Portuguese Phrase
Onde te dói?
Meaning
A direct, informal way to ask someone where they feel pain. It is used in medical, first‑aid, or caring contexts when you want to locate the source of discomfort.
When to use
Use this phrase when checking on a friend, family member, or patient after an injury, during a medical exam, or simply when someone tells you they’re hurting. Keep it informal; switch to ‘Onde lhe dói?’ for a formal setting.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Ondetedói?
Onde (interrogative adverb)
‘Onde’ asks about location or place and is placed at the beginning of a question.
te (clitic pronoun)
‘te’ is the informal second‑person singular object pronoun; it must appear before the verb in European Portuguese and can appear after the verb in Brazilian Portuguese.
dói (verb doer)
‘dói’ is the third‑person singular present of ‘doer’ (to hurt). The verb never changes to a second‑person form; the pronoun carries the person.
🗨In Conversation
Onde te dói?
Where does it hurt?
Me dói a perna.
My leg hurts.
✕Common Mistakes
Tu dói?
The verb ‘doer’ does not have a second‑person form; you must keep the third‑person singular ‘dói’ and use the pronoun instead.
Onde está dói?
‘Estar’ is not used with ‘doer’; the correct structure is ‘Onde dói?’ or ‘Onde te dói?’
Onde te dói‑se?
The reflexive form is unnecessary here; ‘dói’ already conveys the sensation of pain.
↔Alternatives
Onde está a dor?
Where is the pain?
Onde sente dor?
Where do you feel pain?
Qual parte do corpo dói?
Which part of the body hurts?
Cultural Tip
In Brazil it is common to drop the pronoun and simply say ‘Onde dói?’, while in Portugal the clitic ‘te’ is usually kept. Remember that ‘dói’ never changes to ‘dóes’; the verb stays in the third‑person singular and the pronoun indicates the person. When speaking formally, replace ‘te’ with ‘lhe’ (e.g., ‘Onde lhe dói?’).