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How to Say ‘I've had back pain for a week.’ in Italian

Ho mal di schiena da una settimana.

oh mahl dee SKYEH-nah dah OO-nah set-tee-MAH-nah

[oh mahl dee SKYEH-nah dah OO-nah set-tee-MAH-nah]

💬 Usage Tip: Italian uses the present tense plus da for something still going on: ho "I have", not 'I've had'. Same pattern: Abito qui da due anni "I've lived here for two years".

Phrase Breakdown

Ho mal di schiena

oh mahl dee SKYEH-nah

I have back pain

Silent h: 'oh mahl dee SKYEH-nah'. 'Sch' sounds like 'sk'.

Example

Oggi ho mal di schiena.

Today I have back pain.

Words in this phrase

[oh]

I have

First person singular of avere, used with a past participle to form the present perfect.

Example

Ho parlato con tre aziende oggi.

I have spoken with three companies today.

mal

[mahl]

pain

An unpleasant sensation indicating harm or discomfort.

Example

Ho un mal di testa.

I have a headache.

[dee]

Preposition linking nouns, often translated as of.

Example

Che tipo di ruolo è disponibile?

What kind of role is available?

schiena

[SKYEH-nah]

back

The rear surface of the human body.

Example

Avrà qualcosa di scritto sulla schiena.

He will have something written on his back.

da una settimana.

dah OO-nah set-tee-MAH-nah

for a week.

Italian uses the present tense with 'da' for ongoing situations. Hold the double t in 'settimana'.

Example

Piove da una settimana.

It's been raining for a week.

Words in this phrase

[dah]

for / since

Used with time expressions to say how long something has been happening.

Example

Lavora qui "Da" anni con entusiasmo.

He/She has worked here "for" years with enthusiasm.

una

[OO-nah]

a / one

Feminine singular indefinite article.

Example

Una miscela della casa può essere molto equilibrata.

A house blend can be very balanced.

settimana

[set-tee-MAH-nah]

week

"Settimana" means "week" and is feminine in Italian.

Example

La settimana prossima ti mando un messaggio.

Next week I’ll send you a message.

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