Describing Pain and Physical Sensations with Doler, Tener, and Estar
Describing Pain and Physical Sensations with Doler, Tener, and Estar
In this lesson, you will choose among doler, tener, and estar to describe common pain and physical sensations. The goal is accurate communication, not medical diagnosis.
Doler works like gustar
With doler, the person experiencing the pain is shown by an indirect object pronoun. The body part determines whether you use duele or duelen.
- — My head hurts.
- — My stomach hurts.
- — My feet hurt.
- — My hands hurt.
Compare this structure with gustar: the thing that produces the experience controls the singular or plural verb form.
Duele with a singular body part
- — My back hurts.
- — Your throat hurts.
- — His / her knee hurts.
Duelen with plural body parts
- — My shoulders hurt.
- — Your eyes hurt.
- — His / her legs hurt.
Use the article with body parts
Spanish normally uses the definite article rather than an English-style possessive when the experiencer is already clear.
- — My head hurts.
- — Your arm hurts.
- — His / her hands hurt.
Do not copy English possessives mechanically into these expressions.
Use tener for many symptoms
- — I have a fever.
- — I have a cough.
- — I have a headache.
- — I am cold.
- — I am hot.
Use estar for a physical state
- — I am tired. Said by a male speaker.
- — I am tired. Said by a female speaker.
- — I am dizzy. Said by a male speaker.
- — I am dizzy. Said by a female speaker.
- — I am ill. Said by a male speaker.
- — I am ill. Said by a female speaker.
Doler, tener, or estar?
| Meaning | Useful structure |
|---|---|
| a body part hurts | Me duele / Me duelen... — ...hurts / hurt. |
| a symptom is possessed or experienced | Tengo... — I have... |
| a physical state | Estoy... — I am... |
Do not make the person the grammatical subject of doler
In — My head hurts, la cabeza controls duele. The person is represented by me.
In — My feet hurt, los pies controls duelen.
Ask where it hurts
Use:
— Where does it hurt?
Possible answer:
— My back hurts.
Ask about more than one painful area
— What hurts?
Possible answer:
— My shoulders and back hurt.
Short health exchange
Person A: — What problem do you have?
Person B: — My head hurts and I have a fever.
Person A: — Are you dizzy? Said to a male.
Person B: — No, I am not dizzy.
Another exchange
Person A: — Where does it hurt?
Person B: — My legs hurt.
Person A: — Since when?
Person B: — Since yesterday.
A practical choice method
- If a body part hurts, use an indirect object pronoun plus duele or duelen.
- Choose duele for a singular body part and duelen for plural body parts.
- Use the definite article with the body part.
- Use tener for common symptoms such as fiebre and tos.
- Use estar for temporary physical states such as cansado or mareado.
- Describe the symptom without turning the sentence into a diagnosis.
From Physical Sensations to Indirect Object Pronouns
You can now choose doler, tener, or estar to describe common physical sensations. The next lesson teaches the full set of Spanish indirect object pronouns for saying who receives or experiences something.