Jag har ont i örat idag.

Because ha ont is the normal Swedish way to say that something hurts.

• Jag har ont = I am in pain / It hurts
• Then you add the body part:
  • Jag har ont i örat = My ear hurts / I have pain in my ear

So even though English often uses hurt as a verb, Swedish usually uses ha ont as a fixed expression.

Ont is the form used in the expression ha ont.

You do not need to analyze it too literally every time; it is best learned as a chunk:

• ha ont = to be in pain / to hurt

You will also see it in other sentences:

• Jag har ont i huvudet. = I have a headache / My head hurts
• Hon har ont i ryggen. = Her back hurts

So for learners, the safest approach is: memorize ha ont as one common pattern.

The preposition i is used because the pain is felt in the ear.

This is very common with body parts in Swedish:

• ont i huvudet = pain in the head
• ont i magen = pain in the stomach
• ont i örat = pain in the ear

In English, we might say my ear hurts, but Swedish often prefers the structure ha ont i + body part.

Because örat is the definite singular form of öra.

• ett öra = an ear
• örat = the ear

In Swedish, body parts are often expressed with the definite form in sentences like this, especially when it is obvious whose body part is meant.

So:

• Jag har ont i örat literally looks like I have pain in the ear
• but naturally means My ear hurts

Because Swedish very often uses the definite form of the body part instead of a possessive like my, your, his, etc., when the owner is already clear.

Since the sentence starts with Jag, it is obvious that the ear belongs to the speaker.

So Swedish prefers:

• Jag har ont i örat

rather than:

• Jag har ont i mitt öra

The version with mitt öra is grammatically possible, but it sounds more marked or emphatic. In ordinary speech, i örat is the natural choice.

Because ont is not being used as a noun here.

You are not saying a pain in Swedish. Instead, you are using the fixed expression ha ont.

So:

• Jag har ont = I’m in pain / It hurts

not:

• Jag har en ont ❌

That would be incorrect.

Yes. That means I have pain in my ears today or My ears hurt today.

Compare:

• i örat = in the ear, one ear
• i öronen = in the ears, both ears or more generally the ears

So the original sentence suggests one ear hurts, while öronen suggests both ears.

Because that is a very normal, neutral place for a time expression in Swedish.

• Jag har ont i örat idag. = a natural standard sentence

But Swedish word order is somewhat flexible, and you can also move idag for emphasis:

• Idag har jag ont i örat.

That version puts more focus on today.

So both are correct, but the original sentence is a very natural default word order.

Yes. It follows standard Swedish main-clause word order:

• Jag = subject
• har = finite verb
• ont i örat = the rest of the predicate
• idag = time expression

So the basic pattern is:

Subject + finite verb + other elements

This is the usual Swedish main-clause pattern.

In a yes/no question, Swedish usually puts the verb first:

• Har du ont i örat idag? = Does your ear hurt today? / Do you have pain in your ear today?

This is very common Swedish word order:

• statement: Jag har ont i örat idag.
• question: Har du ont i örat idag?

The -t is the ending for the definite form of many ett-words.

• ett öra = an ear
• örat = the ear

So öra is a neuter noun, and its definite singular form gets -t.

For pronunciation, learners often need to notice:

• ö is not like normal English o
• r affects the vowel quality a bit in many accents
• the stress is on the first syllable: Ö-ra(t)

The exact pronunciation varies by dialect, but the key learner point is:

• learn öra
• then learn örat as its definite form

It is neutral and completely natural everyday Swedish.

You could say it:

• in conversation
• at home
• to a friend
• to a doctor
• at a pharmacy

It is a very normal way to describe pain in a body part.

Yes, but ha ont is the most common and natural one in everyday speech.

For example, a more formal or medical style might use words related to smärta or värka, but in ordinary conversation, ha ont is what learners should master first.

So if you want the most useful everyday pattern, this is the one:

• Jag har ont i örat.
• Jag har ont i huvudet.
• Jag har ont i halsen.

It is extremely common and worth learning as a set phrase.