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Questions & Answers about Dói-me a garganta hoje.
Why does it say a garganta (the throat) instead of a minha garganta (my throat)?
In Portuguese, when you talk about body parts, you usually use the definite article (a or o) instead of a possessive word like minha (my). Because you use the pronoun me (to me) earlier in the sentence, it is already clear whose throat is hurting!
What exactly does -me do in this sentence?
It tells us who is experiencing the pain. Literally, this sentence translates closer to "The throat hurts to me." The verb doer (to hurt) is almost always used with an indirect object pronoun like me (to me), te (to you), or lhe (to him/her/you formal) to show who feels the ache.
Why does the sentence start with the verb (Dói) instead of the throat?
It is very common in Portuguese to put the subject at the end of the sentence when talking about pain. While you could technically say A garganta dói-me, starting with Dói-me sounds much more natural to native speakers.
What is the dictionary form of the verb Dói?
The dictionary form (infinitive) is doer (to hurt or ache). It is an irregular verb. You will mostly hear it used in the "it" form (dói, for a single body part like a garganta) or the "they" form (doem, for multiple body parts, like the eyes).