Lesson 33 · A2
My head hurts me
English can say “my head hurts”. Darija says the same and adds who it hurts: kaydrni rasi, “it-hurts-me my-head”. Keep the “my”, add the “me”, and drop “I have a headache”.
- Say what hurts and since when.
- Describe symptoms: fever, cough, dizziness.
- Follow a doctor or pharmacist.
- Read a flu information sheet.
Twenty-one words
For the doctor's and the pharmacy. Many come from French, the language of medicine in Morocco.
Being ill
-
ضَرّْ
derr
to hurt
Doubled. kaydrni, it hurts me.
-
مْرَضْ
mred
to fall ill
mrid, ill.
-
بْرَا
bra
to get better
Defective: brit, I got better.
-
كْحَّ
ke77
to cough
Doubled: kanko77.
- رْتَاحْ rta7 to rest
Symptoms
-
السّْخُونِيَّة
s-skhuniya
fever
Lesson 25's “heat”.
- الْكْحَّة l-ke77a cough
-
الرّْوَاحْ
r-rwa7
cold; flu
You'll also hear l-grip, from French.
-
الدُّوخَة
d-dukha
dizziness
fiya d-dukha, I feel dizzy.
- الْحَلْقْ l-7elq throat
Doctor and pharmacy
-
الطّْبِيبْ
t-tbib
doctor
A woman doctor: t-tbiba. Addressing one: a doktor.
-
الْفَرْمَاسْيَانْ
l-fermasyan
pharmacist
French pharmacien.
- الدّْوَا d-dwa medicine
-
الْكَاشِيَّاتْ
l-kashiyat
pills; tablets
French cachet.
-
الشّْرَابْ
sh-shrab
syrup
English “syrup” and “sherbet” both come from this Arabic word, sharab.
-
الْأُورْدُونَانْسْ
l-ordonans
prescription
French ordonnance.
-
الْإِبْرَة
l-ibra
injection
“The needle”.
To say it
-
فِيَّا
fiya
in me; I have
For symptoms: fiya s-skhuniya, I've got a temperature.
-
عْلَى الْمَاكْلَة
3la l-makla
with meals
What the pharmacist says.
- تْلَاتْ مَرَّاتْ tlat merrat three times
-
اللّْه يْشَافِيكْ
llah yshafik
get well soon
“May God cure you”. The required answer to ana mrid.
What hurts
Four sentences from a consultation. Look at the subject of kaydrni and where the sufferer is.
- كَيْضْرّْنِي رَاسِي مْنْ الصّْبَاحْkaydrni rasi mn s-sba7
- خْتِي كَتْضْرّْهَا يْدّْهَاkhti katdrrha yeddha
- فِيَّا الْكْحَّة وْ الرّْوَاحْfiya l-ke77a w r-rwa7
- آشْ كَيْضْرَّكْ؟ — كَيْضْرّْنِي حَلْقِيash kaydrrek? — kaydrni 7elqi
In kaydrni rasi, what is the -ni? And the -i on rasi?
The rule
For pain, the body part is the subject, and the person who suffers is glued to the verb as an object: kaydrni rasi, “my head hurts me”.
The verb agrees with the part: kaydrni kershi (masculine), katdrni rejli (feminine), kaydrruni snani (plural).
The body part always takes a possessive: rasi, rasek, rasu.
For general symptoms, use fiya, “in me”: fiya s-skhuniya, I have a fever; fih l-ke77a, he has a cough.
Where it hurts
| Form | Say it | Means |
|---|---|---|
| كَيْضْرّْنِي رَاسِي | kaydrni rasi | my head hurts |
| كَيْضْرّْنِي كَرْشِي | kaydrni kershi | my stomach hurts |
| كَتْضْرّْنِي رْجْلِي | katdrni rejli | my leg hurts |
| كَيْضْرّْوْنِي سْنَانِي | kaydrruni snani | my teeth hurt |
| كَيْضْرَّكْ رَاسَكْ؟ | kaydrrek rasek? | does your head hurt? |
| كَيْضْرُّو ظْهْرُو | kaydrru dhru | his back hurts |
| فِيَّا السّْخُونِيَّة | fiya s-skhuniya | I have a fever |
| ضْرَّنِي رَاسِي الْبَارَحْ | drrni rasi l-bare7 | my head hurt yesterday |
Row 4: the verb goes plural because the teeth are plural, just as “hurts” becomes “hurt” in English.
What English gives you, and what it costs
Free: “my”. “My head hurts”, “my back hurts”: English already puts a possessive on the body part. Darija does too: rasi, dhri.
Free: agreement with the part: “my teeth hurt”, kaydrruni snani.
Costly: the “me”. English doesn't say “my head hurts me”. Darija always does: -ni.
Your mistake, not someone else's
Your default is “I have a headache”, and you already know 3endi, “I have”. Translated word for word, it comes out half understood and very foreign.
×عَنْدِي ضْرْ فْرَاسِي“I have pain in my head”. Dictionary Darija.
✓كَيْضْرّْنِي رَاسِي“My head hurts (me)”.
And the “me”: kaydrr rasi without -ni is incomplete. The sufferer has to be on the verb.
Flu: what you need to know
A health-centre sheet. The advice is the World Health Organization's for seasonal flu; the Darija text is ours.
الرّْوَاحْ: آشْ خَصّْكْ تْعْرَفْ
كَيْجِي فْالشّْتَا. كَتْحَسّْ بْالسّْخُونِيَّة، الْكْحَّة، وْ كَيْضْرّْكْ رَاسَكْ وْ حَلْقَكْ.
خَصّْكْ تْرْتَاحْ فْالدَّارْ وْ تْشْرَبْ الْمَا بْزَّافْ.
كُحّْ فْالْكُمّْ دْيَالَكْ، مَاشِي فْيْدّْكْ.
غْسْلْ يْدِّيكْ دِيمَا.
مَا بْرِيتِيشْ مُورَا 3 أَيَّامْ؟ ضَاقْ عْلِيكْ النّْفَسْ؟ مْشِي لْلطّْبِيبْ.
Did you follow?
When does flu come?
Show answers
In winter.
What are the symptoms?
Show answers
Fever, cough, headache and sore throat.
Where should you cough?
Show answers
Into your sleeve, not your hand.
When should you see a doctor?
Show answers
If you're not better after three days, or can't breathe properly.
Check
Two here, three more in the A2 book.
Exercises 1 and 2 are here, with answers. Exercises 3 to 5 are in the A2 book, the PDF this site lives on: you can see the first item of each below.
1Fill in
The verb agrees with the body part.
كَيْضْرّْنِيكَتْضْرّْنِيكَيْضْرّْوْنِيفِيَّا
- ___ رَاسِي بْزَّافْ
- ___ رْجْلِي مْنْ الْبَارَحْ
- ___ سْنَانِي
- ___ السّْخُونِيَّة
2Match
Each question or line with its answer.
| 1 | آشْ كَيْضْرَّكْ؟ | a | عْلَى الْمَاكْلَة |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | شْحَالْ دْ الْمَرَّاتْ؟ | b | كَيْضْرّْنِي كَرْشِي |
| 3 | إِمْتَى نَاخُذْ الدّْوَا؟ | c | اللّْه يْشَافِيكْ |
| 4 | أَنَا مْرِيضْ | d | تْلَاتْ مَرَّاتْ فْالنّْهَارْ |
3True or false?
According to the sheet.
- Flu comes in winter.
4Say it about him
Same symptom, but for “he”.
- كَيْضْرّْنِي رَاسِي
5At the doctor's
In five sentences, tell the doctor what's wrong and since when.
كَيْضْرّْنِيفِيَّامْنْالدّْوَاخَصّْنِي
The rest is in the A2 book
The A2 bookShow answers
| 1. Fill in | كَيْضْرّْنِي · كَتْضْرّْنِي · كَيْضْرّْوْنِي · فِيَّا |
|---|---|
| 2. Match | 1-b, 2-d, 3-a, 4-c |
The A2 book: In preparation
Write and I will tell you the day it is out. One email, no list.
I can now
- Say what hurts with kaydrni and a possessive.
- Give symptoms with fiya.
- Understand “three times a day, with meals”.
- Answer llah yshafik to someone ill.