Body and Health in Catalan

Overview

Being able to talk about your body and health is essential at the A1 level, especially for practical situations like visiting a doctor or pharmacy. Catalan body and health vocabulary combines noun knowledge with the verb tenir and special expressions for pain and illness.

Expressing pain in Catalan uses a specific construction: em fa mal + el/la + body part (literally "it makes me hurt the..."). For example, Em fa mal el cap (My head hurts). Health conditions are often expressed with tenir: Tinc febre (I have a fever), Tinc tos (I have a cough).

The verb estar is used for temporary health states: Estic malalt/a (I am sick), Estic refredat/ada (I have a cold). These patterns are straightforward once you learn the key vocabulary.

How It Works

Body Parts

Catalan	English	Catalan	English
el cap	head	el braç	arm
els ulls	eyes	la mà	hand
el nas	nose	el dit	finger
la boca	mouth	la cama	leg
l'orella	ear	el genoll	knee
el coll	neck	el peu	foot
l'esquena	back	la panxa	belly/stomach
el pit	chest

Health Expressions

Pattern	Example	Meaning
em fa mal + el/la...	Em fa mal el cap.	My head hurts.
tinc + condition	Tinc febre.	I have a fever.
estic + adjective	Estic malalt/a.	I am sick.

Common Health Vocabulary

Catalan	English
tenir febre	to have a fever
tenir tos	to have a cough
estar refredat/ada	to have a cold
estar malalt/a	to be sick
tenir mal de cap	to have a headache
tenir mal de panxa	to have a stomachache

Examples in Context

Catalan	English	Note
Em fa mal el cap.	My head hurts.	Pain expression
Tinc febre.	I have a fever.	Condition with tenir
Estic refredat/ada.	I have a cold.	State with estar
He d'anar al metge.	I have to go to the doctor.	Obligation
Li fa mal l'esquena.	His/her back hurts.	Third person pain
Tens mal de panxa?	Do you have a stomachache?	Question
No em trobo bé.	I don't feel well.	General malaise
Necessito una aspirina.	I need an aspirin.	At the pharmacy
Em fan mal les cames.	My legs hurt.	Plural body part
La meva filla està malalta avui.	My daughter is sick today.	Third person description

Common Mistakes

Using "tenir" for pain instead of "fer mal"

• Wrong: Tinc mal el cap. (mixing constructions)
• Right: Em fa mal el cap. or Tinc mal de cap.
• Why: There are two valid patterns: "em fa mal el/la [part]" and "tinc mal de [part]." Don't mix them.

Forgetting the indirect object pronoun in pain expressions

• Wrong: Fa mal el cap.
• Right: Em fa mal el cap.
• Why: You need the pronoun to indicate whose body part hurts: em (my), et (your), li (his/her).

Wrong gender agreement with "malalt"

• Wrong: Ella està malalt.
• Right: Ella està malalta.
• Why: "Malalt/malalta" and "refredat/refredada" are adjectives that must agree with the subject's gender.

Practice Tips

1. Touch each body part while saying its name: "el cap, els ulls, el nas, la boca, les orelles, el coll..."
2. Practice the pain expression for different body parts: "Em fa mal el cap. Em fa mal l'esquena. Em fan mal els peus."
3. Role-play a doctor's visit: "Què li fa mal?" — "Em fa mal la panxa i tinc febre."

Related Concepts

• Haver and Tenir — the verb tenir used in health expressions
• Ser and Estar — estar for temporary health states