word for “have” here, and 疼 works like an adjective: 很疼 (hěn téng), 有点儿疼 (yǒudiǎnr téng). The body parts are in the table.
The question is short: 哪儿疼？(Nǎr téng?) — “Where does it hurt?” or 哪儿不舒服？(Nǎr bù shūfu?) — “What's wrong?” To a doctor or a stranger, use 您.
发烧 (fāshāo) — “a fever”, 感冒 (gǎnmào) — “a cold”. What has happened to you takes the 了 of change: 他发烧了。(Tā fāshāo le.) — “He has a fever.” You buy medicine at a 药店 (yàodiàn) — a pharmacy.
Common mistakes:
• ×我有头疼 (×Wǒ yǒu tóu téng) → 我头疼。(Wǒ tóu téng.) — English “I have a headache” is not 有: just say 我 + body part + 疼.
• ×他是发烧 (×Tā shì fāshāo) → 他发烧了。(Tā fāshāo le.)
• ×疼肚子 (×téng dùzi) → 肚子疼 (dùzi téng) — the body part comes first.