¿te duele?
In Spanish, "does it hurt?" is expressed as ¿te duele?
This phrase is used to ask if someone is experiencing physical pain. You can also use more specific variations like ¿Tienes dolor? to ask "Do you have pain?", or combine the verb with a specific body part, such as ¿Te duele la cabeza? (Does your head hurt?) or ¿Te duele el estómago? (Does your stomach hurt?).
Which one should you use?
While ¿te duele? is a way to ask if something hurts, you might also encounter ¿Te hace daño? as an equivalent expression. If you want to be more descriptive, ¿Le causa dolor? translates specifically to "Does it cause you pain?" and is used in formal contexts.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb must agree with the source of the pain. While ¿te duele? is used for a single source of pain, if the source is plural, such as your feet, the verb changes to the plural form ¿te duelen? (e.g., ¿Te duelen los pies?).
When do people say it?
When someone asks you if you are in pain, you can respond by using the first-person singular "me" to indicate that you are the one feeling the sensation, as in Me duele (It hurts me).
Did you know?
- Spanish speakers use doler to express deep emotional distress just as they do physical pain. A common poetic way to say 'my heart is breaking' or 'I am heartbroken' is me duele el alma, which literally means 'my soul hurts'.
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, a person may respond to ¿te duele? with no es nada to display stoicism or bravery, even if they are in significant pain.
- The phrase ¿te hace daño? can be used to ask if a specific food or long-term habit is 'harmful' to your health, rather than asking about immediate pain.
Examples in context
- ¿Te duelen los pies?Do your feet hurt?
- Si te toco aquí, ¿te duele?If I touch you here, does it hurt?
Example conversation
Lucía is checking a cut on Alejandro's finger.
- LucíaTienes un corte. ¿Te duele?You have a cut. Does it hurt?
- AlejandroUn poco, pero estoy bien.A little, but I'm okay.
- LucíaVoy a ponerte una venda. ¿Te duele ahora?I'm going to put a bandage on. Does it hurt now?
- AlejandroNo, ya no me duele.No, it doesn't hurt anymore.
