German · A1 · Family moment
A poorly day in German
Simple German phrases to comfort and care for a child who feels unwell. Practise asking where it hurts and talking about body parts. Use the informal du forms with your child.
What you'll learn
- Ask your child where it hurts.
- Describe a tummy ache and a fever.
- Offer water, rest and reassurance.
- Use simple sentences with wehtun (to hurt).
German phrases for a poorly day
Wo tut es weh?
Where does it hurt?
A gentle, everyday question. Wo means where.
Mein Bauch tut weh.
My tummy hurts.
Bauch is the everyday word for tummy or belly.
Du hast Fieber.
You have a fever.
German uses haben (to have) with Fieber, without an article.
Trink etwas Wasser.
Drink some water.
Trink is the informal command for one person. Use a gentle tone.
Lass uns auf dem Sofa ausruhen.
Let's rest on the sofa.
Lass uns introduces a suggestion to do something together.
Hier ist deine Medizin.
Here is your medicine.
Deine means your here and agrees with the feminine noun Medizin.
Dir geht es bald wieder besser.
You will feel better soon.
A natural reassurance. Bald means soon; wieder means again.
Ich bleibe bei dir.
I am staying with you.
Bei dir means with you here. German uses the simple present for am staying.
Hear these phrases and practise them
Tildi plays every phrase out loud, tests you in five-minute lessons and builds them into bedtime stories from your own picture books.
Try it free for 7 daysKey words
der Bauch; plural: die Bäuche
tummy; belly
Use mein Bauch for my tummy.
der Kopf; plural: die Köpfe
head
Mein Kopf tut weh means my head hurts.
der Hals; plural: die Hälse
throat; neck
Mein Hals tut weh usually describes a sore throat.
das Ohr; plural: die Ohren
ear
Use mein Ohr for one ear and meine Ohren for both ears.
das Bein; plural: die Beine
leg
Mein Bein tut weh means my leg hurts.
das Fieber; plural: —
fever
Normally used without a plural. Say Fieber haben for to have a fever.
das Wasser; plural: —
water
No plural is needed when talking about drinking water.
das Sofa; plural: die Sofas
sofa
Auf dem Sofa means on the sofa.
die Medizin; plural: —
medicine
Normally used without a plural in this sense.
wehtun
to hurt
A separable verb: tut weh with one body part, tun weh with more than one.
Asking where it hurts
Start with Wo (where), then tut, then es. The separated part weh goes at the end.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Simple question | Wo + tut + es + weh? | Wo tut es weh? — Where does it hurt? |
| Question with you | Wo + tut + es + dir + weh? | Wo tut es dir weh? — Where does it hurt? |
Saying which body part hurts
Name the body part first. Use tut weh for a singular body part and tun weh for plural body parts. Mein goes with masculine and neuter singular nouns; meine goes with feminine singular nouns and all plural nouns.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine singular | Mein + body part + tut weh. | Mein Bauch tut weh. — My tummy hurts. |
| Neuter singular | Mein + body part + tut weh. | Mein Ohr tut weh. — My ear hurts. |
| Plural | Meine + body parts + tun weh. | Meine Beine tun weh. — My legs hurt. |
Gentle instructions and shared suggestions
Use a short command such as Trink when speaking to one child. You usually leave out du. Use Lass uns followed by an infinitive to suggest something together.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Instruction | Trink + drink. | Trink etwas Wasser. — Drink some water. |
| Shared suggestion | Lass uns + place + ausruhen. | Lass uns auf dem Sofa ausruhen. — Let's rest on the sofa. |
More examples
Tut dein Bauch weh?
Does your tummy hurt?
For a yes-or-no question, put tut first.
Mein Kopf tut weh.
My head hurts.
Replace Bauch with Kopf to describe a different pain.
Meine Ohren tun weh.
My ears hurt.
Ohren is plural, so use meine and tun.
Trink bitte etwas Wasser. Ich bleibe bei dir.
Please drink some water. I am staying with you.
Bitte adds please to the instruction.