боли ме
Saying What Hurts
Боли ме главата. (My head hurts.) Literally "the head hurts me": the body part is the subject, and ме is the person.
How It Works
The pattern
боли / болят + short pronoun + body part with the article:
- Боли ме главата. (I have a headache.)
- Боли те гърлото. (Your throat hurts.)
- Боли го коремът. (His stomach hurts.)
- Болят ме краката. (My legs hurt.)
The pronouns are the short direct object forms. See Short Direct Object Pronouns.
Agreement
The body part is the subject, so the verb agrees with it: боли with one thing, болят with several. A masculine body part takes the full article because it is the subject: коремът, зъбът. See The Masculine Articles -ът and -а.
The article, not "my"
The pronoun already shows whose body it is, so the body part simply takes the article: главата, not "my head".
Where the pronoun goes
The short pronoun never starts a sentence. If боли comes first, the pronoun follows it: Боли ме. If another word comes first, the pronoun goes before боли: Главата ме боли. Какво те боли? Не ме боли. See Placement of Short Pronouns.
Similar patterns
Other feelings are also expressed with the person as a short pronoun, as in Студено ми е. (I am cold.) and Харесва ми. (I like it.) See Feeling Cold and Other States and Liking With Харесва Ми.
Examples (6)
- Боли ме главата.
I have a headache.
Word by Word: hurts me the-head
- Болят ме краката.
My legs hurt.
Word by Word: hurt me the-legs
Краката is plural, so the verb is болят.
- Какво те боли?
What hurts?
Word by Word: what you hurts
Какво comes first, so the pronoun те goes before боли.
- Боли го коремът.
His stomach hurts.
Word by Word: hurts him the-stomach
Коремът is the subject, so it takes the full article -ът.
- Боли ли те още?
Does it still hurt?
- Не ме боли.
It doesn't hurt.
After не, the pronoun comes before the verb.
Common Mistakes
Not making the verb agree with a plural body part.
Боли ме краката.Болят ме краката.The body part is the subject. Краката is plural, so the verb must be plural too: болят.
Starting the sentence with the short pronoun.
Ме боли главата.Боли ме главата.Short pronouns like ме can never be the first word of a sentence. Put the verb first, or another word such as главата: Главата ме боли.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Боли ме needs the short direct-object pronouns.
Related Patterns
- Placement of Short Pronouns
Why the pronoun comes after боли or before it.
Level 2 - Impersonal Verbs
Other verbs used without the person as subject.
Level 3 - студено ми еFeeling Cold and Other States
A similar way to say how you feel, with ми instead of ме.
Level 2 - харесва миLiking with Харесва Ми
Another verb where the thing is the subject and the person is a short pronoun.
Level 2 - мене меEmphatic Doubled Pronouns
Adding мене for emphasis: Мене ме боли главата.
Level 4
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice боли ме in Bubblegum
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