Tai tôi đau.

me

Breakdown of Tai tôi đau.

• đau: to hurt; be sore
• tai: the ear

Questions & Answers about Tai tôi đau.

Why is tôi after tai instead of before it?

In Vietnamese, possession is usually expressed as:

noun + possessor

So:

• tai tôi = my ear
• literally, it looks like ear I

This is normal Vietnamese word order, not unusual or poetic. Other examples:

• nhà tôi = my house
• bạn tôi = my friend
• mẹ tôi = my mother

So tai tôi đau is built around tai tôi = my ear.

Is there a missing word for is in this sentence?

No. Vietnamese often does not use a word equivalent to is in sentences with adjectives or physical states.

So:

• Tai tôi đau literally follows the pattern my ear painful/hurts
• It naturally means My ear hurts

This is very common in Vietnamese. For example:

• Tôi mệt = I am tired
• Cô ấy đẹp = She is beautiful

So there is no missing word here.

What part of speech is đau here?