Body Parts

1. il chau

   Head

   Usage

   Show it at a clinic or pharmacy and point to your head. "Jau hai mal il chau" means I have a headache. The form shown is the written standard Rumantsch Grischun; the regional idioms can differ

   Grammar Note

   Chau is masculine. The same word also appears in "per chau" (per head) and for a person in charge

2. ils chavels

   Hair

   Usage

   Show it at a hairdresser or pharmacy when talking about your hair. Romansh normally uses the plural, ils chavels

   Grammar Note

   Plural of chavel (a single hair). The plural is used for hair as a whole

3. la fatscha

   Face

   Usage

   Show it and point to your face when describing a swelling, itch or sunburn there

   Grammar Note

   Fatscha is feminine and the most general word for the face

4. ils egls

   Eyes

   Usage

   Show it and point to your eyes for pain, redness or contact-lens problems. For a single eye the singular is l'egl

   Grammar Note

   Plural of egl (m.). Before a vowel the singular article becomes l' (l'egl)

5. l'ureglia

   Ear

   Usage

   Show it and point to your ear for ear pain, or blocked ears on a flight or a mountain ascent

   Grammar Note

   Ureglia is feminine; the definite article becomes l' before a vowel

6. il nas

   Nose

   Usage

   Show it and point to your nose for a blocked nose, a nosebleed or hay fever

   Grammar Note

   Nas is masculine; the final s is part of the word, not a plural ending

7. la bucca

   Mouth

   Usage

   Show it and point to your mouth for mouth sores or an injury inside the mouth

   Grammar Note

   Bucca is feminine

8. ils dents

   Teeth

   Usage

   Show it at a dentist or pharmacy and point to the tooth that hurts. For a single tooth use the singular, il dent

   Grammar Note

   Plural of dent (m.), formed with -s

9. la lieunga

   Tongue

   Usage

   Show it and point to your tongue for soreness or a changed sense of taste. Here it is the body part

   Grammar Note

   Lieunga is feminine. Do not use it to mean "language"; that is a different word

10. il culiez

    Neck

    Usage

    Show it and point to your neck for pain, a stiff neck or at a massage. The inside of the throat is a different word (la gula)

    Grammar Note

    Culiez is masculine

11. la gula

    Throat

    Usage

    Show it and point to your throat for soreness or trouble swallowing. The outside of the neck is il culiez

    Grammar Note

    Gula is feminine

12. la spatla

    Shoulder

    Usage

    Show it and point to your shoulder for stiffness or an injury. Right shoulder is spatla dretga, left is spatla sanestra

    Grammar Note

    Spatla is feminine. The adjective follows and agrees (spatla dretga)

13. il bratsch

    Arm

    Usage

    Show it and point to your arm for pain or an injury, or to show where a jab or blood test goes

    Grammar Note

    Bratsch is masculine, plural bratschs. It is also used for an arm of a river or sea

14. il maun

    Hand

    Usage

    Show it and point to your hand for an injury or numbness. In Romansh maun is masculine, plural mauns

    Grammar Note

    Unlike the French and Italian words for hand, Romansh maun is masculine; do not use la

15. il det

    Finger

    Usage

    Show it and point to the finger for a cut, a sprain or a splinter

    Grammar Note

    Det is masculine, plural dets

16. l'ungla

    Nail

    Usage

    Show it and point to the nail for a split, an ingrown nail or one that has come off

    Grammar Note

    Ungla is feminine; the article becomes l' before a vowel. Plural unglas

17. il pèz

    Chest

    Usage

    Show it and point to your chest for pain or tightness. Chest pain can be an emergency, so call the ambulance (144) if it is severe

    Grammar Note

    Pèz is masculine and is written with a grave accent on the è

18. il venter

    Stomach (belly)

    Usage

    Show it and point to your belly for stomach ache or diarrhoea. It names the belly you can point to; the stomach organ itself is il magun

    Grammar Note

    Venter is masculine

19. il dies

    Back

    Usage

    Show it and point to your back for pain or sunburn, or to say where you want a massage

    Grammar Note

    Dies is masculine; the final s is not a plural ending. It also means the spine of a book

20. la chomma

    Leg

    Usage

    Show it and point to your leg for pain, cramp or swelling, for example after a long hike

    Grammar Note

    Chomma is feminine. The foot is a separate word (il pe)

21. il schanugl

    Knee

    Usage

    Show it and point to your knee, which often suffers on steep descents when hiking or skiing

    Grammar Note

    Schanugl is masculine; sch is pronounced like English sh

22. il pe

    Foot

    Usage

    Show it and point to your foot for blisters, rubbing from boots or an injury

    Grammar Note

    Pe is masculine, plural pes. It also means the foot of something, such as a monument

23. la pel

    Skin

    Usage

    Show it and point to the affected area for a rash, itch or sunburn. The sun is strong at altitude

    Grammar Note

    Pel is feminine. It is a different word from pail (hair, fur)

24. l'oss

    Bone

    Usage

    Show it and point to the painful spot when you suspect a fracture. The plural is ils oss

    Grammar Note

    Oss is masculine; the article becomes l' before a vowel. Plural ils oss

25. il sang

    Blood

    Usage

    Show it when talking about bleeding, blood type or a blood test

    Grammar Note

    Sang is masculine

26. il cor

    Heart

    Usage

    Show it to tell a doctor about a heart condition or palpitations. Call the ambulance (144) for severe chest pain

    Grammar Note

    Cor is masculine; it is also used figuratively for the centre of something

27. il magun

    Stomach (organ)

    Usage

    Show it to tell a doctor about stomach pain, indigestion or food poisoning. The belly you point to from outside is il venter

    Grammar Note

    Magun is masculine

28. il begl

    Intestine

    Usage

    Show it to a doctor when discussing bowel trouble or tests. For diarrhoea or constipation themselves use other expressions

    Grammar Note

    Begl is masculine; the collective form for the intestines as a whole is beglia

29. il pulmun

    Lung

    Usage

    Show it to tell a doctor about asthma, a lung condition or a persistent cough

    Grammar Note

    Pulmun is masculine

30. il gnirom

    Liver

    Usage

    Show it to a doctor when mentioning a liver condition or test

    Grammar Note

    Gnirom is masculine

Browse all TravelPhrases languages