doler Present Conjugation
doler — to hurt
Doler is a stem-changing verb (o > ue) used like 'gustar', meaning it usually appears in the third person: duele or duelen.
doler Present Forms
When to Use the Present
Use the present tense to describe current physical pain or emotional distress. Since the thing causing the pain is the subject, the verb almost always matches the body part (singular or plural).
Notes on doler in the Present
Doler undergoes an o > ue stem change in all forms except nosotros and vosotros. However, because it's used like 'gustar', you will rarely use the 'yo' or 'tú' forms.
Example Sentences
Me duele mucho la cabeza.
My head hurts a lot.
él/ella/usted
¿Te duelen los pies después de caminar?
Do your feet hurt after walking?
ellos/ellas/ustedes
A nosotros nos duelen los oídos por el frío.
Our ears hurt because of the cold.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Yo duelo la espalda.
Correct: Me duele la espalda.
Why: Doler works like 'gustar'. You don't 'hurt the back'; the back 'hurts to you'.
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Related Tenses
Preterite
yo: dolí
The preterite of doler is regular (dolió, dolieron) and describes a specific instance or onset of pain.
Imperfect
yo: dolía
The imperfect dolía/dolían is used for ongoing, habitual, or background pain in the past.
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.