Breakdown of Tut das weh?
wehtun
to hurt
Questions & Answers about Tut das weh?
Why is the verb split into Tut at the beginning and weh at the end?
This comes from the separable verb wehtun (to hurt). In German, when you use a separable verb in a simple sentence or a question, the main part of the verb (tut) goes in its normal spot, and the prefix (weh) gets pushed to the very end of the sentence.
Does tut mean "does" here, like in the English "Does that hurt?"
Not exactly! In English, "does" is a helper word to form a question. German doesn't use helper words for questions; you just put the verb first. The verb here is actually wehtun (to hurt, literally "to do pain"). So Tut das weh? translates closer to "Does that cause pain?"
Can I use es instead of das here?
Yes, you could ask Tut es weh? (Does it hurt?). Using das (that) just points to the injury or action a bit more specifically, like pointing at a scratch and asking "Does that hurt?"
How do I use this verb to say that a specific body part hurts?
You make the body part the subject of the sentence. For example, "My head hurts" is Mein Kopf tut weh (literally: My head does pain). If multiple things hurt, remember to use the plural form tun instead of tut, like this: Meine Füße tun weh (My feet hurt).
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