01 / Meaning
DOLER
to hurt · to ache
We use doler to talk about physical pain, especially when a body part hurts.
Me duele la cabeza.
My head hurts. / I have a headache.
02 / Conjugation
Present tense of doler
Doler is an -er verb with a stem change: o → ue. The change does not occur in nosotros or vosotros.
yo
duelo
tú
dueles
él / ella / usted
duele Key form
nosotros/as
dolemos
vosotros/as
doléis
ellos / ellas / ustedes
duelen Key form
In expressions of physical pain, we most often use duele (singular subject) or duelen (plural subject). The other forms exist, but they are not our main focus here.
03 / Sentence structure
Who is the subject?
With doler, the body part that hurts is the grammatical subject. The person who feels the pain is expressed as an indirect object.
Watch what changes:
A María
Person experiencing pain
(indirect object)
(indirect object)
le
Indirect-object
pronoun
pronoun
duele
Verb
(agrees with subject)
(agrees with subject)
la cabeza
Grammatical subject
(body part)
(body part)
Who feels the pain?
A María — identified by the indirect object phrase and the pronoun le.
What hurts?
La cabeza — the subject. It controls whether we use duele or duelen.
04 / Subject–verb agreement
Duele or duelen?
Choose the verb according to the grammatical number of the body part, not the number of people who feel pain.
DUELE
Singular subject
- la cabeza
- el estómago
- la espalda
- la garganta
DUELEN
Plural subject
- los pies
- los oídos
- las muelas
- las piernas
Me duele la cabeza.
Me duelen los pies.
Word order: The subject usually comes after the verb in this pattern. It can also appear before the verb for emphasis: La cabeza me duele.
05 / Who feels the pain?
Indirect-object pronouns
The pronoun tells us who experiences the pain. Select a person to see the correct pronoun. The body part remains the same.
Live example
Me duele la cabeza.
My head hurts.
Two independent choices: me / te / le / nos / os / les depends on the person; duele / duelen depends on the body part.
06 / Naming the person
A + name + pronoun + doler
When you explicitly name the person who feels the pain, introduce that person with a. Keep the matching indirect-object pronoun.
Correct pattern
A María le duele la cabeza.
María's head hurts.
A Juan le duele el estómago.
A Juan y Ana les duelen los pies.
Avoid these mistakes
✕María le duele la cabeza.
✕A María duele la cabeza.
✓A María le duele la cabeza.
Another possible order: Le duele la cabeza a María. The a + name phrase does not have to be first.
07 / Emphasis or clarification
A mí, a ti, a ella…
To emphasize or clarify the person, use a + a stressed pronoun. The corresponding short indirect-object pronoun is still required.
| Emphatic phrase | Short pronoun | Example |
|---|---|---|
| a mí | me | A mí me duele la cabeza. |
| a ti | te | A ti te duele la cabeza. |
| a él / ella / usted | le | A ella le duele la cabeza. |
| a nosotros/as | nos | A nosotros nos duele la cabeza. |
| a vosotros/as | os | A vosotros os duele la cabeza. |
| a ellos / ellas / ustedes | les | A ellos les duele la cabeza. |
Remember: Me duele la cabeza is already a complete sentence. Add a mí only when you want emphasis or clarification. A mí duele… and Yo me duele… are incorrect in this meaning.
08 / An important detail
Use the definite article
In this structure, Spanish normally uses el / la / los / las before body parts, rather than a possessive such as mi or mis.
Me duele la cabeza.
Le duele el estómago.
Te duelen los pies.
Nos duelen las muelas.
Natural in this context
Me duele la cabeza.
Normally avoid here
Me duele mi cabeza.
The pronoun me / te / le… already identifies whose body part is affected. The definite article agrees with the body-part noun.
09 / Comparing structures
Doler vs tener vs estar
These structures all describe health problems, but their grammatical subjects are not the same.
| Structure | Example | Grammatical subject |
|---|---|---|
| doler | A María le duele la cabeza. | la cabeza |
| tener dolor de | María tiene dolor de cabeza. | María |
| tener | María tiene tos. | María |
| estar | María está mareada. | María |
With doler
A María le duele la cabeza.
The body part is the subject.
With tener
María tiene dolor de cabeza.
The person is the subject.
10 / Interactive practice
Build the correct sentence
Use the clues to make a complete sentence with doler. Say it aloud, then reveal the answer. Watch for a + person, the short pronoun, and duele / duelen.
Question 1 of 6
yo / la cabeza
Me duele la cabeza.
Use me for yo and duele for a singular body part.
Answers: 1. Me duele la cabeza. 2. Te duelen los pies. 3. A María le duele el estómago. 4. Nos duelen las muelas. 5. A Juan y Ana les duele la espalda. 6. Os duelen los oídos.
11 / Key takeaways
DOLER: four rules to remember
1
The body part is the subject.
La cabeza and los pies are grammatical subjects, not direct objects.
2
The verb agrees with the subject.
Duele + singular subject; duelen + plural subject.
3
Use an indirect-object pronoun for the person.
me, te, le, nos, os, les tells us who feels the pain.
4
Use a when you name the person.
A María le duele la cabeza. Keep the corresponding short pronoun.
A María le duele la cabeza.