Now that you know the body parts, it's time to say when something hurts. In this lesson you'll learn three everyday Brazilian ways to say 'my head hurts' — all natural, all used daily. You'll also meet 'as costas' (the back), one of the sneakiest words in Portuguese because it's always plural. By the end, you'll be able to complain about any ache, pain, or sore spot like a true carioca.
Learning tips
- 'Doer' works like 'to hurt' in English — the body part is the subject: 'A cabeça dói' (the head hurts). Match the verb to the body part: sing. 'dói', plural 'doem'.
- Three equally common BR patterns: 'A minha cabeça dói' / 'Dói a minha cabeça' / 'Está doendo a minha cabeça' — pick whichever rolls off the tongue.
- 'As costas' (the back) is always plural — 'as costas doem', never 'a costa dói'. Same trick as English 'scissors' or 'pants'.
- 'Coitado!' / 'Coitada!' (poor thing!) is the Brazilian expression of sympathy when someone's hurting.
Warm-up & Active Recall
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| a cabeça | the head |
| o braço | the arm |
| a mão | the hand |
| a perna | the leg |
| o pé | the foot |
| o olho | the eye |
| a boca | the mouth |
| o nariz | the nose |
| o dente | the tooth |
| o cabelo | the hair |
Dialog
Thiago shows up at Beatriz's apartment in Santa Teresa looking worn out. Listen for all three ways he describes his pain: 'minha cabeça está doendo' (progressive), 'está doendo o estômago' (inverted order), and 'as costas doem' (plural agreement). Notice also how Beatriz uses 'coitado!' — the go-to Brazilian expression of sympathy.
Vocabulary
Active words
| Word | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| doer | /doˈeʁ/ | to hurt | Infinitive — 'doer'. The body part is the subject |
| doendo | /doˈẽ.du/ | hurting (gerund) | Used with 'estar' for the progressive: 'está doendo' |
| a dor | /a ˈdoʁ/ | the pain | Feminine noun |
| a dor de cabeça | /a ˈdoʁ dʒi kaˈbe.sɐ/ | the headache | Literally 'the pain of head' |
| o estômago | /u isˈto.ma.ɡu/ | the stomach | Masculine — note the circumflex on the 'ô' |
| as costas | /as ˈkɔs.tɐs/ | the back | ALWAYS plural in Portuguese — 'as costas'. Verb is plural too: 'as costas doem' |
| forte | /ˈfɔʁ.tʃi/ | strong, intense | For describing pain intensity: 'A dor é forte' |
| um pouco | /ũ ˈpo.ku/ | a little | For mild pain: 'Dói um pouco' |
| muito | /ˈmũj̃.tu/ | a lot, very | For intense pain: 'Dói muito' |
| o remédio | /u ʁeˈmɛ.dʒi.u/ | the medicine | Masculine. Note: pill = 'comprimido', syrup = 'xarope' |
Passive words
| Word | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| a enxaqueca | /a ẽ.ʃaˈke.kɐ/ | the migraine | A stronger headache |
| a garganta | /a ɡaʁˈɡɐ̃.tɐ/ | the throat | Feminine — 'dor de garganta' = sore throat |
| inchado | /ĩˈʃa.du/ | swollen | Agrees with gender: inchado/inchada |
| machucado | /ma.ʃuˈka.du/ | hurt, injured | Agrees with gender: machucado/machucada |
| aliviar | /a.liviˈaʁ/ | to relieve, to ease | For pain relief |
| passar | /paˈsaʁ/ | to pass, to go away | 'A dor vai passar' = the pain will pass |
Useful chunks
| Word | Translation |
|---|---|
| está doendo | it's hurting (progressive — very common in BR speech) |
| a minha cabeça dói | my head hurts (lit. 'the my head hurts') |
Grammar: 'Doer' in Brazilian Portuguese — three common patterns and subject agreement
| Padrão | Exemplo | Observação |
|---|---|---|
| Minha X dói | Minha cabeça dói. | Comum, sujeito = parte do corpo |
| Dói a minha X | Dói a minha cabeça. | Ordem invertida, também comum |
| Está doendo a minha X | Está doendo a minha cabeça. | Progressivo — 'it's hurting' |
Concordância — a parte do corpo é o sujeito, e o verbo concorda com ela:
| Sujeito | Verbo | Exemplo |
|---|---|---|
| A cabeça (sing.) | dói | A minha cabeça dói. |
| Os pés (plural) | doem | Os meus pés doem. |
| As costas (plural!) | doem | As costas doem. |
| O estômago (sing.) | dói | O meu estômago está doendo. |
Cuidado: 'as costas' (the back) é sempre plural em português — sempre 'as costas doem', não 'a costa dói'.
Intensidade: 'Dói um pouco' (a little) / 'Dói muito' (a lot) / 'A dor é forte' (the pain is strong).
In English, you say 'I have a headache' or 'my head hurts'. In Brazilian Portuguese, the body part is the grammatical subject of the verb 'doer' (to hurt). There are three equally common patterns:
| Pattern | Example | Literal meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Minha X dói. | Minha cabeça dói. | 'My head hurts.' |
| Dói a minha X. | Dói a minha cabeça. | '(It) hurts (me) the my head.' |
| Está doendo a minha X. | Está doendo a minha cabeça. | '(It) is hurting the my head.' |
All three are natural and interchangeable. The third one (progressive) is especially common in everyday speech — it emphasizes that the pain is happening right now.
Subject-verb agreement — the verb matches the body part:
| Subject | Verb | Example |
|---|---|---|
| A cabeça (sing.) | dói | Minha cabeça dói. |
| Os pés (plural) | doem | Meus pés doem. |
| As costas (always plural!) | doem | As costas doem. |
| O estômago (sing.) | dói / está doendo | Meu estômago está doendo. |
Watch out: 'as costas' (the back) is always plural in Portuguese — never 'a costa dói'. Same with 'os rins' (the kidneys).
Describing intensity:
- Dói um pouco (hurts a little)
- Dói muito (hurts a lot)
- A dor é forte (the pain is strong)
- A dor é leve (the pain is mild)
Exercises
Fill in the Blanks
Complete each sentence with the right verb form or word.
- A minha cabeça muito. (doer)(doer — singular subject 'a cabeça')
- Os meus pés depois do trabalho. (doer)(doer — plural subject 'os pés')
- Está o estômago.(gerund — 'está ______')
- A dor é , preciso de remédio.(strong, intense)
- As doem — dirigi muito hoje.(the back — always plural)
Grammar Application
Conjugate 'doer' and transform between patterns.
- Conjugue 'doer' com 'a cabeça': A cabeça (doer — 3rd pers. sing.)
- Conjugue 'doer' com 'os olhos': Os olhos (doer — 3rd pers. plural)
- Transforme para progressivo: A cabeça dói → A cabeça (progressive — 'estar' + gerund)
- Transforme para progressivo: Os pés doem → Os pés (progressive plural — 'estar' 3rd pl. + gerund)
- Inverta a ordem: A minha cabeça dói → a minha cabeça(inverted order — verb first)
Translation (English → Portuguese)
Translate each sentence. Remember: any of the three patterns is fine.
- My head hurts.
- My feet hurt a lot.
- My back is hurting.
- The pain is strong.
- Does your stomach hurt?
Creative Construction
Describe a day when everything hurts. Use at least 4 body parts and vary your patterns (dói / está doendo / doem).
Takeaway
Three equally natural ways to say 'my head hurts' in BR: 'Minha cabeça dói', 'Dói a minha cabeça', 'Está doendo a minha cabeça'. The body part is the subject — singular → dói, plural → doem. 'As costas' is always plural.