quelque chose fait mal
In French, "something hurts" is expressed as quelque chose fait mal.
The phrase quelque chose fait mal is used to state that a part of the body is experiencing physical pain. While this is a valid way to describe a sensation, speakers often use other constructions depending on the context. For instance, you might say J'ai une douleur to say "I have a pain" or J'ai mal partout to say "I'm hurting everywhere".
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, quelque chose fait mal translates to "something does bad" or "something does harm".
How does it change in a sentence?
While quelque chose fait mal is grammatically correct, it is more common in spoken French to use ça fait mal to mean "it hurts" when referring to a specific area or sensation. To specify a particular body part, French speakers typically do not use "quelque chose" as the subject. Instead, they use the construction avoir mal à followed by the body part, such as J'ai mal au bras for "My arm hurts".
Did you know?
- French uses the verb faire meaning 'to do' or 'to make' in fait mal to describe pain. This treats pain as an action being performed on the body rather than a state the body is in.
- The word chose in quelque chose is a linguistic sibling to the English word 'cause'. Both come from the Latin word causa, which originally meant 'reason'.
- While English speakers say 'my arm hurts' using a possessive, French speakers using avoir mal à essentially say 'I have pain at the arm'. They treat the pain as an object they possess rather than a quality of the limb.
Examples in context
- J'ai mal au dosI have back pain
- Je souffre d'une migraineI suffer from a migraine
- Ça me fait mal quand je marcheIt hurts when I walk
- J'ai mal à la têteI have a headache
- Ça fait mal quand on me critiqueIt hurts when people criticize me
- J'ai une douleur dans le dosI have a pain in my back
- J'ai une douleur vive à l'estomacI have a sharp pain in my stomach
- J'ai mal à la jambeI have leg pain
- J'ai très mal à la jambe depuis hierI have had severe leg pain since yesterday
- Je ne sais pas, mais quelque chose fait mal ici.I don't know, but something hurts here.
- Est-ce que quelque chose fait mal quand tu marches ?Does something hurt when you walk?
Example conversation
Lucas is visiting Chloé at the doctor's office.
- LucasEst-ce que quelque chose fait mal, Chloé ?Does something hurt, Chloé?
- ChloéOui, j'ai une douleur à l'épaule.Yes, I have a pain in my shoulder.
- LucasEst-ce que ça arrive souvent ?Does that happen often?
- ChloéSeulement quand je lève le bras.Only when I lift my arm.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries chose, fait, mal, quelque, CC BY-SA 4.0.
