Italian All-in-One For Dummies (89 page)

la testa
(lah
tehs
-tah) (
head
)

When you want to indicate the left or right body part, you must know that body part's gender. For a masculine part, you say
destro
(
dehs
-troh) (
right
) and
sinistro
(see-
nees
-troh) (
left
), whereas for a feminine part, you change the ending:
destra
(
dehs
-trah) and
sinistra
(see-
nees
-trah).

The following phrases indicate how to say something hurts. You can say what hurts in two ways: The first takes the construction
fare male
(
fah
-reh
mah
-leh) (
to hurt
). Use
fa
(fah) for body parts in the singular that hurt. Follow these examples:

Mi fa male la gamba.
(mee fah
mah
-leh lah
gahm
-bah.) (
My leg hurts.
)

Mi fa male lo stomaco.
(mee fah
mah
-leh loh
stoh
-mah-koh.) (
My stomach hurts.
)

Mi fa male tutto il corpo.
(mee fah
mah
-leh
tooht
-toh eel
kohr
-poh.) (
My whole body aches.
)

Use
fanno
(
fahn
-noh) for things in the plural that hurt.

Mi fanno male gli occhi.
(mee
fahn
-noh
mah
-leh lyee
ohk
-kee.) (
My eyes hurt.
)

The other way to say something hurts is
avere mal di . . .
(ah-
veh
-reh mahl dee)
(my . . . hurts/hurt
), but you need to conjugate the verb
avere
(ah-
veh
-reh) (
to have
), depending on who has the pain. Here are some examples:

Ho mal di schiena.
(oh mahl dee
skyeh
-nah.) (
I have a backache.
)

Ho mal di testa.
(oh mahl dee
tehs
-tah.) (
I have a headache.
)

Mia figlia ha mal di denti.
(
mee
-ah
fee
-lyah ah mahl dee
dehn
-tee.) (
My daughter has a toothache.
)

Here are even more ways to describe what ails you and explain your symptoms.

Mi sono rotto/rotta una gamba.
(mee
soh
-noh
roht
-toh/
rot
-tah
ooh
-nah
gahm
-bah.) (
I broke my leg.
) (Use the feminine participle if you're a woman.)

Ho la gola arrossata.
(oh lah
goh
-lah ahr-rohs-
sah
-tah.) (
I have a sore throat.
)

Ho la pelle irritata.
(oh lah
pehl
-leh eer-ee-
tah
-tah.) (
My skin is irritated.
)

Mi sono storto/storta il piede/la caviglia.
(mee
soh
-noh
stohr
-toh/
stohr
-tah eel
pyeh
-deh/lah cah-
vee
-lyah.) (
I sprained my foot/ankle.
)

Ho disturbi al cuore.
(oh dee-
stoohr
-bee ahl
kwoh
-reh.) (
I have heart problems.
)

Mi bruciano gli occhi.
(mee
brooh
-chah-noh lyee
ohk
-kee.) (
My eyes burn.
)

Mi sono slogata la spalla.
(mee
soh
-noh zloh-
gah
-tah lah
spahl
-lah.) (
I've dislocated my shoulder.
)

Mi sono fatta/o male alla mano.
(mee
soh
-noh
faht-
tah/toh
mah
-leh
ahl
-lah
mah
-noh.) (
I've hurt my hand.
)

Sono caduta/o.
(
soh
-noh cah-
dooh
-tah/toh.) (
I fell.
)