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Questions & Answers about У меня болит рука.
What does у меня add? Why not just Болит рука?
У меня literally means “at me” and marks the possessor. Болит рука is grammatical and can mean “the arm hurts,” but without context it could sound generic. У меня болит рука clearly means “MY arm hurts,” which is the most natural way to talk about pain in your own body.
What case is меня, and why?
Меня is genitive. The preposition у (“at, by”) requires the genitive case and is a common way to express possession or states. Other forms:
- у меня
- у тебя
- у него / у неё
- у нас
- у вас
- у них
What is the grammatical subject here?
The subject is рука (nominative, feminine singular). The verb болит agrees with it (3rd person singular). Literally: “At me hurts the arm.”
Can I say Мне болит рука?
No, that’s ungrammatical in standard Russian. Say У меня болит рука or simply Рука болит. For a general “It hurts,” you can say Мне больно.
Is Моя рука болит wrong?