LingoflyWhat hurts: με πονάει το κεφάλι
"My head hurts" turns around in Greek: the head does the hurting, and you become a small word placed before the verb. Με (me) πονάει το κεφάλι μου (ponái to kefáli mu) — word for word, "me hurts my head". For example: “Με (me) πονάει ο λαιμός μου” (ponái o lemós mu) — My throat hurts. A rule from the Greek course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
"My head hurts" turns around in Greek: the head does the hurting, and you become a small word placed before the verb. Με (me) πονάει το κεφάλι μου (ponái to kefáli mu) (me ponái to kefáli mu) — word for word, "me hurts my head".
The verb agrees with what aches, not with you. One place — πονάει (ponái): Με (me) πονάει (ponái) ο λαιμός (o lemós) (me ponái o lemós). Several places — πονάνε (ponáne): Με (me) πονάνε τα (ta) πόδια (pódia) (me ponáne ta pódia). On its own, with no place named, Πονάω simply means "I am in pain".
Table
| one place aches | several places ache | |
|---|---|---|
| at me | με (me) πονάει (ponái) το κεφάλι (to kefáli) | με (me) πονάνε τα (ta) πόδια (pódia) |
| at you | σε (se) πονάει (ponái) το κεφάλι (to kefáli) | σε (se) πονάνε τα (ta) πόδια (pódia) |
| at him | τον (ton) πονάει (ponái) το κεφάλι (to kefáli) | τον (ton) πονάνε τα (ta) πόδια (pódia) |
By example
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
What hurts: how does it work in Greek?
"My head hurts" turns around in Greek: the head does the hurting, and you become a small word placed before the verb. Με (me) πονάει το κεφάλι μου (ponái to kefáli mu) — word for word, "me hurts my head".
What does it look like in a Greek example sentence?
“Με (me) πονάει ο λαιμός μου” (ponái o lemós mu) (me ponái o lemós mu) — My throat hurts. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.