Hello everyone,
and welcome to a couple truths: German has a plenty of prefix verbs that need explaining and summer is coming. Shabamm.
Time for a series that tackles both.
Prefix Verb Hot Pants
I mean shorts. Prefix verb sho.. whatever.
Every learner knows the problem… German has bazillion of these things and while not all of them are enough material for a whole Word of the Day many of them are really really useful and worth a look. And that’s exactly what a Prefix verb short is going to be. A short, quick look at the word. No fluff, no bullshit, no fun. And because they are so… well… short, we’ll probably do more than one a week. Or maybe just throw some in here and there so you get to learn more. Isn’t that great? So let’s get right to it with a look at the meaning of
aufmachen
This one really is pretty simple but that’s good so we can get an impression of the format. First we’ll always take a look at the parts. Which basic verb do we have, which prefix and what notions does this prefix have in store.
So … let’s do that for aufmachen, and maybe a warning right away:
!!! Aufmachen does NOT mean to make up !!!
Make up one’s mind, make up an example, make up for something … if you used aufmachen for these it wouldn’t even be understood. So what does it mean? Well, we have auf and machen. Machen means to make and to do and Germans use it for almost everything. Auf is pretty typical for these separable prefixes. Many of them have two completely different notions… one is based in the word as a preposition and it is about location, the other one is seemingly random one. To some verbs they add both notions, to others just one of them. And most of the time especially the meanings based on the local notion are somewhat abstract. So they are not so much about actual location… but we’ll get back to that later.
In case of auf the two ideas are “on top-ness” (the local component) and “open-ness”. It can add both notions but by far the more important notion is open-ness. Aufmachen is to make open or simply to open.
- Ich mache das Fenster auf.
- I open the window.
- Weißt du, wann der Supermarkt aufmacht?
- Do you know when the supermarket is going to open?
Now you might be like “Hey, I thought to open was öffnen?”. And that’s totally correct too. In fact all words that are related to open like Flaschenöffner (bottle opener) or die Öffnung (the opening) are related to offen and öffnen. But Germans really do like machen and when people talk about day to day basic opening of stuff aufmachen is what they use. Öffnen sounds a bit stiff and technical .. like.. You’d use that for a museum, but not for a beer.
- Hast du was, womit ich mein Bier aufmachen kann?
- Do you have something I can open my beer with?
- Die Kellnerin hat zuviel kassiert, aber ich wollte wegen 2 Euro kein Fass aufmachen. (common expression)
- ... I didn’t want to open a barrel. (lit.)
- The waitress charges too much but I didn’t want to make a fuss about 2 bucks.
All right. This was the first meaning. Now let’s get to the second one. The one that is based in the idea of “on-top-ness”. And in case of aufmachen, this is really really abstract and rare. Oh and it has a self reference, too.
Example…
- Ich glaub’, ich mach mich mal auf ins Fitnessstudio.
- I’ll head out to the gym now, I think.
That’s right. Sich aufmachen means to head out, to start going someplace. How does it relate to on-top-ness? Well, maybe it’s a shortened version of one of the following expressions
- sich auf den Weg machen
- to make oneself on top of the way (lit.)
- be on one’s way (in sense of to head out)
but maybe it’s just the idea of making oneself upright… like … getting up from the couch. Either way, the phrasing is totally colloquial and much more nativererer than for example losgehen. Like… losgehen is a cool club but it’s in the Lonely Planet and so everyone kind of knows it while sich aufmachen is the cool underground club only the natives know about. Just make sure you got a reference to yourself with you or you won’t get in… gee, what am I saying :). Here are two more examples.
- Berlin macht sich auf in die Zukunft.
- Berlin heads for the future.
- Am Nachmittag haben wir uns zum Brandenburger Tor aufgemacht.
- In the afternoon we headed out for the Brandenburger Gate.
And that’s it. These were the two meanings of aufmachen. But before we wrap up, there’s one more thing we need to talk about… the r-version. And the most burning question is of course… what the heck is an r-version?? Well… it’s hard to explain in theory but let me try anyway.
the r-version … what is it?
Most of the separable prefixes are at their core prepositions and many prepositions express some spatial relation.
on the table, under the fridge, behind the house.
Now, if you combine such a preposition with a verb it would make sense that the result keeps the meaning. Like… take the English prefix verb to underline. This really is about making line under something. But the thing with German prefix verbs (and with their English phrasal verb brothers) is: the very logical, spatial sense is usually NOT expressed by the verb. And that’s where the r-version comes in. Let’s maybe just do an example. The verb auflegen. Auflegen means a bunch of quite interesting things that are all based on laying something on top pf something else. But it does NOT literally mean to lay something on top of something. Suppose you’re looking for a new mistress so you go to the store and there are all these different models. Naturally, you want to try some before you take one h… what? … oh, right… I mean mattress… so in the store there are all those mattresses and you want to know if you can lie down on some.
- Is it okay to lie down on here? (not idiomatic English… just to illustrate the point)
- Kann ich mich hier mal auflegen…. WRONG… or at least super weird.
- Kann ich mich hier mal rauflegen?… idiomatic
This is the r-version and it has the very literal, local meaning that auflegen just doesn’t have. And we’ll see this kind of r-version for many, many of the prefix verbs in this series.
Now you’re probably wondering what’s up with the r? Why r? Where does it comes from. I think that these r-versions are shortened versions of a version with the infamous German her. Her+auf+legen … the legen defines the action itself, in this case, it’s laying, auf adds the notion of on top and her adds, or better, underlines the notion that it’s a directed movement. Yeah… German really is kind of anal when it comes to talking about location. So… the r-version is a shortened form of the her-version and in fact, in Southern dialects the r-version might be an n-version, a shortened version of hin…. so instead of rauflegen it might be nauflegen. People don’t really have a consistent system for hin and her. Anyway… the r-version is kind of the standard…. well, let’s say “standard” with “” because they really are rather colloquial. You won’t see them in books or newspapers and probably not in dictionaries either. In fact, even when looking online you’ll most likely find the more “official” brother of the r-version, the dr-version, which is based on the da-wor… but hey, this is getting confusing so we’ll stop. The two takeaways are this:
- prefix verbs mean all kinds of things but they usually do have a the very logical, literal meaning that is about actual location. It wouldn’t make sense to use them that way!! That’s what the r-versions are for.
- people use r-versions when they talk
And if still feel an.. uhm… a-version against the r-version… don’t worry. They’ll become more clear once we’ve seen a few of them. And the first one comes right … now.
raufmachen
We’ve already mentioned it. The most literal interpretation of that would be “to make something on top of something“. The big question is what does that express? Well, besides doing and making machen is also used as putting. Now of course many of you are like “Whaaaaaat? Legen, setzen and stellen isn’t enough???”
No it isn’t. The trouble with having all these precise versions of putting is that sometimes neither one really matches. And then, at least when they speak, people use machen. In combination with prefixes anyway. And that’s the key to raufmachen.
It simply means to put something on top of something else and it is used whenever neither raufstellen nor rauflegen nor raufsetzen work. Like for instance for putting stuff on a pizza, or creme on an injured ankle or an app on a phone.
- Ich habe mir noch Zwiebeln und Peperoni raufgemacht.
- I also put/added onions and hot peppers on my pizza.
- Das Brot ist mit Oliven und Kapern. Da würde ich eher keine Nutella raufmachen.
- The bred is with olives and capers. I probably wouldn’t put Nutella on there.
- “Mein Fuss tut voll weh.”
“Musst du kühlen.”
“Ja, ich hab’ schon so ‘ne Creme raufgemacht.” - “My foot hurts like crazy.”
“Gotta cool it.”
“Yeah, I already put on a creme for that.”
- Das neue Update würde ich mir nich’ raufmachen. Das macht den Computer einfach nur langsam.
- I wouldn’t install the new update. Really all it does is slowing down the computer.
Now you might be like “Wait, you said the r-version was for the literal, local sense. Installing an update is kind of abstract isn’t it.”. And yeah, of course you’re right. They can be abstract to some degree. But the notion of putting something on a hard drive is really not that twisted. Or at least it is “more literal” than the notion of heading out or the idea of opening. Wait, what were these again… oh right… the meaning of aufmachen. So… raufmachen is not really something you can use idiomatically without having a feel for it. Other r-versions are easier to grasp. But I hope you got at least a first impression of what they are about.
And I hope you got a first impression of what this series is about… well… this wasn’t particularly short but it will be in the future because we don’t have to do all this setting up :). One last thing that we have to have a look at … the related words. For aufmachen there really are only two. One is der Aufmacher. And no… a bottle opener is NOT Flaschenaufmacher. An Aufmacher is one specific kind of opener… the lead feature in a newspaper, that big fat headline on the front page that makes people buy it. And that leads us directly to the other word, die Aufmachung, which means something like the layout, the design, the style. It’s super hard to pin down the usage though. Aufmachung is incredibly rare. It only works in certain contexts and I can’t quite put a finger on them. It’s not a word you’ll need or see anytime soon. But I wanted to mention it because it is the only example where the meanings of aufmachen and to make up kind of meet. The Aufmacher of a newspaper “opens” it and it’s designed to catch the eye… just like make-up.
And that’s it. That was our first episode of the new summer series called prefix verbs shorts.. the series that’ll be much more shorterer next time :).
Today, we got our look at how this works while getting to know about aufmachen. And instead of quick recap I’ll add a little fact sheet below.
As usual, if you have any questions about any of the meanings of aufmachen or if you have suggestions for the new series as a whole just leave me a comment.
I hope you liked it and see you next time.
** Aufmachen – fact sheet **
Meanings: aufmachen – to open (for basic stuff, colloquial)
. sich aufmachen – to head out (colloquial, high “impress your friends” -factor)
structures: Jemand macht etwas auf.
. Someone opens something.
. Jemand macht sich auf.
. Someone head out.
spoken past: form of “haben” + aufgemacht
related words: der Aufmacher – the lead article (rare)
. die Aufmachung – the design, layout, look (super rare… very context specific)
prefix opposite: zumachen – to close
Is Fass (cask) related to Fuss then? or is that just a coincidence?
Nice thought but no… this is a coincidence. “Fass” is related to “fassen” and the English “vat”. “Fuss” either comes from “force” or it’s onomatopoetic.
wow! super fact sheet. I wish dictionaries were that informative. Love your summer plan.
Just brilliant. Donât know where you get your energy. Keep it up. These are excellent.
Cheers
Brian
Tel: 07798 934920
http://www.scottishjerky.com
Beef Jerky from Scotch Beef
Venison Jerky from ‘WILD’ deer
Tasty Toasts from Rye flour
Thanks for the feedback! But wait… do you really want your cell on here?! And what’s up with the jerky? Looks a bit like spam. That would be kind of jerk-y indeed. Don’t get me wrong… I don’t mind as long as I know you’re a real human who really read the piece ;)
How can you not trust a jerky man? Especially one who get’s it from ‘WILD’ deer.
You’re right. Shame on me :D
Wäre es auch richtig, wenn man in deinem Beispiel anstatt rauflegen drauflegen verwendet? Wenn nicht, was wäre der Unterschied zwischen den beiden Verben? Kann man auflegen in dem Zusammenhang überhaupt nicht verwenden? Ich bin mir ziemlich sicher, dass zB. “Darf ich mich auf der Matratze legen” richtig ist, aber “auf der Matratze auflegen” hört sich irgendwie komisch an, wahrscheinlich wegen zweimal ‘auf’.
Übrigens ein toller Eintrag!
Ja, “drauflegen” geht auch und heißt das gleiche. Ist aber auch extrem umgangssprachlich. Das mit dem zweimal “auf” ist kein Problem.
– Kann ich mich auf die Matratze legen?
An sich ist das richtig und transportiert die gleiche Information, aber für mich klingt es ein bisschen technisch, trocken weil das “legen” nicht direkt spezifiziert ist.
– Kann ich mich auf die Matratze rauflegen?
Das fühlt sich besser an, auch wenn es nicht grade hohe Literatur ist. Mit “drauf” wäre es mir ein bisschen viel des guten, aber Leute sagen das durchaus.
Did raufmachen ever have anything to do with darauf, like maybe at some point in the past it was darauf machen. It sort of makes sense like that to me, so I was wondering if it was ever actually like that.
Totally agree. I also thought it’s based on a da-word at first. Thing is… to me it feels more “her”-ish than “da”-ish… at least in many examples.
– Kann ich das hier (da)rauflegen?
– Can I put that on here?
Da wouldn’t fit because the “hier” already clearly establishes a location. What’s kind of missing is the element of destination. “Hinlegen” would work, “herlegen” would work, and “herauflegen” would work, too, although it sounds very very stiff.
But ultimately you have to think of this as a messy continuum. It’s not always clear and it doesn’t matter.
You could also say
– drauflegen
which has the same meaning and that one clearly is based on a da-word. But for a verb like “reingehen” for instance you cannot say “dreingehen”
– Ich will nicht da reingehen.
– I don’t want to go in there.
Here, a second “da” would sound wrong and the “r” clearly come from “her”.
Finally, for the prefixes that don’t start with a vowel the r-version is a “her”-version.
For “vorkommen” it is “hervorkommen”, not “davorkommen”. And then there’s also stuff like “hinaufgehen/heraufgehen” but not “daraufgehen”.
So… da would make sense and often you can the dr-version which expresses roughly the same is clearly based on a da-word but the “r” really has much more in common (function-wise and feel-wise) with “her” and “hin”.
Hope that helps a bit :)
It does help, thanks.
“Did raufmachen ever have anything to do with darauf”
No, all r-words are based on her.
Just wondering… do you have a “sciency” source for that? (because I don’t but you sometimes do for such stuff :)
Dunno, it was like in most serious books on German that I have read. Plus it’s the only explanation that makes sense, Occam’s razor and all that. R-words correspond to her/hin words, not to da-words. An abbreviation for darauf is drauf, ‘d’ is unlikely to go anywhere, whereas the much more “slight” ‘he’ easily will as ‘e’ vanishes in fast colloquial speech. So deriving those from d words introduces an unnecessary and improbable step.
http://www.duden.de/rechtschreibung/rein_hinein_herein
http://canoo.net/spelling/rein:Adv
The verb shorts is a fantastic idea. Thank you so much !!
Great series idea!
Just a little quibble:
– I’ll go head out to the gym, I think.
“Go” sounds pretty redundant here. Of course, you could use “going to” future: “I’m gonna head out to the gym.” There’s also “get going,” which emphasizes the departure (like “head out”). You can use “head” by itself as a verb too (same meaning), and pair it with other prepositions:
– After lunch we headed over to the Brandenburg Gate.
– I think I’ll head up to the conference room a few minutes early to get ready for the presentation.
Oh, also, at least for Americans, this is pepperoni, not this.
A “salamie”?! Haha.. I wonder how many vegetarian Europeans get not quite what the pizza they expected over in the States :D.
As for the corrections. One question came to mind about the “going to”-future (since there has been a discussion just recently). Would it even be idiomatic to say the same sentence not with the gonna-future but the real going to.
– I’m going to head out to the gym.
Do people really say that when they really are about to leave (as opposed to talking plans for the next day)
Also, your last example (with the conference room) made me realize that “sich aufmachen” does imply kind of a travel. At least a short one. I wouldn’t use it when I’m just about to take the elevator (which I’m entitled to because I already was on the stair master in the gym earlier)
And a lot of carnivorous Americans get very confused when their Peperoni pizza shows up here… :)
Absolutely, pronouncing “going to” is perfectly fine and idiomatic as far as it goes, but I think in spoken English it would sound like either (a) you think “gonna” sounds uneducated or something or (b) you want to emphasize “going to” for some reason (e.g. “I really am going to head out to the gym, but I can’t until I finish writing this blog comment”). To me it’s just like a lot of short little English words that almost disappear when they’re not being emphasized (especially by us Amis, sorry):
– I’m going to run to the store for some milk. Can I get you anything?
=> I’m ‘n’a run t’the store f’s’m milk. C’n I getcha anything?
To me, the “going to” future is really pretty universal. Without context, your example sounds very immediate to me: heading out to the gym is what I intend to do right now. Some of that is the verb itself: “head out” really sounds like “leave from here” (or if you’re using it to narrate something from the past, “leave from where one was at the time”), but “going to” future can absolutely mean immediate or very near future.
– I’m heading out to the gym.
…sounds like you’re on your way out and explaining where you’re going.
– I’m going to/gonna head out to the gym.
…sounds a little more like you’re announcing a decision, or that it’s time for something that you’re not already starting to do.
Oddly, I think present tenses tend to feel most like you’re discussing plans farther off in the future.
– I head out in the morning. (sounds like you’re taking a trip)
So sich aufmachen means you have to at least leave the building?
Yeah, I think it does… unless it’s a really really really huge building or place… like… on the Tempelhof airfield you could “aufmachen yourself” to the restoration area. By the way… have you been there? I hope you have… it’s kind of unreal… just a massive field with nothing :D. Also, have you been to the artists’ mini golf??
I feel terribly guilty, but I haven’t yet. No really good excuse, other than that most of the time we’ve been back here it’s been cold/bad weather and/or advanced pregnancy has kept us from being too mobile. I think we’ll be going to a 4th of July cookout there, though, so at the latest we’ll see it then.
Artists’ mini golf? That sounds… very Berlin.
Oh yeah, those advanced pregnancies get in the way of everything :D. If it’s a concluded pregnancy by now then Herzlichen Glückwunsch euch beiden… oder dreien… naja eigentlich dan vieren :)
As for Tempelhof… you just have to have been there or you really missed out on something. Not that there’s much going on, it’s just the scope of it. Don’t go in early summer if you’re allergic to weed pollen though (real weed, not the “recreational” one). It’s weed pollen mayhem there.
The thing with the artists’ mini golf was that it very much felt like I was in the US … some random nerdy business made from old parts in the middle of nowhere, lots and LOTS of open space around it, some occasional small trees here and there, some music playing from a lofi speaker, no one there, a fridge with refreshments … I don’t know but I really got sentimental for a second (for I do love this feel of vastness the States have)
Quiet informative as always. It’s nice to read non textbook like writing. Sometimes your blog gets too long to keep reading, but the information keeps me going. Does help me a lot with my German language education. Cheers and keep it going…
Yeah, they are a bit long sometimes :)… I had this pediod where I felt compelled to really add every last bit that I could say about a topic. I’m working on making them shorter and more digestible though. Danke für das schöne Feedback
“Is it okay to lay down on here? (not idiomatic English… just to illustrate the point)”
It’s idiomatic enough, in the example. However, the verb would be “lie” not “lay” (i.e. to lie down on the mattress)… And not to worry, 50% of native English speakers mix this one up also from time to time, i.e. use “to lay down” instead of “to lie down.” “Lay” is the simple past tense of “lie”. “May I lie on the bed?” “Yesterday, as I lay on the bed, I began to dream…” To lay (present tense) is to place or to put something, somewhere. Simple past of “lay” is “laid.”
Quite right. And lay is what a chicken does with an egg… which is putting it somewhere..
Damn, true. I thought I had these figured out but then the German “liegen” vs. “legen” messed up everything again in my head :)
What makes it even more fun is that in older English there used to be a reflexive “lay” that’s since been replaced by “lie” – you see it in the old bedtime prayer, “Now I lay me down to sleep…”
That prayer phrase had occurred to me too, but I didn’t know how to reconcile it. I think the explanation that the reflexive use of “to lay oneself” is “old” captures it perfectly.
OK, y’all’ve asked for it.
That. Was. Hilarious! :)
Hahaha… is that for real?? Like.. in the game???
Yes.
Ich habe eine Transkription gemacht, entspricht sie dem Gesagten?
– Also, ich legte im Bett neben dem Mädchen und…
– Lag.
– Was?
– Du hast im Bett gelegen, nicht gelegt.
– Legen, liegen – wo ist der Unterschied?
– Du legst Eier. Du liegst im Bett. Ich nehme an, du bist kein Vogel oder?
– Jetzt willst du die Geschichte hören oder nicht?`
– Die Sprache richtig zu können ist wichtig.
– Warum magst du ständig auf jedermanns Grammatik kommen?
– Weil ich an die Erhaltung der Reinheit unserer wunderschönen Sprache glaube. Damit wir nicht der Barbarei verfallen.
– Na, dann erzähl ich die Geschichte eben nicht.
– Ich sag dir nur, wenn wir…
– Ach, halt die Klappe.
Ja fast… 2 Sachen:
– Warum hackst du ständig auf jedermanns Grammatik rum. (rumhacken… colloquial, kennst du bestimmt)
– ich sag(te) doch nur, wenn wir…
Danke, genau die 2 Stellen wo ich Bedenken hatte.
sagte er nicht, diesem Mädchen???
I had to listen very closely before I heard it. You’re totally right!! And now that I know it, it’s obvious to my ears … nice example how the brain messes with our perception :).
Ich fand diese Betrachtungen einigermaßen erleuchtend:
http://i.imgur.com/1NxQ1Ql.png
Fehlt hier ein Link??
Also, ich weiß nicht, was passiert ist, aber versuch mal draufzuklicken.
Ah, alles klar… das Bild wurde in meinem Comment Feed nicht angezeigt (und auch nicht, dass da überhaupt was ist)
Und was hältst du von der Erläuterung? :)
Im Bezug auf “be-” allgemein? Hmm… geht so. Zuviel Fokus auf die Grammatik, meiner Meinung nach. Es klammert die Effekte von “be-” auf Adjketive und Nomen komplett aus. Und auch die Beschreibung als “energischer” sehe ich kritisch. Zumindest für Lerner, die noch nicht so viel Sprachgefühl haben, kann das irreführend sein, denn die “be-“-Version klingt auch oft etwas technisch. “Er trat in den Raum ” klingt für meine Ohren literarischer als “Er betrat den Raum”. Das ist sehr trocken und faktisch. Aber nicht unbedingt super -energisch.
Hallo,
Eine kurze Frage:
Is the sich aufmachen still used like a separable prefix verb as usual? So:
•Ich glaub’, ich mach mich mal auf ins Fitnessstudio.
Why wouldn’t “auf” go after “Fitnessstudio” at the end of the sentence?
And, the same here:
•Berlin macht sich auf in die Zukunft.
Why not, “Berlin macht sich in die Zukunft auf.”
I love these short lessons; it helps me retain the information better!
Vielen Dank im Voraus!
Hah… I was totally expecting that question. To me “Ich mach mich ins Fitnessstudio auf” sounds a bit odd, actually.
It might have something to do with the fact that the “longer” version is still kind of alive there
– Ich mach mich auf den Weg ins Fitnessstudio.
Here, “ins Fitnessstudio” is part of “Weg”… it defines “Weg” closer so it comes after it. Cutting out “den Weg” we’re left with a lonely “auf” that gets pulled toward the verb by “prefix gravity” :).
Ultimately both versions are correct …
– Berlin macht sich auf in die Zukunft. (more idiomatic in my opinion)
– Berlin macht sich in die Zukunft auf.
Now, this is also an example for something you’ll see a LOT when you come in contact with non-textbook German.
The paradigm that the separable prefix (or the ge-form) always goes to the end is … (get ready to have you’re believes crushed)….. not set in stone.
It’s a bit like a fashion… at least to some extent. And at the moment there is a strong trend to put certain things after the prefix (or the supposed final element in general), mostly stuff that is connected via preposition. It is REALLY hard to explain what works and what doesn’t though. You need a ton of Sprachgefühl for it.
This trend is especially strong in the media… press, tv, politics… you can find millions of examples there, and of course that seeps over into every day German.
Hope that helps a bit.
Thanks! Sehr hilfreich!
Regarding ‘sich auf dem Weg machen’:
It is perfectly acceptable English to say that ‘I am making my way towards home’
Also since Roman times the ‘High Road’ has been raised above the surrounding landscape so that it drains properly and so that when you are up on the High Road you can be safer because you can see danger coming.
There is also an expression: to take the high road, meaning that you put yourself above everyone else by your attitude or actions.
I hope this helps.
David
Hi David: Your explanation of the expression, “to take the high road” is a little confusing, or at least incomplete. It sounds like you’re saying that it is something a bit selfish, when that is never the case. “To take the high road” means you are given a set of options, and you do not necessarily do what is in your own best interests, but rather, what is the “right” or more “civilized” thing to do. For example, if somebody insults you, and you are more than able to insult that person right back, instead, you “take the high road” and say nothing. This might not be as satisfying, but it is the better, or more admirable thing to do. This doesn’t imply that you have “put yourself above everyone else,” but rather, you chose the morally clearer path when you had other options you could have chosen.
A great article on prefix verbs again! I’m so glad that you cover them because at my current level of German they are the most frequent cause of me losing the thread of a conversation. One tip about English colloquial stuff… I would understand the phrase “my foot hurts like shit” but i would never use it and it would actually offend some (admittedly stuffy) people. Shit is one of the more strong-profanity words in America, I think it’s only medium curse-level in Germany and France. In America its one of the seven words banned from live radio broadcasts. Anyway if you want to be all cool and swear-y, and sound more native, the phrase is “my foot hurts like hell.” ;)
Oh boy… English and it’s curse words :). Thanks for the heads up.