English Translation
My neck hurts when I exercise.
Is there any difference in usage between “weh tun” and “schmerzen”.
The difference is in register. “schmerzen” is highly formal, while “weh tun” is highly colloquial. To the point where you wouldn’t often use “schmerzen” in speech, and “weh tun” is inappropriate in written form.
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What @pitti42 said.
“weh tun” shouldn’t be used in writing or when you want to sound professional / like a grown-up.
More generally: “tun” should be avoided if you know another way to say what you want to express. Using it will make you sound like a child or an uneducated person. At least if it’s not the only verb in the sentence. Even as a 10-year-old, our German teacher would chide us if we used the verb “tun”.
Example:
- Bad: “Tu das weg.” (Put that away.)
- Good: “Leg das weg.” or “Steck das weg.”
Extremely bad (because “tun” is redundant and not the only verb):
- “Ich tue später zahlen.” (I pay later.) → Better: “Ich zahle später.”
- “Ich tue nicht mehr rauchen.” (I no longer smoke.) → Better: “Ich rauche nicht mehr.”
Back to the topic, “Mein Nacken tut weh.” is not yet a case of “extremely bad” because it’s the only verb, but it’s not great German either.
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Generally, I agree that “tun” is to be avoided when there are alternatives.
In the case of “weh tun”, I don’t see it as bad german - just as inappropriate for written/formal contexts.
A doctor might examine you and ask you “Tut das weh? Und das?”. It’s not childish at all.
That’s because “tun” is integrated here with “weh” and together they form a phrasal verb.
In fact, “weh tun” is not the only valid exception to the “avoid tun”-rule. There are other such verbs that are perfectly fine. There is a long list on wiktionary’s tun-page: tun - Wiktionary, the free dictionary under “derived terms”.
Admittedly, not everything on that list is neutral (like “wegtun”), but a lot of it is.
For example:
schwer tun: Ich tue mich schwer damit. (I’m struggling with it.)
leid tun: Es tut mir leid. (I’m sorry.)
kund tun: Er tat seinen Unmut kund. (He expressed his displeasure)
wichtig tun: Hans war ein richtiger Wichtigtuer. (Hans was a real busybody)
gut tun: Ahh das heiße Bad tut ja so gut. (Ah that hot bath feels so good)
wohltun: ein wohltuendes Bad (a soothing bath)
There’s more examples, but at least these are fine to me - even usable in formal contexts.
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I agree with you.
In speaking, I often say “Das tut weh.” myself. Just not in writing
If my doctor pinched me and asked “Schmerzt das?” I would consider it overly formal. I’d expect “Tut das weh?” in speaking, even from a professional/doctor.
“tun” is a tricky word. Even “Hast du es getan?” (Did you do it?) stems from “tun” and that is a perfectly fine sentence in German, same as the other examples you gave.
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