doler Imperfect Conjugation
doler — to hurt
The imperfect dolía/dolían is used for ongoing, habitual, or background pain in the past.
doler Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use this for 'was hurting' or 'used to hurt.' It is the most common tense for describing symptoms or chronic conditions in the past.
Notes on doler in the Imperfect
Doler is regular in the imperfect. Note the written accent on the 'í'.
Example Sentences
De niño, me dolían los dientes a menudo.
As a child, my teeth used to hurt often.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Le dolía la garganta y no podía hablar.
Her throat was hurting and she couldn't talk.
él/ella/usted
Nos dolía todo el cuerpo después del viaje.
Our whole bodies were aching after the trip.
él/ella/usted
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Me dolia la espalda.
Correct: Me dolía la espalda.
Why: All -er and -ir verbs in the imperfect must have an accent on the 'í'.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: duelo
Doler is a stem-changing verb (o > ue) used like 'gustar', meaning it usually appears in the third person: duele or duelen.
Preterite
yo: dolí
The preterite of doler is regular (dolió, dolieron) and describes a specific instance or onset of pain.
Future
yo: doleré
The future tense is regular: dolerá, dolerán.
Conditional
yo: dolería
The conditional (dolería, dolerían) describes what 'would' hurt under certain conditions.
Present Subjunctive
yo: duela
The present subjunctive uses the 'ue' stem change: duela, duelan.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: doliera
The imperfect subjunctive (doliera) is used for hypothetical or past subjective situations.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: duele
The imperative of doler is rare but used metaphorically to command something to 'be painful'.
Negative Imperative
yo: no duelas
The negative imperative (no duela) uses the present subjunctive forms.