Polish · Body & Health
"to hurt" in Polish: boleć
boleć
To hurt in Polish is boleć. Use boli for one painful body part and bolą for plural body parts. Boli mnie głowa means my head hurts; bolą mnie plecy means my back hurts.
Your own action
Boli mnie głowa.Speak with an AI partner · 7 days free
How to pronounce boleć
Say it
boletsh
/bɔlɛtɕ/
In boleć, ć/ci has a soft ch-like sound. The content words in boleć normally use penultimate stress when they have multiple syllables.
"to hurt" in Polish: quick reference
| Polish | English | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| boleć | to hurt Infinitive. | Infinitive. |
| boli | hurts Singular painful body part as subject. | Singular painful body part as subject. |
| bolą | hurt Plural painful body parts as subject. | Plural painful body parts as subject. |
How to use boleć in real life
- 1Your own action
Boli mnie głowa.
My head hurts.
Boli is singular because głowa is the subject; mnie identifies the affected person.
- 2Speaking to one person
Boli cię ząb?
Does your tooth hurt?
Boli agrees with singular ząb; cię refers to the person addressed.
- 3Another person or situation
Bolą mnie plecy.
My back hurts.
Boleć normally uses the painful body part as subject and the affected person as accusative: boli mnie głowa.
Mistakes English speakers make with boleć
Incorrect: Ja boli głowa.
Correct: Boli mnie głowa.
In this boleć construction, głowa is the subject and mnie is the affected person.
Incorrect: Plecy boli.
Correct: Plecy bolą.
Plecy is plural, so boleć takes plural bolą.
Good to know
Boleć normally uses the painful body part as subject and the affected person as accusative: boli mnie głowa.
Read this practice conversation aloud
Talk about hurt
Partner
Podaj przykład użycia tego czasownika.
Give an example using this verb.
You
Boli mnie głowa.
My head hurts.
Partner
A jak zapytasz drugą osobę?
And how will you ask another person?
You
Boli cię ząb?
Does your tooth hurt?
This is a sample dialogue for reading aloud. Try both parts, then replace a detail with one from your own life.
Explore ChatPal"to hurt" in other languages
FAQ
Common questions about "to hurt" in Polish
Why is it boli mnie rather than ja boli?
Boleć normally uses the painful body part as subject and the affected person as accusative: boli mnie głowa.
How do I say my back hurts?
Bolą mnie plecy. Plecy takes the plural verb bolą.
How do I ask whether a tooth hurts?
Boli cię ząb? uses singular boli because ząb is singular.
Is ból the same as boleć?
Ból is a noun meaning pain; boleć is the verb meaning to hurt. They need different sentence structures.
Use these words in a conversation
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