Learn French: Où as-tu mal d'habitude ? Aux orteils ou aux mollets ? - Where do you usually have pain? In your toes or your calves?

Où as-tu mal d'habitude ? Aux orteils ou aux mollets ?

Where do you usually have pain? In your toes or your calves?

Breakdown of Où as-tu mal d'habitude ? Aux orteils ou aux mollets ?

you (informal singular)

at / to / in (general locations) / about (what one thinks about / reacts to)

où

where

Questions & Answers about Où as-tu mal d'habitude ? Aux orteils ou aux mollets ?

Why does it say aux orteils instead of à tes orteils?

In French, when it is obvious whose body part is being discussed, you use the definite article (le, la, les) instead of a possessive adjective like tes (your). Since the expression is avoir mal à (to have an ache in), the preposition à combines with les to form aux.

Is aux mandatory here, or could I just say Les orteils ou les mollets ?

Yes, aux is mandatory. You have to carry over the preposition from the main verb phrase, which is avoir mal à (to have pain in). Even in this shortened follow-up question, à + les orteils must combine into aux orteils.

I learned doigts de pied for toes. Can I use that instead of orteils?

Yes, both are very common. Orteils is the standard anatomical term and is widely used, especially in medical contexts or when discussing injuries. Doigts de pied (literally 'fingers of the foot') is slightly more colloquial but perfectly natural in everyday conversation.

Could I put d'habitude at the beginning of the sentence?