eso duele
/eso dwele/from spelling rules
In Spanish, "that hurts" is said as eso duele.
A phrase used to express that something is causing physical or emotional pain.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of eso (that) and duele (hurts).
Which one should you use?
While eso duele refers to the fact that "that" is painful, me duele is used to specify that the pain is being felt by you (e.g., Me duele la cabeza – My head hurts).
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, Me hace daño can be used to express pain. In Spain, Me duele eso can be used to express pain.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb duele is the third-person singular form of doler, used when the thing causing the pain is a singular object or concept. If the thing causing the pain is plural, you must change duele to duelen.
How do you pronounce it?
/eso dwele/
Did you know?
- The word duele shares a linguistic ancestor with the English word 'dolorous', which describes something full of grief or sorrow.
- While eso duele can describe physical pain, it is frequently used as a sarcastic response to a verbal insult or a 'burn' in a social argument.
- In Spanish, you do not say 'my head hurts' by possessing the head. Instead, you use me duele la cabeza, which literally translates to 'the head hurts me'.
Examples in context
- Eso duele.That hurts.This sentence is useful for expressing that something is painful using eso duele.Tatoeba #1287727 by Shishir, translation #462526 by lukaszpp
- Me duele eso.That hurts me.
- ¡Ay! Eso duele mucho.Ouch! That hurts a lot.
- No me toques ahí, eso duele.Don't touch me there, that hurts.
Example conversation
Daniel is helping Elena with a small injury on her arm.
- ElenaTen cuidado, Daniel.Be careful, Daniel.
- DanielLo siento, ¿estás bien?I'm sorry, are you okay?
- ElenaNo, eso duele bastante.No, that hurts quite a bit.
- DanielPerdón, seré más suave.Sorry, I will be gentler.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries eso, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
