me duele el cuerpo
/me dwele el kweɾpo/from spelling rules
In Spanish, the phrase for "my body hurts" is me duele el cuerpo.
This phrase is used to express that you are feeling general physical pain or soreness throughout your body.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, me duele el cuerpo translates to "the body hurts me".
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, both Me duele el cuerpo and Siento dolor en el cuerpo are common. In Spain, Tengo dolor en el cuerpo is used among friends and acquaintances.
How does it change in a sentence?
When talking about body parts in Spanish, you use the definite article el (the) instead of the possessive adjective mi (my). For example, you say me duele el cuerpo rather than saying "my" body. Additionally, the verb must agree with the noun: if you change the singular cuerpo to a plural noun like músculos (muscles), you must change the verb from duele to the plural form duelen (as in me duelen los músculos).
Did you know?
- In Spanish, pain is treated as something that happens to you rather than something you possess. The verb doler functions like 'to be pleasing', meaning the body is the active subject that is causing the pain to you.
- The Spanish word cuerpo is a 'doublet' of the English word 'corpus'. Both words come from the same Latin ancestor, but cuerpo evolved naturally over centuries while 'corpus' was borrowed directly into English.
- Because Spanish uses el cuerpo instead of mi cuerpo, the language treats the body as a universal entity. Using a possessive like mi in this context can sound unnaturally insistent or poetic to a native speaker.
Examples in context
- Me duele mucho el cuerpoMy body hurts a lot
- Tengo dolor en el cuerpo y me duele la cabezaI have pain in my body, and my head hurts
- Me duele el cuerpo después de correr.My body hurts after running.
- No puedo moverme, me duele el cuerpo.I cannot move, my body hurts.
- Creo que me duele el cuerpo por el estrés.I think my body hurts from the stress.
Example conversation
Javier and María are talking at home after a long day of work.
- Javier¿Cómo estás, María?How are you, María?
- MaríaMal, me duele el cuerpo de tanto trabajar.Badly, my body hurts from working so much.
- JavierLo siento, deberías descansar un poco.I am sorry, you should rest a little.
- MaríaTienes razón, Javier, voy a acostarme.You are right, Javier, I am going to lie down.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cuerpo, el, me, CC BY-SA 4.0.
