Where it hurts: yujiʿunii and mariid bi-
Pain here is not "I have a pain" but "a part of the body torments me". The owner of the pain is signed right in the sentence. "yuʾlimnii zahrii" — my back hurts, literally "my back gives me pain". Who ails stands at the end; what ails — at the beginning. For example: “يوجعني ظهري من الجلوس الطويل” — My back hurts from sitting a long time. A rule from the Arabic course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a…
How it works
Pain here is not "I have a pain" but "a part of the body torments me". The owner of the pain is signed right in the sentence. "yuʾlimnii zahrii" — my back hurts, literally "my back gives me pain". Who ails stands at the end; what ails — at the beginning.
The same turn works with any organ: "al-maʿida tuʾlimnii" — my stomach hurts, "ʿazmatii tuʾlimnii" — my bone hurts. And if two parts ache, the verb takes the dual: "rijlayya tuʾlimaani" — both feet hurt.
The illness itself is spoken of through the preposition "bi-": "mariid bi-s-sukariiy" — sick with diabetes, "mariid bi-l-influenza" — sick with the flu. And what one is treated for goes with "min": "ad-dawaaʾ li-l-wajaʿ" — the medicine for the pain. So: "li-" is for what, "min" is from what.
Table
| what is reported | shape (text) | reading |
|---|---|---|
| a headache (I have) | يوجعني رأسي | yujiʿunii raasii |
| the stomach hurts | المعدة تؤلمني | al-maʿida tuʾlimnii |
| a sore throat | ألم في الحلق | alam fii al-halq |
| sick with diabetes | مريض بالسكري | mariid bi-s-sukkaarii |
| a medicine for a headache | دواء للصداع | dawaau li-s-sudaaʿ |
| a diet without sugar | حمية من السكر | himiiya min as-sukkaarii |
| an anti-inflammatory | مضاد للالتهاب | musadd li-l-altihaab |
| I have a headache | عندي صداع | ʿandii sudaaʿ |
By example
- يوجعني ظهري من الجلوس الطويلйюджиʿни захрии мин аль-джулюус ат-тауиильMy back hurts from sitting a long time
- المريض بالسكري يحتاج عناية كل يومаль-марид би-с-суккарийя йухтаадж ʿинаая куль йаумThe patient with diabetes needs care every day
- المضاد الحيوي دواء للعدوى لا للفيروسаль-мисаад аль-хайавий давааʾ ли-ль-ʿадва ля ли-ль-фйрусThe antibiotic is a medicine for an infection, not for a virus
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
How to say my back hurts in Arabic?
Pain here is not "I have a pain" but "a part of the body torments me". The owner of the pain is signed right in the sentence. "yuʾlimnii zahrii" — my back hurts, literally "my back gives me pain". Who ails stands at the end; what ails — at the beginning.
The preposition bi with illnesses in Arabic?
The illness itself is spoken of through the preposition "bi-": "mariid bi-s-sukariiy" — sick with diabetes, "mariid bi-l-influenza" — sick with the flu. And what one is treated for goes with "min": "ad-dawaaʾ li-l-wajaʿ" — the medicine for the pain. So: "li-" is for what, "min" is from what.
How to say sick with diabetes in Arabic?
The illness itself is spoken of through the preposition "bi-": "mariid bi-s-sukariiy" — sick with diabetes, "mariid bi-l-influenza" — sick with the flu. And what one is treated for goes with "min": "ad-dawaaʾ li-l-wajaʿ" — the medicine for the pain. So: "li-" is for what, "min" is from what.
Whose pain in an arabic sentence?
Pain here is not "I have a pain" but "a part of the body torments me". The owner of the pain is signed right in the sentence. "yuʾlimnii zahrii" — my back hurts, literally "my back gives me pain". Who ails stands at the end; what ails — at the beginning.
What does it look like in a Arabic example sentence?
“يوجعني ظهري من الجلوس الطويل” (йюджиʿни захрии мин аль-джулюус ат-тауииль) — My back hurts from sitting a long time. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.