Word
Mijn hoofd doet pijn.
Meaning
My head hurts.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Questions & Answers about Mijn hoofd doet pijn.
Why does this sentence use doet (does) instead of a single verb for "hurts"?
Dutch doesn't have a single everyday verb that matches the English "to hurt" in this context. Instead, it uses the set phrase pijn doen (literally: to do pain). So, Mijn hoofd doet pijn translates literally as "My head does pain".
Can I just say Ik heb hoofdpijn instead?
Yes, absolutely! Ik heb hoofdpijn means "I have a headache" and is actually the more common way to express this in everyday Dutch. Mijn hoofd doet pijn specifically emphasizes the physical sensation that your head is hurting.
If I wanted to say "my legs hurt", how would I change this sentence?
Because mijn benen (my legs) is plural, you just need to conjugate the verb doen to match. The sentence becomes Mijn benen doen pijn. The noun pijn (pain) stays exactly the same.
How would I say "It hurts" or "That hurts" using this structure?
You can simply say Het doet pijn (It hurts) or Dat doet pijn (That hurts). This is a very common phrase to use if you touch a bruise or scrape your knee.