Word
O peito dói-lhe quando corre.
Meaning
His chest hurts when he runs.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Questions & Answers about O peito dói-lhe quando corre.
Why does it say O peito (the chest) instead of O seu peito (his chest)?
In Portuguese, when talking about body parts, we usually use the definite article (o or a) instead of a possessive word like seu. The sentence makes it clear whose chest it is by using the pronoun lhe (to him) right after the verb.
What is the role of lhe in dói-lhe?
lhe is an indirect object pronoun meaning "to him", "to her", or "to you" (formal). In this sentence, it literally means the chest hurts "to him". Combined with the definite article, this is the standard way to show whose body part is hurting in Portuguese!
How does the verb doer (to hurt) work here?
doer works a bit differently than its English translation. The body part (o peito) is actually the subject of the sentence doing the action, and it is doing the hurting to the person (lhe). Because o peito is singular, the verb is in the singular form dói. If his legs were hurting, it would be plural: As pernas doem-lhe.
Why is there a hyphen in dói-lhe?