Questions & Answers about A mão dói.
Why is it a mão? Don't most words ending in -ão use the masculine article o?
Where does the word dói come from?
Dói is the "it" (third-person singular) form of the verb doer, which means "to hurt" or "to ache".
Why is there an accent on the 'o' in dói?
The acute accent (´) tells you to pronounce the "o" with an open sound, making it rhyme with the English word "boy". Without it, the vowel sound would be more closed.
In English we usually say "My hand hurts". Can I just say A mão dói in Portuguese?
Yes! In Portuguese, it is very common to use the definite article (a or o) instead of a possessive word (like minha) when talking about your own body parts, as long as it is clear from the context whose hand is hurting.
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