verb
to hurt, to ache
A1
wehtun (weh tun) means 'to hurt' or 'to ache'. It's a separable, strong verb with preterite tat- and participle wehgetan; perfect uses haben (hat wehgetan). Can be reflexive (sich weh tun = hurt oneself) or impersonal (Mir tut der Kopf weh = My head hurts). Imperatives use reflexive pronouns.
Examples
Der Patient sagte, dass es weniger wehgetan hätte, wenn die Ärztin die Medikamente früher verabreicht hätte.
The patient said that it would have hurt less if the doctor had administered the medication earlier.
Mein Knie tat weh.
My knee hurt.
Mein Kopf tut weh.
My head hurts.
Details
Mnemonics
imagine touching a sore spot and saying 'ouch' — it 'tut weh'
weh ~ 'way' (think: it goes 'way' through you) — helps recall 'hurt'
Notes
Wehtun is commonly used impersonally (Mir tut der Kopf weh / My head hurts). Past participle is 'wehgetan'. The present participle is rarely used in German and is therefore left blank in the participles entry. | Passive voice conjugations are not applicable for this intransitive verb and have been marked as such in the conjugation blocks.