Paul me fait mal vs. Elle me fait du mal quand elle dit ça. I understand that du is for emotional pain and à is for physical pain, so why does the first example have neither?
"Fait mal" vs. "Fait DU mal"
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Rebecca L.Kwiziq community member
"Fait mal" vs. "Fait DU mal"
This question relates to:French lesson "Faire mal à vs Faire du mal à = to hurt someone (French Expressions with faire)"
Asked 2 years ago
Paul me fait mal … and Elle me fait du mal … ‘me’ is the indirect object pronoun, first person singular. The 2 expressions are ‘faire mal à qqn’ and ‘ faire du mal à qqn’. Worth another look at the section on using indirect object pronouns specifically with these phrases in the lesson, and in general.
CélineKwiziq team member
Bonjour Rebecca,
To supplent Maarten's correct answer, please find a few examples:
Paul fait mal à Marie = Paul is hurting/hurts Marie -> physical
Paul lui fait mal = Paul is hurting/hurts her -> physical
Paul fait du mal à Marie = Paul is hurting/hurts Marie -> emotionally
Paul lui fait du mal = Paul is hurting/hurts her -> emotionally
I hope this is helpful.
Bonne journée !
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