Questions & Answers about Mein Arm tut weh.
Why do we use tut (does) here?
In German, the verb for 'to hurt' is wehtun, which literally translates to 'to do ache' or 'to do pain'. Because it is a separable verb, the tun part is conjugated as tut to match mein Arm (it), and the prefix weh goes to the end of the sentence.
How would I say 'My arm hurts today' using this sentence structure?
You would say Mein Arm tut heute weh. Because wehtun is a separable verb, the conjugated part (tut) stays in the second position of the sentence, and the prefix (weh) gets pushed to the very end.
Can I also say Mein Arm tut mir weh?
Why is it mein Arm and not meinen Arm?
Arm is a masculine noun (der Arm). Because the arm is the subject of this sentence (it is the thing doing the hurting), it must be in the nominative case. Therefore, we use the basic possessive word mein without any extra endings.
Learn Mein Arm tut weh and more in German
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free