Learn Hardcore Romanian: Doctorița spune că temperatura mea nu este mare, dar încă mă doare puțin capul. - The female doctor says that my temperature is not high, but my head still hurts a little.

So -iță is a feminine form, and the final -a on doctorița is the definite article (“the”) attached to the noun, as Romanian usually puts the article at the end of the word.

Why is the definite article attached at the end in doctorița and capul instead of using a separate word like “the”?

Romanian uses enclitic definite articles, which means “the” is added at the end of the noun:

doctoriță → doctorița = the female doctor
cap → capul = the head
temperatură → temperatura = the temperature

So instead of the doctor, the head, the temperature, Romanian says literally doctor-the, head-the, temperature-the by attaching -a, -ul, etc., depending on gender and ending of the noun.

Why is it temperatura mea, and not mea temperatura like “my temperature” in English?

In Romanian, possessive adjectives usually come after the noun, not before:

temperatura mea = my temperature (literally: temperature my)
capul meu = my head
mașina ta = your car

So the correct order is:

noun + definite article + possessive
temperatura mea, capul meu, doctorul lui, etc.

Putting mea before (mea temperatura) would be incorrect in standard Romanian.

Why do they say temperatura mea nu este mare instead of something like “temperatura mea nu este înaltă” for “not high”?

In Romanian, for body temperature, the natural word is mare (literally “big”), not înaltă:

temperatură mare = high temperature
temperatură mică = low temperature

So:

Temperatura mea nu este mare = My temperature is not high.
Saying nu este înaltă would sound odd here; înalt is used more for height (a tall person, a tall building), not for body temperature.

Can nu este be shortened, and is temperatura mea nu e mare also correct?

Yes. Nu este often becomes nu e in everyday speech and informal writing.

So both are correct:

Temperatura mea nu este mare. (more neutral/formal)
Temperatura mea nu e mare. (more informal/natural in conversation)

The meaning is the same: My temperature is not high.

What is the role of că in spune că temperatura mea nu este mare?

Că is a subordinating conjunction meaning “that” in reported speech:

Doctorița spune că temperatura mea nu este mare.
= The doctor says that my temperature is not high.

Just like in English you can often drop “that”, in Romanian you must keep că in this kind of sentence.
You cannot say: ✗ Doctorița spune temperatura mea nu este mare.
You need: Doctorița spune că temperatura mea nu este mare.

What exactly does încă mean here, and why is it placed before mă doare?

Încă usually means “still” or “yet” in a temporal sense:

dar încă mă doare puțin capul = but my head still hurts a bit.

Placement:

Încă normally comes before the verb or verb phrase it modifies:
- încă mă doare (still hurts me)
- încă este frig (it’s still cold)

Putting încă after the verb (mă doare încă capul) is possible but sounds less natural and more marked; the default neutral position is încă mă doare.

Why do we say mă doare capul and not something like capul meu doare to mean “my head hurts”?

Romanian uses a special construction for “X hurts (me)”:

(pe mine) mă doare X = X hurts me / I have pain in X

So:

Mă doare capul. = My head hurts.
Literally: “[me] hurts the head.”

The pattern is:

mă (me) / te (you) / îl/o ne (him/her/us), etc. – a clitic pronoun
doare – the verb “to hurt” in 3rd person singular
the body part with a definite article: capul, spatele, mâna…

Capul meu doare is grammatically possible but sounds strange and is not how pain is normally expressed in Romanian. You should stick to mă doare capul.

What does the mă in mă doare do, and is it a reflexive verb here?

Mă is a clitic pronoun meaning “me” (accusative case).
The construction is not exactly reflexive like I wash myself, but it looks similar:

mă doare capul = the head hurts me
te doare spatele = your back hurts (literally: the back hurts you)

So:

mă = me
doare = hurts (3rd person singular)
capul = the head

The subject in form is the body part (capul), which "hurts" someone (expressed by mă / te / ne etc.).

Why is capul used with the definite article (the head) if in English we just say “my head hurts”?

Romanian often uses the definite article with body parts when it’s clear whose body part it is from the pronoun or the context:

Mă doare capul. (literally: the head hurts me)
Îl dor ochii. (his eyes hurt. literally: hurt him the eyes.)

Since mă already shows the person (“me”), Romanian doesn’t usually say capul meu here; just capul is enough.
This is a common pattern: definite article + clitic pronoun → ownership is understood.

Why is puțin placed between doare and capul: mă doare puțin capul, and not mă doare capul puțin?

Both word orders are possible, but mă doare puțin capul is the more neutral and common one.

Mă doare puțin capul.
Literally: It hurts me a little, the head. → My head hurts a bit.
Mă doare capul puțin.
Also understandable, but sounds slightly more marked or colloquial, with a bit more focus at the end on “a little”.

General tendency: adverbs like puțin often go just after the verb in neutral sentences:

mă doare puțin
mă simt puțin obosit (I feel a bit tired)

What’s the difference between puțin and puțintel or un pic in this kind of sentence?

All three can mean “a little / a bit”, but they differ in tone:

puțin – neutral, common:
- mă doare puțin capul = my head hurts a bit.
puțintel – a diminutive, often a bit softer or more colloquial:
- mă doare puțintel capul = my head hurts just a little.
un pic – very common in spoken language:
- mă doare un pic capul = my head hurts a bit.

They’re all correct; puțin and un pic are especially frequent in daily speech.

Can this sentence be said in a more informal, spoken way?

Yes, a slightly more informal/natural spoken version might be:

Doctorița zice că temperatura mea nu e mare, dar încă mă doare puțin capul.

Changes:

spune → zice (more colloquial: “says”)
nu este → nu e (shortened form)

Grammatically it’s the same; it just sounds a bit more like casual conversation.

How would you change the sentence if more than one thing hurt, like “my head and my throat still hurt a bit”?

When the body part is plural, doare becomes dor:

Mă dor puțin capul și gâtul.
= My head and throat still hurt a bit.
(literally: hurt me a little the head and the throat.)

Complete sentence:

Doctorița spune că temperatura mea nu este mare, dar încă mă dor puțin capul și gâtul.

Pattern:

singular body part → mă doare (mă doare capul)
plural or multiple body parts → mă dor (mă dor ochii, mă dor genunchii / spatele și umerii)