me duele
/me dwele/from spelling rules
To say "I am in pain" in Spanish, you use me duele.
This phrase is used to express that a part of the body is hurting.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase me duele literally translates to "it hurts me", where the subject of the sentence is the thing causing the pain, not the person feeling it.
How does it change in a sentence?
If the source of the pain is plural (e.g., 'my feet'), you must change the verb to me duelen.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly say estoy en dolor as a literal translation, but this is not a natural way to express physical pain in Spanish.
Did you know?
- The phrase me duele can be used metaphorically for emotional heartbreak, such as me duele el alma, which literally means 'my soul hurts'.
- The word me in me duele evolved from the Latin accusative 'mē' and dative 'mihi' via Vulgar Latin *mi.
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, people may respond to me duele by saying ay, a common interjection that sounds like the English 'ouch' but is used much more frequently in conversation.
Examples in context
- Tengo un dolor intenso en la espalda.I have intense pain in my back.
- Por favor, necesito ver a un médico. Me duele mucho.Please, I need to see a doctor. I am in a lot of pain.
- Doctor, tengo un dolor de cabeza muy fuerte.Doctor, I have a very strong headache.
- Me torcí el tobillo. Estoy sufriendo mucho dolor.I sprained my ankle. I am experiencing a lot of pain.
- Estoy adolorido casi todos los días debido a mi artritis.I am sore almost every day due to my arthritis.
- Me duele la cabeza.My head hurts.
- Me duele mucho la espalda.My back hurts a lot.
- Me duele el estómago.My stomach hurts.
Example conversation
Lucía tells Mateo she cannot play sports because of an injury.
- LucíaNo puedo jugar hoy, me duele la rodilla.I can't play today, my knee hurts.
- Mateo¿Qué te pasó, Lucía?What happened to you, Lucía?
- LucíaMe caí ayer en el parque.I fell yesterday in the park.
- MateoEspero que te sientas mejor pronto.I hope you feel better soon.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries me, CC BY-SA 4.0.
