mi dolor de cabeza
/mi doloɾ de kabeθa/from spelling rules
The English phrase 'my headache' is translated into Spanish as mi dolor de cabeza.
mi dolor de cabeza refers to a physical pain felt in the head. If you want to refer to a specific medical condition, you might use jaqueca for 'migraine' or the more technical term cefalea for 'cephalalgia'.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is literally composed of mi (my), dolor (pain), de (of) and cabeza (head).
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, the expression Me duele la cabeza a rabiar is used to mean 'My head hurts intensely'. In Latin America, the phrase Estoy con dolor de cabeza is used to mean 'I have a headache'.
How does it change in a sentence?
While mi dolor de cabeza is the noun phrase for 'my headache', Spanish speakers more commonly use the verbal construction me duele la cabeza to express the sensation of having a headache.
How do you pronounce it?
/mi doloɾ de kabeθa/
Did you know?
- The word cabeza comes from a Latin diminutive, capitium, which originally meant 'little head' rather than just 'head'.
- In Spanish, the word dolor is used for both physical pain and emotional grief or sorrow.
- The word cabeza is part of several colorful idioms, such as cabeza dura, which is used to describe a person as being particularly stubborn.
Examples in context
- Mi dolor de cabeza se ha ido.My headache is gone.This sentence uses mi dolor de cabeza to show that a headache has ended.Tatoeba #1160774 by marcelostockle, translation #758246 by vgigregg
- Una taza de café curó mi dolor de cabeza.A cup of coffee cleared up my headache.This sentence uses mi dolor de cabeza to describe how coffee helped relieve the pain.Tatoeba #1946321 by teskmon, translation #886139 by Trailsend
- Mi dolor de cabeza es muy fuerte hoy.My headache is very strong today.
Example conversation
Daniel is feeling unwell at the office.
- DanielNo puedo concentrarme por mi dolor de cabeza.I cannot concentrate because of my headache.
- SofíaLo siento, Daniel. ¿Quieres una aspirina?I'm sorry, Daniel. Do you want an aspirin?
- DanielSí, por favor, Sofía.Yes, please, Sofia.
- SofíaToma esto y descansa un poco.Take this and rest a bit.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cabeza, de, dolor, mi, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
