21 December 2025
How do you say pain in German?
The German word for pain is der Schmerz - but in everyday talk you’ll mostly hear the plural, die Schmerzen.Schmerzen in German covers both physical and emotional pain. It’s used when talking about health, accidents, heartbreak, and more. German often uses the plural when describing pain: Ich habe Schmerzen (I’m in pain). The singular der Schmerz is also valid, for example ein stechender Schmerz (a stabbing pain).
It’s one of the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German (get the free illustrated PDF to learn all the essentials).
Gender and Pronunciation
It’s a masculine noun: der Schmerz, plural die Schmerzen.Want to lock in tricky gender and number rules? This video lesson can help.
Pronunciation: Schmerzen is pronounced [ˈʃmɛʁtsən]. The e is short, roughly as in red; z is pronounced ts. The final -en
-
is unstressed and may be reduc
ed.
Example sentences
Ich habe Kopfschmerzen.
I have a headache.
Die Schmerzen sind kaum auszuhalten.
The pain is unbearable.
Sie leidet unter starken Schmerzen.
She’s suffering from intense pain.
How does this word come up in real conversations?
“Haben Sie Schmerzen?”
Are you in pain?
“Ich nehme Tabletten gegen die Schmerzen.”
I’m taking pills for the pain.
“Emotionale Schmerzen dauern oft länger.”
Emotional pain often lasts longer.
Sample Dialogue (Beginner Level)
Lena: Geht’s dir gut?Ben: Nicht wirklich - ich habe Rückenschmerzen.Lena: Warst du schon beim Arzt?Ben: Nein, aber ich sollte…
Translation:Lena: Are you okay?Ben: Not really - I have back pain.Lena: Have you seen a doctor yet?Ben: No, but I should…
Grammatical case examples
Nominative:Die Schmerzen sind weg.
The pain is gone.
Accusative:Ich spüre die Schmerzen im Bein.
I feel pain in my leg.
Dative:Mit den Schmerzen kann ich nicht schlafen.
I can’t sleep with the pain.
Genitive:Die Ursache der Schmerzen ist unbekannt.
The cause of the pain is unknown.
Other ways to say pain in German
Schmerz or Schmerzen means pain. Weh is poetic or old-fashioned, and Leiden means suffering. Verletzung means injury; an injury may cause pain, but it is not a synonym for pain.
Word variations and tidbits
Schmerzen appears in many compound words: Kopfschmerzen (headache), Zahnschmerzen (toothache), Rückenschmerzen (back pain), Liebesschmerz (heartache), Schmerzmittel (painkiller), and Schmerzgrenze (pain threshold). Idioms include vor Schmerz schreien (to scream in pain) and jemandem Schmerz zufügen (to cause someone pain).
📘 Duden entry for Schmerzen🎥 Want to learn German without the Schmerzen? Our free video course teaches the top 1000 nouns - with grammar, clarity, and a printable PDF.
Ready for more German Words of the Day?Do you know what Prozess means? Some bring Schmerzen.And what about Regierung? For some citizens, it’s a source of both.
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