Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| причиня́ть боль | pričinjátʹ bolʹ | imperfective |
| причини́ть боль | pričinítʹ bolʹ | perfective |
| ра́нить | ránitʹ | imperfective |
| пора́нить | poránitʹ | perfective |
When you want to describe the act of causing a sensation of pain, you use причиня́ть боль. If the hurt involves a physical wound, such as a cut or a puncture, use ра́нить. Related adjectives include ра́неный and пострада́вший for wounded or injured people, and повреждённый to describe something that is damaged or impaired, though повреждённый is most commonly used for inanimate objects or biological tissues rather than a person's general state.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase причиня́ть боль is composed of the verb причиня́ть (to cause/inflict) and the noun боль (pain).
Which one should you use?
Use причиня́ть боль when describing the act of causing a sensation of pain, whereas ра́нить specifically implies a physical wound or injury. For a completed instance of causing pain, use the perfective form причини́ть боль.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The perfective form причини́ть боль is used to describe a single, completed instance of causing pain.
How do you pronounce it?
pričinjátʹ bolʹ
Did you know?
- While причиня́ть боль describes causing pain, the phrase мне больно is used to say 'I am hurt' or 'it hurts me' by using an adverb rather than a verb.
- In Russian, if you want to say you are 'hurt' emotionally, you often use the verb обиде́ть (to offend) rather than a word for physical pain.
- The verb ра́нить is often found in epic poetry and folk songs to describe a wound inflicted by a blade, giving it a much more dramatic and archaic tone than everyday speech.
Examples in context
- Он причинил мне больHe hurt me
- Автомобиль нанес мне физический вредThe car caused physical harm to me.
- Мне больно в сердцеIt hurts me in my heart
- Мне больно в ноге.My leg hurts.
- Ты обидел меняYou hurt/offended me
- Он причинил мне эмоциональную боль.He caused me emotional pain.
- Я обижаюсь, когда ты так говоришь.I get hurt/offended when you speak like that.
- Сильные удары могут причиня́ть боль.Sil'nyye udary mogut prichinyat' bol'.Strong blows can cause pain.
Example conversation
Olga is helping Alexander with a medical bandage.
- Ольга OlgaАлександр, я сейчас начну перевязку.Aleksandr, ya seychas nachnu perevyazku.Aleksandr, I'm going to start the dressing now.
- Александр AleksandrХорошо, только старайся не причиня́ть боль.Khorosho, tol'ko staraysya ne prichinyat' bol'Okay, just try not to cause any pain.
- Ольга OlgaЯ буду очень осторожна с тобой.Ya budu ochen' ostorozhna s toboy.I will be very careful with you.
- Александр AleksandrСпасибо, Ольга.Spasibo, Ol'ga.Thank you, Olga.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hurt” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
