me duele el corazón
/me dwele el koɾaθon/from spelling rules
To say "my heart hurts" in Spanish, you say me duele el corazón.
The phrase me duele el corazón is used to describe both literal physical pain in the chest and to express deep emotional sorrow or heartbreak.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, the phrase translates to "to me it hurts the heart".
How does it change in a sentence?
If you use a plural subject, the verb must change to agree with the plural noun. For example, you would say me duelen los corazones to mean "my hearts hurt".
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly say mi corazón duele by following English word order. Instead, Spanish requires the indirect object pronoun me and the definite article el for body parts.
Did you know?
- While me duele el corazón describes pain, Spanish speakers use the word corazón to address loved ones as a term of endearment, similar to calling someone 'sweetheart' or 'honey'.
- The word corazón is the root of the adjective corajudo, which describes someone as brave or gutsy.
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, a physical gesture of placing a hand over the chest while saying me duele el corazón can intensify the meaning from a simple statement to a plea for empathy.
Examples in context
- Me duele el corazón.My heart hurts.Tatoeba #1505974 by marcelostockle, translation #2474814 by Opiejay888
- Me duele el corazón después de correr tanto.My heart hurts after running so much.
- Siento que me duele el corazón de tanta tristeza.I feel like my heart hurts from so much sadness.
Example conversation
Elena and Javier are having a serious conversation in a park.
- ElenaJavier, me duele el corazón por todo lo que pasó.Javier, my heart hurts because of everything that happened.
- JavierLo siento mucho, Elena, te entiendo.I am very sorry, Elena, I understand you.
- ElenaEs una angustia que no puedo explicar.It is an anguish that I cannot explain.
- JavierEstoy aquí para apoyarte en este momento.I am here to support you in this moment.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
