me duele
/me dwele/from spelling rules
The English phrase "it hurts" is translated into Spanish as me duele.
me duele is a phrase used to say that a part of the body is experiencing physical pain. For specific types of pain, you can use terms like dolor de cabeza for a headache or dolor de estómago for a stomachache.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is literally composed of me (to me) and duele (it hurts), meaning "it hurts me".
How does it change in a sentence?
Use me duelen instead of me duele if the thing causing the pain is plural, such as me duelen los pies (my feet hurt). To ask someone else if it hurts, change the pronoun me to te to say te duele (it hurts you).
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly try to use a subject pronoun like yo (I), but in Spanish, the body part is the subject and the person is the indirect object (me/te/le).
Did you know?
- The phrase me duele el alma is a common idiomatic expression meaning 'my soul hurts', used to describe deep existential or emotional anguish.
- The verb doler is a 'psychological' verb in Spanish, meaning you can use me duele to say that a situation or a person's actions cause you emotional pain.
- While me duele refers to the sensation, the word dolor is used for the noun 'pain', which shares a root with the English word 'dolorous'.
Examples in context
- Me duele cuando lo toco.It hurts when I touch it.This sentence is useful for describing pain caused by touch.Tatoeba #10696463 by Shishir, translation #10696123 by tokzyk
- «¿Te duele la mano?» «Me duele un poco.»"Does your hand hurt?" "It hurts a little."This shows how to ask and answer a question about whether a body part hurts using me duele.Tatoeba #6992409 by cueyayotl, translation #7989652 by Smoky
- Si me pego y me duele, ¿soy débil o fuerte?If I punch myself and it hurts, am I weak or strong?This is a hypothetical sentence about the sensation of pain.Tatoeba #11043473 by DJ_Saidez, translation #11043472 by DJ_Saidez
- Me duele la cabeza.My head hurts.
- Me duele el estómago.My stomach hurts.
- Me duele la pierna.My leg hurts.
- Me hace daño el sol en los ojos.The sun hurts my eyes.
- Me hace daño el ruido fuerte.Loud noise hurts me.
- Me causa dolor el diente, necesito ir al dentista.My tooth is causing me pain, I need to go to the dentist.
- Me causa dolor el oído, necesitaría una cita con un especialista.My ear is causing me pain, I would need an appointment with a specialist.
- Tengo dolor de estómago.I have a stomachache.
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofía is telling Alejandro about her injury.
- SofíaMe duele mucho el brazo.My arm hurts a lot.
- Alejandro¡Ay! ¿Qué pasó, Sofía?Oh! What happened, Sofía?
- SofíaMe caí ayer en el parque.I fell yesterday in the park.
- AlejandroDeberías ir al médico, entonces.You should go to the doctor, then.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
