What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is structured literally as "the belly hurts to me", where me is the indirect object indicating the person who is experiencing the pain.
Which one should you use?
While me duele la barriga is a common way to express this, you may choose other forms depending on the situation. Me duele el estómago is a more anatomical and neutral way to express stomach pain. If you want to refer specifically to your guts or intestines, you can use me duelen las tripas.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The phrase Me duele la panza. is a colloquial way to express stomach pain and is commonly used in Latin American countries.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase me duele la barriga, the verb duele is the third-person singular form of doler because the subject of the sentence is the stomach rather than the person. If you use a plural noun, such as las tripas, the verb must change to the plural form duelen.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly say mi estómago duele. Instead, use the indirect object pronoun me and the definite article (such as el or la) as shown in the correct forms.
Did you know?
- The phrase me duelen las tripas can be used literally for pain, but it is also used figuratively to describe an intense feeling of anxiety or nervousness.
- The word barriga may share a distant ancestor with the English word 'bariatrics', which refers to the medical study of obesity.
- In some Latin American countries, panza is used affectionately to describe a pregnant woman's belly, whereas barriga is more general.
Examples in context
- Disculpe, pero me duele el estómago. ¿Podría recomendar alguna medicina?Excuse me, but my stomach hurts. Could you recommend any medicine?
- Quisiera solicitar un permiso, tengo dolor de estómago y necesito visitar al médico.I would like to request some time off, I have stomach pain and need to visit the doctor.
- No puedo ir al partido hoy, me duele la panza.I can't go to the game today, my stomach hurts.
- Ayer comí algo que me cayó mal y ahora me siento mal del estómago.Yesterday, I ate something that didn't agree with me, and now I feel sick in my stomach.
- Me duele la barriga después de comer.My stomach hurts after eating.
- Creo que me duele la barriga.I think my stomach hurts.
- Mamá, me duele la barriga.Mom, my stomach hurts.
Example conversation
Sofía tells Daniel she feels sick during lunch.
- SofíaDaniel, me duele la barriga.Daniel, my stomach hurts.
- Daniel¿Quieres tomar una medicina, Sofía?Do you want to take some medicine, Sofía?
- SofíaSí, por favor, me siento mal.Yes, please, I feel sick.
- DanielTe traigo un vaso de agua.I will bring you a glass of water.
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.
