Mijn enkel doet pijn, maar verder gaat het goed.

Here enkel means ankle.

So:

• mijn enkel = my ankle

Be careful: enkel can also mean only / single in more formal Dutch, but in this sentence it is clearly the noun ankle.

Doet pijn is a very common Dutch way to say that something hurts.

Literally:

• doen = to do
• pijn = pain
• doet pijn = causes pain / hurts

So mijn enkel doet pijn means:

• my ankle hurts
• literally, something like my ankle gives pain

This is one of the most normal ways to talk about pain in Dutch.

Examples:

• Mijn hoofd doet pijn. = My head hurts.
• Mijn rug doet pijn. = My back hurts.
• Mijn knie doet pijn. = My knee hurts.

Because the subject is mijn enkel, which is singular.

The verb doen changes like this in the present tense:

• ik doe
• jij doet
• hij/zij/het doet
• wij doen
• jullie doen
• zij doen

Since mijn enkel is one thing, Dutch uses the singular form:

• Mijn enkel doet pijn.

If it were plural, you would say:

• Mijn enkels doen pijn. = My ankles hurt.

Yes, you can, but it is less natural in everyday speech.

• Mijn enkel doet pijn = the normal, everyday way to say My ankle hurts
• Mijn enkel is pijnlijk = My ankle is painful, which sounds a bit more formal or descriptive

A native speaker would usually prefer doet pijn in ordinary conversation.

Here verder means something like:

• otherwise
• apart from that
• for the rest

So:

• Mijn enkel doet pijn, maar verder gaat het goed. means:
• My ankle hurts, but otherwise things are going well.

It does not mean physical movement here, like further ahead. It has a more figurative meaning: in other respects.

This is because Dutch usually follows the verb-second rule in main clauses.

In a main clause, the finite verb normally comes in the second position.

Compare:

• Het gaat goed. = It’s going well.
• Verder gaat het goed. = Otherwise, it’s going well.

Here, verder is placed first for emphasis. Because that first position is already taken by verder, the verb gaat must come next, before the subject het.

So the pattern is:

• first element: verder
• second element: gaat
• subject: het
• rest: goed

This inversion is very common in Dutch.

Here het is an impersonal subject, similar to English it in sentences like:

• It is raining.
• It is going well.

It does not refer to one specific object. It is just part of the standard Dutch expression:

• het gaat goed = things are going well / it’s going well

So in this sentence, het does not mean the ankle. It refers more generally to the situation.

Maar means but.

It connects the two ideas:

• Mijn enkel doet pijn = My ankle hurts
• verder gaat het goed = otherwise things are going well

So the speaker is contrasting one negative detail with an overall positive situation:

• My ankle hurts, but otherwise I’m doing fine.

It can be general.

Het gaat goed can mean:

• I’m doing well
• things are going well
• all is well
• things are fine

In this sentence, because the speaker first mentions a physical problem, it probably means something like:

• Apart from my ankle, I’m doing fine.

So it is broader than just my body feels fine. It can refer to your general condition or situation.

Yes. Voor de rest is a very common alternative.

Compare:

• maar verder gaat het goed
• maar voor de rest gaat het goed

Both mean roughly:

• but otherwise it’s going well
• but apart from that, things are fine

Verder is slightly shorter and very natural.
Voor de rest may sound a little more explicitly like for the rest / aside from that.

Yes. You will also hear doet zeer.

Examples:

• Mijn enkel doet pijn.
• Mijn enkel doet zeer.

Both can mean My ankle hurts.

Very roughly:

• pijn is the noun pain
• zeer is more like sore / painful / hurting

In many everyday situations, both are fine, though pijn doen is extremely common.

Yes, absolutely.

In Dutch, when talking about how someone is doing, you usually say:

• Het gaat goed.
• Het gaat niet zo goed.
• Hoe gaat het?

You normally do not say ik ga goed for I’m doing well.
Ik ga usually means I am going in the sense of movement.

So:

• Het gaat goed = I’m doing well / things are going well
• Ik ga naar huis = I’m going home

That is why maar verder gaat het goed is the natural Dutch wording here.