me duele la barriga
/me dwele la bariɡa/from spelling rules
To say "my belly hurts" in Spanish, use me duele la barriga.
This phrase is used to express that you are experiencing pain in the stomach area.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, the phrase is structured as "to me hurts the belly" (me duele la barriga) rather than using a possessive "my".
Which one should you use?
While me duele la barriga is common and slightly more colloquial or child-friendly, me duele el estómago is the more standard, anatomical way to say "my stomach hurts".
How does it change in a sentence?
If you are referring to pain in multiple parts or use a plural noun like tripas (guts), the verb must change to the plural form duelen, as in me duelen las tripas.
How do you pronounce it?
/me dwele la bariɡa/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid saying mi barriga duele. English speakers often mistakenly use the possessive mi (my) instead of the indirect object pronoun me (to me) when expressing pain in Spanish.
Did you know?
- The term barriga is etymologically linked to the Greek word for 'heavy', which is the same root found in the English medical term 'bariatrics'.
- In certain regions, calling someone panzón to describe their belly is an affectionate term of endearment rather than an insult.
- While barriga is common, many speakers use panza to refer to the belly, a word that also refers to the belly of an animal.
Examples in context
- Doctor, me duele el estómago. ¿Qué debo hacer?Doctor, my stomach hurts. What should I do?
- Disculpe, tengo dolor de estómago. ¿Podría tomarme un descanso?Excuse me, I have stomach pain. Could I take a break?
- Oye, ¿qué te pasa? Te duele la panza?Hey, what's wrong? Does your belly hurt?
- Sí, me está doliendo el estómago. Creo que algo no me cayó bien en la cena.Yes, my stomach hurts. I think something didn't agree with me at dinner.
- ¡Ay, me duele la tripa de tanto reírme!Ouch, my belly hurts from laughing so much!
- Me duele la barriga después de comer tanto.My belly hurts after eating so much.
- Creo que me duele la barriga por el frío.I think my belly hurts because of the cold.
- Mamá, me duele la barriga.Mom, my belly hurts.
Example conversation
Javier and María are at home.
- JavierMaría, me duele la barriga.María, my belly hurts.
- MaríaLo siento, Javier. ¿Quieres agua?I'm sorry, Javier. Do you want some water?
- JavierNo, creo que necesito descansar.No, I think I need to rest.
- MaríaVe a la cama entonces.Go to bed then.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries barriga, la, me, CC BY-SA 4.0.
