How to Ask a Patient: Where Does It Hurt
After asking a patient why they came to the hospital, the next important question is to find out where the patient feels pain.
For doctors and nurses learning Arabic, you do not need complicated sentences. A few simple questions can help you communicate with patients and understand the location of their pain.
Where does it hurt?
أين تشعر بالألم؟
Ayna tashʿuru bil-alam?
Where do you feel pain?
This is one of the most useful questions for a doctor or nurse.
Doctor: أين تشعر بالألم؟
Al-ṭabīb: Ayna tashʿuru bil-alam?
Doctor: Where do you feel pain?
Patient: أشعر بالألم هنا.
Al-marīḍ: Ashʿuru bil-alam hunā.
Patient: I feel pain here.
Where is the pain?
You can also ask:
أين الألم؟
Ayna al-alam?
Where is the pain?
This is very short and easy to remember.
Doctor: أين الألم؟
Al-ṭabīb: Ayna al-alam?
Doctor: Where is the pain?
Patient: الألم هنا.
Al-marīḍ: Al-alamu hunā.
Patient: The pain is here.
Does it hurt here?
When examining a patient, a doctor may point to a particular area and ask:
هل يؤلمك هنا؟
Hal yu’limuka hunā?
Does it hurt here?
For a female patient:
هل يؤلمكِ هنا؟
Hal yu’limuki hunā?
Does it hurt here?
The difference is:
يؤلمكَ — yu’limuka → speaking to a male
يؤلمكِ — yu’limuki → speaking to a female
Asking About Different Areas of the Body
Once the patient says they have pain, you can ask about a specific part of the body.
Head
هل تشعر بالألم في رأسك؟
Hal tashʿuru bil-alami fī ra’sik?
Do you feel pain in your head?
Chest
هل تشعر بالألم في صدرك؟
Hal tashʿuru bil-alami fī ṣadrik?
Do you feel pain in your chest?
Stomach / Abdomen
هل تشعر بالألم في بطنك؟
Hal tashʿuru bil-alami fī baṭnik?
Do you feel pain in your abdomen?
Back
هل تشعر بالألم في ظهرك؟
Hal tashʿuru bil-alami fī ẓahrik?
Do you feel pain in your back?
Leg
هل تشعر بالألم في ساقك؟
Hal tashʿuru bil-alami fī sāqik?
Do you feel pain in your leg?
Arm
هل تشعر بالألم في ذراعك؟
Hal tashʿuru bil-alami fī dhirāʿik?
Do you feel pain in your arm?
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Useful Patient Responses
Patients may answer with very short sentences. Here are some useful examples.
أشعر بالألم هنا.
Ashʿuru bil-alam hunā.
I feel pain here.
الألم هنا.
Al-alamu hunā.
The pain is here.
نعم، يؤلمني هنا.
Naʿam, yu’limunī hunā.
Yes, it hurts here.
لا، لا يؤلمني هنا.
Lā, lā yu’limunī hunā.
No, it doesn’t hurt here.
رأسي يؤلمني.
Ra’sī yu’limunī.
My head hurts.
بطني يؤلمني.
Baṭnī yu’limunī.
My stomach hurts.
ظهري يؤلمني.
Ẓahrī yu’limunī.
My back hurts.
صدري يؤلمني.
Ṣadrī yu’limunī.
My chest hurts.
Asking the Patient to Point
Sometimes the easiest way to understand the location of pain is to ask the patient to point to it.
أشر إلى مكان الألم.
Ashir ilā makān al-alam.
Point to where it hurts.
You can also say:
أين بالضبط؟
Ayna bil-ḍabṭ?
Where exactly?
This is a very useful short question.
Doctor: أين بالضبط؟
Al-ṭabīb: Ayna bil-ḍabṭ?
Doctor: Where exactly?
Patient: هنا، في الجهة اليمنى.
Al-marīḍ: Hunā, fī al-jihah al-yumnā.
Patient: Here, on the right side.
Right or Left?
Doctors and nurses may also need to identify which side of the body is affected.
الجهة اليمنى
Al-jihah al-yumnā
Right side
الجهة اليسرى
Al-jihah al-yusrā
Left side
هل الألم في الجهة اليمنى؟
Hal al-alamu fī al-jihah al-yumnā?
Is the pain on the right side?
هل الألم في الجهة اليسرى؟
Hal al-alamu fī al-jihah al-yusrā?
Is the pain on the left side?
Simple Doctor–Patient Conversation
Let’s put these phrases together in a short conversation.
الطبيب: أين تشعر بالألم؟
Al-ṭabīb: Ayna tashʿuru bil-alam?
Doctor: Where do you feel pain?
المريض: أشعر بالألم في بطني.
Al-marīḍ: Ashʿuru bil-alami fī baṭnī.
Patient: I feel pain in my abdomen.
الطبيب: هل يؤلمك هنا؟
Al-ṭabīb: Hal yu’limuka hunā?
Doctor: Does it hurt here?
المريض: نعم، يؤلمني هنا.
Al-marīḍ: Naʿam, yu’limunī hunā.
Patient: Yes, it hurts here.
الطبيب: أين بالضبط؟
Al-ṭabīb: Ayna bil-ḍabṭ?
Doctor: Where exactly?
المريض: في الجهة اليمنى.
Al-marīḍ: Fī al-jihah al-yumnā.
Patient: On the right side.
الطبيب: منذ متى تشعر بالألم؟
Al-ṭabīb: Mundhu matā tashʿuru bil-alam?
Doctor: How long have you had the pain?
المريض: منذ يومين.
Al-marīḍ: Mundhu yawmayn.
Patient: For two days.
Medical Arabic Vocabulary
Arabic | Transliteration | English |
الألم | al-alam | pain |
مكان | makān | place/location |
رأس | ra’s | head |
صدر | ṣadr | chest |
بطن | baṭn | abdomen/stomach |
ظهر | ẓahr | back |
ذراع | dhirāʿ | arm |
ساق | sāq | leg |
جهة | jihah | side |
اليمنى | al-yumnā | right |
اليسرى | al-yusrā | left |
هنا | hunā | here |
بالضبط | bil-ḍabṭ | exactly |
Practice: Ask and Answer
Practice these questions aloud.
أين تشعر بالألم؟
Where do you feel pain?
أين الألم؟
Where is the pain?
هل يؤلمك هنا؟
Does it hurt here?
أين بالضبط؟
Where exactly?
هل الألم في الجهة اليمنى؟
Is the pain on the right side?
هل الألم في الجهة اليسرى؟
Is the pain on the left side?
Then practice answering:
أشعر بالألم في بطني.
I feel pain in my abdomen.
أشعر بالألم في صدري.
I feel pain in my chest.
الألم في الجهة اليمنى.
The pain is on the right side.
الألم في الجهة اليسرى.
The pain is on the left side.
One Step Further
Once you can ask where the pain is, the next step is to understand what the pain feels like and how severe it is.
In the next lesson, we will learn simple Arabic questions such as:
هل الألم شديد؟
Hal al-alamu shadīd?
Is the pain severe?
These simple questions will help you move from identifying the location of pain to understanding the severity of pain.
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