When you need this
You slipped on the stairs, you slept in a strange position, you played basketball for the first time in years. Now something hurts, and you need to tell a friend, a coach or a doctor where and how.
Two small grammar points make these sentences sound right. First, English uses "my" with body parts, not "the": "my knee hurts," never "the knee hurts." Second, "hurt" works two ways. "My back hurts" says where the pain is. "I hurt my back" says you did something to it. Both are common, and people switch between them in the same conversation.
Then describe it. "Sore" is the everyday word for a tired, achy pain, like muscles after a workout. "Sharp" is sudden and strong. "Stiff" means it doesn't move well. A doctor will usually ask where, when it started and what makes it worse, so have those three ready.
Phrases
the simple way to say where the pain is
you did something that caused the pain
a little more formal; common with doctors
an achy pain, often from use or a small injury
sudden and strong, like a knife
a low pain that stays for a long time
explain what makes the pain worse
it doesn't move as freely as normal
bigger than normal after an injury
you stretched a muscle too far
present perfect continuous: how long
the question a friend or doctor asks first
the pain is going away little by little
Say it out loud
Tap a sentence to hear it. Say it after the voice.
Practice · 3 min
Say what hurts. Situation on the left, one natural line on the right.
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Say it today
Use it once in a real conversation before tomorrow. Out loud counts, even to yourself.