"Fait mal" vs. "Fait DU mal"

Question

Paul me fait mal  vs.  Elle me fait du mal quand elle dit ça.   I understand that du is for emotional pain and à is for physical pain, so why does the first example have neither?

Accepted Answer

Paul me fait mal …  and Elle me fait du mal … ‘me’ is the indirect object pronoun, first person singular. The 2 expressions are ‘faire mal à qqn’ and ‘ faire du mal à qqn’. Worth another look at the section on using indirect object pronouns specifically with these phrases in the lesson, and in general.

Answer

Bonjour Rebecca,
To supplent Maarten's correct answer, please find a few examples:

Paul fait mal à Marie = Paul is hurting/hurts Marie -> physical
Paul lui fait mal = Paul is hurting/hurts her -> physical

Paul fait du mal à Marie = Paul is hurting/hurts Marie -> emotionally
Paul lui fait du mal = Paul is hurting/hurts her -> emotionally

I hope this is helpful.
Bonne journée !