Learn Hardcore Greek: Σήμερα με πονάει το δεξί μου μπράτσο, γιατί κουβάλησα πολλές σακούλες, και ο καρπός μου είναι ακόμα λίγο πρησμένος. - Today my right arm hurts, because I carried many bags, and my wrist is still a little swollen.

Breakdown of Σήμερα με πονάει το δεξί μου μπράτσο, γιατί κουβάλησα πολλές σακούλες, και ο καρπός μου είναι ακόμα λίγο πρησμένος.

Why is it με πονάει το δεξί μου μπράτσο and not something more like το δεξί μου μπράτσο πονάει?

Both are possible, but με πονάει το δεξί μου μπράτσο is a very natural Greek way to say it.

Literally, it works like:

So Greek is structuring it more like:

This is a very common pattern with πονάω / πονάει when talking about body parts.

You can also hear:

But με πονάει το δεξί μου μπράτσο strongly highlights the experience of the person: my right arm is hurting me.

What exactly is με doing here?

με is the weak object pronoun meaning me.

In this sentence, it shows who is affected by the pain:

This is very common in Greek with body-part pain:

So even though English usually says my arm hurts, Greek often says something closer to the arm hurts me.

Why is the verb πονάει singular?