Health & the Body in Polish: Boli Mnie Głowa
Nobody plans to need this lesson; everybody eventually does. The key structure has a twist worth respecting: in Polish, pain grabs you in the accusative.
boli mnie…
The hurting part is the subject; the sufferer is accusative: Boli mnie głowa — my head hurts (literally "the head hurts me"). Plural parts take bolą: Bolą mnie plecy — my back hurts.
| Polish | English |
|---|---|
| Boli mnie głowa. | My head hurts. |
| Boli cię gardło? | Does your throat hurt? |
| Bolą mnie plecy. | My back hurts. (plecy is plural) |
| Boli go ząb. | His tooth hurts. |
The Body Basics
głowa (head), gardło (throat), brzuch (stomach), ząb/zęby (tooth/teeth), plecy (back), ręka (hand/arm), noga (leg), oko/oczy (eye/eyes).
Feeling Ill
Jestem chory / chora — I'm sick. Mam gorączkę — I have a fever. Mam katar — I have a runny nose (not a cat; that's kot, and it probably feels fine). Jestem przeziębiony/a — I have a cold.
Jestem chora — mam gorączkę i boli mnie gardło.
I'm sick — I have a fever and my throat hurts.
Note: The full sick-day report in one sentence.
Getting Help
apteka — pharmacy (the green cross); lekarz — doctor; lekarstwo — medicine; recepta — prescription. The advice grammar: trzeba + infinitive (one must): Trzeba odpocząć. And the doctor's gentle imperative: Proszę odpocząć i dużo pić.
Co panu dolega?
What's bothering you, sir?
Boli mnie gardło i mam gorączkę.
My throat hurts and I have a fever.
Przeziębienie. Proszę odpocząć i dużo pić.
A cold. Please rest and drink plenty.
Herbatka z cytryną?
Tea with lemon?
Właśnie tak.
Exactly so.
Common Mistakes
- boli mi głowa. The classic transfer error — pain is accusative: boli mnie.
- boli for plurals. plecy and zęby need bolą: bolą mnie zęby.
- mam kota at the doctor's. katar is the nose situation; kot is at home on the sofa.
What You Can Do Now
You can describe symptoms precisely, buy the right thing at the apteka, and follow a doctor's instructions — the vocabulary you hope to never need, safely installed.