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O paciente volta a ter dor nas costas.

O paciente volta a ter dor nas costas.
The patient has back pain again.
From Lesson 179:Doing things again (voltar a)·Portuguese (Portugal)

Questions & Answers about O paciente volta a ter dor nas costas.

How does volta a ter translate to having something again?
The verb voltar means to return. When you use the pattern voltar a followed by an infinitive verb like ter, it means to do that action again. Instead of adding a separate word for again, Portuguese often uses this structure to mean returns to having.
Why is the back translated as nas costas?
In Portuguese, the body part back is always plural: as costas. To say in the back, you combine the preposition em with the plural feminine article as to get nas. Be careful not to use the singular costa, which means the coastline of a country!
Could I say ter dores nas costas instead of ter dor?
Yes! Both ter dor (singular) and ter dores (plural) are very common and often used interchangeably for back pain. Using the singular dor here simply describes the pain as a general symptom.
How do we know if paciente is male or female here?
The word paciente itself does not change its ending for masculine or feminine. We know this specific patient is male because of the masculine definite article o right before it. If it were a female patient, the sentence would start with a paciente.

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