Injuries and pains

Understanding Injuries and Pains in Polish – B1 Level

This lesson focuses on vocabulary and expressions related to injuries and pains in Polish. It is designed for learners at the B1 level, who already have a basic understanding of Polish and want to expand their ability to describe common physical discomforts, ailments, and injury-related situations.

Key Vocabulary and Expressions

You will learn important Polish words for various kinds of pain and injuries, such as ból głowy (headache), skaleczenie (cut), skręcenie (sprain), and złamanie (fracture). The lesson also covers verbs and phrases to describe suffering and symptoms, for example: boli mnie (it hurts me), złamać nogę (to break a leg), or zrobić sobie krzywdę (to hurt oneself).

Using Descriptions Effectively

You will practice constructing natural sentences to express the location and intensity of pain, for example: Bolą mnie plecy (My back hurts) or To tylko lekkie skaleczenie (It's just a slight cut). Understanding how to indicate past injuries versus current pain will also be explored.

Grammar and Phrase Structure Highlights

• Impersonal constructions: Polish frequently uses mieć ból expressions, such as mam ból brzucha (I have a stomachache), instead of simple adjectives.
• Verb aspect: Differentiate between imperfective and perfective verbs when talking about injuries, e.g., skaleczyć się (to cut oneself – perfective) versus skaleczać się (imperfective).
• Reflexive verbs: Important for describing actions done to oneself, common in injury-related contexts.

Comparing English and Polish in Injury Expressions

English often uses the verb to hurt directly followed by the affected area (“My head hurts”), while Polish usually uses the construction mieć ból + body part (“Mam ból głowy”). Another difference is the use of reflexive verbs in Polish (skaleczyć się) to express injuring oneself, which has no exact reflexive counterpart in English.

Useful phrases for everyday communication include:

• Co ci dolega? – What’s wrong with you?
• Gdzie cię boli? – Where does it hurt?
• Muszę iść do lekarza. – I have to go to the doctor.
• Zrobiłem sobie krzywdę. – I hurt myself.

This study guide summarizes the key language points for discussing injuries and pain, helping you to describe symptoms, understand medical contexts, and improve communication in everyday Polish conversations.