Estou com dor de garganta desde ontem à noite.

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Breakdown of Estou com dor de garganta desde ontem à noite.

• estar: to be
• de: of
• com dor: in pain

Questions & Answers about Estou com dor de garganta desde ontem à noite.

Why is it estou com dor de garganta instead of tenho dor de garganta?

In Brazilian Portuguese, estar com + symptom/condition is a very common way to talk about a temporary physical state.

So:

• Estou com dor de garganta = I have a sore throat
• Estou com febre = I have a fever
• Estou com dor de cabeça = I have a headache

You can say tenho dor de garganta, but it often sounds less natural for a temporary illness, or it can sound more general/habitual, depending on context.

For a symptom you have right now, estou com is usually the most natural choice.

What does dor de garganta literally mean?

Literally, it means pain of throat.

Breakdown:

• dor = pain
• garganta = throat
• dor de garganta = throat pain / sore throat

Even though the literal structure is different from English, this is the normal Portuguese expression for sore throat.

Why is there de in dor de garganta?

The de links the pain to the body part.

This pattern is very common in Portuguese:

• dor de cabeça = headache
• dor de dente = toothache
• dor de barriga = stomachache

So dor de garganta is just the standard expression built on the same pattern.