Me duele la garganta
/me dwele la ɡaɾɡanta/from spelling rules
To say "my throat hurts" in Spanish, use Me duele la garganta.
If you want to express that your throat is bothering you, you can also say Mi garganta está molesta.
What does it mean word for word?
The literal translation of Me duele la garganta is "To me it hurts the throat".
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase Me duele la garganta uses the indirect object pronoun me (to me) and the verb doler (to be painful to). This is the opposite of the English structure, where the throat is the subject.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid saying Mi garganta duele. English speakers often mistakenly use the possessive adjective mi (my) instead of the indirect object pronoun me and the definite article la (the) when expressing bodily sensations.
Did you know?
- The word garganta is used in Spanish to describe a mountain pass or a narrow gorge because of its physical resemblance to a throat.
- The word garganta is believed by some linguists to be onomatopoeic, meaning it was created to mimic the actual sound of liquid moving through the throat.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, a sore throat is traditionally treated with a gárgaras of warm salt water or honey and lemon.
Examples in context
- Me duele la garganta al tragar.My throat hurts when I swallow.This sentence is useful for describing pain specifically when swallowing.Tatoeba #1332459 by Shishir, translation #268673 by CK
- Me duele la garganta.My throat hurts.Tatoeba #345507 by tatoerique, translation #3256233 by CK
- No tengo fiebre, pero me duele la garganta. Tampoco puedo respirar bien.I have no fever, but my throat hurts. I can't breathe freely, either.This example shows how to describe throat pain alongside other symptoms like breathing difficulties.Tatoeba #436680 by lukaszpp, translation #436679 by lukaszpp
- Mi garganta está irritada debido a una alergiaMy throat is irritated due to an allergy
Example conversation
Sofía and Daniel are talking at home about her health.
- SofíaMe duele la garganta desde ayer.My throat has hurt since yesterday.
- Daniel¿Quieres que te traiga un té, Sofía?Do you want me to bring you some tea, Sofía?
- SofíaSí, por favor, Daniel. Muchas gracias.Yes, please, Daniel. Thank you very much.
- DanielDe nada, espero que te sientas mejor.You're welcome, I hope you feel better.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
