What does it mean word for word?
The word comes from the verb doler, which means to be painful or to hurt. Like the verb gustar, the thing that is causing the pain acts as the grammatical subject, while the person feeling the pain is the indirect object.
How does it change in a sentence?
duele is the third-person singular form of doler, used because the thing that is hurting is the grammatical subject. If the body parts causing the pain are plural, you must use duelen instead. To say "it hurts me," you must use an indirect object pronoun such as me, te, le, nos or les before the verb.
How do you pronounce it?
/dwele/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid saying Me duele mi pie to mean "My foot hurts." English speakers often mistakenly use possessive adjectives like mi (my) with body parts, but in Spanish, you should use the definite article el/la because the reflexive pronoun (me/te/le) already indicates whose body part it is.
Did you know?
- In certain Spanish dialects, the word doler can be used reflexively as dolerse, which means to feel offended or to complain about something.
- If you want to describe a sharp, stinging pain, you might use the verb escocer instead of doler. While duele is general, escocer implies a specific sensation of burning or stinging.
- In Spanish, you can say me duele el alma to express profound emotional or spiritual pain. This uses the same grammatical structure as physical pain to describe heartbreak.
Examples in context
- Me duele el pie.My foot hurts.This sentence is useful for saying your foot hurts using duele.Tatoeba #750387 by Shishir, translation #792061 by Swift
- Dime si te duele.Please let me know if it hurts.This sentence is useful for asking someone to let you know if it hurts using duele.Tatoeba #1803698 by marcelostockle, translation #278299 by CK
- Me duele el brazo.My arm hurts.This sentence is useful for saying your arm hurts using duele.Tatoeba #1321853 by marcelostockle, translation #1369200 by sacredceltic
- Me duele la cabeza.My head hurts.
- Me hace daño la espalda.My back hurts.
- Siento dolor en el estómago.I feel pain in my stomach.
- Me duele un montón el pie.My foot hurts a lot.
- Me mata la garganta.My throat is killing me.
- Me está matando este dolor de cabeza.This headache is killing me.
- Me duelen los pies.My feet hurt.
- Me hace daño la mano.My hand hurts.
- Me duele el corazón.My heart hurts.
- Me hace daño recordarlo.It hurts me to remember it.
- 112 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Daniel is telling María about a sports injury.
- DanielMe duele mucho la espalda.My back hurts a lot.
- María¿Te duele todavía?Does it still hurt?
- DanielSí, me duele al moverme.Yes, it hurts when I move.
- MaríaDeberías ir al médico, Daniel.You should go to the doctor, Daniel.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
