Russian · TORFL Band 1 (A1) · Chapter 29
Что у тебя болит?What hurts?
Talking about the body and health. Vocabulary: тело, голова, живот, горло, рука, нога, спина, болеть, больной, здоровый, врач. Key grammar: to say something hurts, the body part is the subject, and the person goes in the genitive after "у": "У меня болит голова" (my head hurts), "У него болит горло" (his throat hurts). One part — "болит", several — "болят": "У меня болят ноги" (my legs hurt). English speakers make themselves the subject and add the body part as an object: "Я болею голову" ✗ → "У меня болит голова" ✓. ("Я болею" without an object means "I am ill".) At the doctor's: "Что у вас болит?" (What hurts?), the answer — "У меня…", the wish — "Выздоравливай!" (Get well!). Reading corner: "г" = "v" in "его", "него", "сегодня".
Dialogue
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Я болею голову / У меня болит голова
- IvanМайк,тыплоховыглядишь.Чтослучилось?Mike, you look unwell. What happened?
- MikeЯболеюголову.My head hurts. (slip: the body part is the subject, and you go in «у» + genitive: «У меня болит голова»)
- IvanСкажи:«Уменяболитголова».Головаболит,неты.Say: "У меня болит голова". The head hurts, not you.
- MikeПонял:уменяболитголова.Игорлотоже.Got it: my head hurts. And my throat too.
- IvanТебенадокврачу.Тыболеешь.You need to see a doctor. You are ill.
- MikeДа,пойдусегодня.Спасибо,Иван.Yes, I'll go today. Thanks, Ivan.
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У врача— At the doctor's
- AnyaЗдравствуйте.Чтоувасболит?Hello. What hurts?
- IvanУменяболитживотсовчера.My stomach has hurt since yesterday.
- AnyaАголоваболит?Естьтемпература?And does your head hurt? Do you have a temperature?
- IvanГолованеболит,нотемператураесть.My head doesn't hurt, but I have a temperature.
- AnyaПейтебольшеводыиотдыхайте.Drink more water and rest.
- IvanСпасибо,доктор.Досвидания!Thank you, doctor. Goodbye!
Vocabulary
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- тело
nounbody
- голова
nounhead
- живот
nounbelly, stomach
- горло
nounthroat
- рука
nounhand, arm
- нога
nounleg, foot
- спина
nounback
- болеть
verbto hurt; to be ill
- больной
adjectiveill, sick
- здоровый
adjectivehealthy
- врач
noundoctor
Grammar
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"У меня болит…" — the body part as subject
Explanation
In Russian, pain is expressed in a special way. The body part is the SUBJECT, and the person goes in the genitive after the preposition "у": "У меня болит голова" — literally "at me hurts the head". Forms: у меня, у тебя, у него, у неё, у нас, у вас. The verb agrees with the body part: one thing — "болит", several — "болят": "У меня болят ноги" (my legs hurt). Typical mistake: English speakers make themselves the subject and say "Я болею голову" ✗ — that is impossible. Correct: "У меня болит голова" ✓. (Note: "Я болею" without an object is correct and means "I am ill, I have a cold".) At the doctor's they ask: "Что у вас болит?" (What hurts?). To wish health: "Выздоравливай!" (Get well!) or "Не болей!" (Don't be ill!).
Examples
- У меня болит голова.My head hurts.
- У него болят ноги.His legs hurt.
- У меня болит горло, я болею.My throat hurts, I am ill.
- Что у вас болит?What hurts (you)?
Cyrillic
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«г» = «в» в «его», «него», «сегодня»— "г" = "v" in "его", "него", "сегодня"
There is one letter that sometimes "deceives": "г". Usually it is a hard "g" sound (голова, нога, горло). But in the endings "-его" and "-ого" and in a few common words, "г" is read as "v"! So "его" = "yevo", "него" = "nyevo" (needed for "у него болит…"), "сегодня" = "sevodnya", "ничего" = "nichevo". This is not a mistake but a rule: we write "г", we say "v". Learn these words by heart — they come up all the time. Read them aloud.
Read the words aloud:
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