dolor de garganta
/doloɾ de ɡaɾɡanta/from spelling rulesmasculine
Sore throat in Spanish is dolor de garganta.
The phrase dolor de garganta is a masculine noun used to describe the symptom of having a sore throat.
Meaning: symptom (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of dolor (pain), de (of) and garganta (throat), literally meaning "pain of throat".
How does it change in a sentence?
While you can say tengo dolor de garganta, Spanish speakers more commonly use the verb doler (to hurt) to express this symptom, such as in the phrase me duele la garganta (my throat hurts).
How do you pronounce it?
/doloɾ de ɡaɾɡanta/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid saying mi garganta duele. English speakers often mistakenly use possessive adjectives like mi (my) with body parts, but in Spanish, it is more natural to use the definite article la (the) when the body part is the subject of doler.
Did you know?
- In Spanish, the word garganta can be used metaphorically to describe a deep, narrow valley or gorge.
- The word garganta might be onomatopoeic, meaning it was originally shaped to mimic the actual sound of a person swallowing or clearing their throat.
- While English uses 'sore' to describe the quality of the pain, Spanish uses dolor which can mean both physical pain and emotional grief.
Examples in context
- Tengo dolor de garganta.I have a sore throat.Tatoeba #5017381 by don_ramon, translation #417891 by CK
- Tom tiene un dolor de garganta.Tom has a sore throat.Tatoeba #1411136 by marcelostockle, translation #1177499 by CK
- Yo desperté con un dolor de garganta.I woke up with a sore throat.Tatoeba #1220194 by marcelostockle, translation #1123905 by CM
- Amigo, tengo la garganta irritada por el aire acondicionado.Friend, I have a sore throat due to the air conditioning.
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Javier and María are talking in their kitchen in the morning.
- Javier¿Te sientes mal hoy?Do you feel unwell today?
- MaríaSí, tengo un dolor de garganta terrible.Yes, I have a terrible sore throat.
- JavierLo siento mucho, María.I am very sorry, María.
- MaríaGracias, Javier, compraré algo en la farmacia.Thanks, Javier, I will buy something at the pharmacy.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sore throat” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
