Portuguese Phrase
Você pode descrever a dor?
Meaning
A polite request asking someone to give a detailed description of the pain they are feeling. It is commonly used by health professionals, but can also appear in everyday conversation when you need more information about a discomfort.
When to use
Use this sentence in a medical context—when a doctor, nurse, or physiotherapist wants the patient to explain the location, intensity, and quality of the pain. It can also be used by a friend or family member who is trying to understand how someone feels after an injury.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Vocêpodedescreverador?
Pronome de tratamento
‘Você’ is the informal second‑person singular pronoun; in formal settings you might use ‘o senhor/a senhora’.
Verbo modal + infinitivo
‘Poder’ (pode) is followed by an infinitive (descrever) to express ability or permission.
Artigo definido antes de substantivo feminino
The feminine noun ‘dor’ requires the definite article ‘a’.
Interrogação direta
The question mark is placed after the whole sentence; the intonation rises at the end.
🗨In Conversation
Você pode descrever a dor?
Can you describe the pain?
É uma dor aguda, que queima, na parte inferior das costas.
It’s a sharp, burning pain in the lower back.
✕Common Mistakes
Você pode fazer a dor?
‘Faz’ means ‘does/makes’; the correct verb for describing is ‘descrever’.
Você pode sentir a dor?
‘Sentir’ means ‘to feel’; you can feel pain, but you don’t describe it with ‘sentir’.
Você pode descrever dor?
Dropping the article sounds unnatural; you need ‘a dor’ because ‘dor’ is a specific, known pain.
↔Alternatives
Pode me dizer como é a dor?
Can you tell me what the pain is like?
Como você descreveria a dor?
How would you describe the pain?
Fale-me sobre a dor que está sentindo.
Tell me about the pain you’re feeling.
Cultural Tip
In Brazil, health professionals usually address adult patients with ‘você’ only if the relationship is already informal; otherwise they prefer ‘o senhor’ or ‘a senhora’. Adding ‘por favor’ (please) makes the request even softer: ‘Você pode, por favor, descrever a dor?’ Also, Brazilians often describe pain using sensory adjectives like ‘latejante’ (throbbing) or ‘cortante’ (stabbing).