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Lesson 26.1A2

Health & Body

ఆరోగ్యం మరియు శరీర భాగాలు

Describing pain and symptoms in German routes through the dative case — 'my head hurts' literally becomes 'to me the head does pain' — and Telugu reaches for its own dative-experiencer pattern to describe exactly this kind of bodily sensation.

Grammar Comparison

వ్యాకరణ పోలిక

weh tun + dative ≈ Telugu's dative-experiencer pattern

German

Mir tut der Kopf weh. (My head hurts — literally 'to me the head does pain')

Telugu

నాకు తలనొప్పిగా ఉంది. (to-me headache-ly is — the experiencer takes dative, the ailment is a descriptive adverbial)

Both languages resist making 'I' the grammatical subject of a pain sentence. German instead promotes the body part itself, der Kopf, to nominative subject, with mir sitting in the dative as the one who feels it. Telugu builds the sentence a little differently: the experiencer still takes the dative suffix -కి/-కు (నాకు), but the ailment appears as a descriptive form (తలనొప్పిగా, 'headache-ly') followed by ఉంది, the same general-purpose existential verb that also underlies Telugu's 'to have' construction. So rather than a body part standing up as the subject of a dedicated 'hurt' verb the way German's der Kopf does, Telugu treats the whole ailment as existentially 'there' at the dative-marked person — one flexible dative-experiencer pattern doing double duty for possession, hunger, and pain alike.

Vocabulary

పదజాలం

der Kopfdair kopf
Telugu
తలthala
English
head
der Halsdair hahls
Telugu
మెడmeda
English
throat / neck
das Augedahs OW-geh
Telugu
కన్నుkannu
English
eye
das Ohrdahs or
Telugu
చెవిchevi
English
ear
die Nasedee NAH-zeh
Telugu
ముక్కుmukku
English
nose
der Munddair moont
Telugu
నోరుnoru
English
mouth
der Zahndair tsahn
Telugu
పన్నుpannu
English
tooth
die Schulterdee SHOOL-ter
Telugu
భుజంbhujam
English
shoulder
der Armdair arm
Telugu
చేయిcheyyi
English
arm
die Handdee hahnt
Telugu
చేయిcheyyi
English
hand
der Fingerdair FING-er
Telugu
వేలుvelu
English
finger
der Bauchdair bowkh
Telugu
కడుపుkadupu
English
stomach
der Rückendair RUEK-en
Telugu
వీపుveepu
English
back
das Herzdahs hairts
Telugu
గుండెgunde
English
heart
das Beindahs byn
Telugu
కాలుkaalu
English
leg
das Kniedahs k-NEE
Telugu
మోకాలుmokaalu
English
knee
der Fußdair foos
Telugu
పాదంpaadam
English
foot
Mir tut ... weh.meer toot ... vay
Telugu
నాకు ... నొప్పిగా ఉంది.naaku ... noppiga undi.
English
My ... hurts.
Ich habe Kopfschmerzen.ikh HAH-beh KOPF-shmair-tsen
Telugu
నాకు తలనొప్పిగా ఉంది.naaku thalanoppiga undi.
English
I have a headache.
krankkrahnk
Telugu
అనారోగ్యంగాanaarogyamga
English
sick
gesundgeh-ZOONT
Telugu
ఆరోగ్యంగాaarogyamga
English
healthy
der Arzt / die Ärztindair ahrtst / dee AIRTS-tin
Telugu
డాక్టర్doctor
English
doctor
die Apothekedee ah-poh-TAY-keh
Telugu
మందుల దుకాణంmandula dukaanam
English
pharmacy
das Medikamentdahs meh-dee-kah-MENT
Telugu
మందుmandu
English
medicine
sich erkältenzikh air-KEL-ten
Telugu
జలుబు చేయడంjalubu cheyadam
English
to catch a cold
Ich fühle mich nicht gut.ikh FUE-leh mikh nikht goot
Telugu
నాకు ఒంట్లో బాగలేదు.naaku ontlo baagaledu.
English
I don't feel well.