A sad child sitting on the grass holding a bandaged knee with a single tear on their cheek.

dolió

doh-LYOH

verbA2irregular (o to ue change in present, but regular in this past form) er

it hurt?physical or emotional pain that happened in the past

Also:it pained / it saddened?describing how an event or news affected someone emotionally

Quick Reference

gerunddoliendo

past Participledolido

infinitivedoler

📝 In Action

Me dolió mucho la espalda ayer.

My back hurt a lot yesterday.

Le dolió perder el partido.

It hurt him to lose the game.

¿Te dolió la inyección?

Did the injection hurt (you)?

Word Connections

Synonyms

lastimó (it injured/hurt)
apenó (it saddened)

Antonyms

alivió (it relieved)
agradó (it pleased)

Common Collocations

me dolió el alma – it hurt my very soul
le dolió saber – it hurt him/her to find out

💡 Grammar Points

The 'Gustar' Logic

In Spanish, parts of the body don't 'hurt you.' Instead, they are the things doing the hurting. This is why we use 'dolió' (the it-form) for a single body part like 'the head' or 'the arm'.

Who feels the pain?

Since 'dolió' tells us the thing hurt, we use words like 'me' (to me), 'te' (to you), or 'le' (to him/her) to show who actually felt the pain.

❌ Common Pitfalls

Don't say 'Yo dolió'

Mistake: "Yo dolió la cabeza."

Correction: Me dolió la cabeza. (In Spanish, the head is the subject that 'is hurting to me'.)

⭐ Usage Tips

Identifying the Subject

If multiple things hurt (like both legs), you change 'dolió' to 'dolieron'. Use 'dolió' only for one thing or one specific action.

🔄 Conjugations

subjunctive

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedesdolieran

yodoliera

túdolieras

vosotrosdolierais

nosotrosdoliéramos

él/ella/usteddoliera

present

ellos/ellas/ustedesduelan

yoduela

túduelas

vosotrosdoláis

nosotrosdolamos

él/ella/ustedduela

indicative

preterite

ellos/ellas/ustedesdolieron

yodolí

túdoliste

vosotrosdolisteis

nosotrosdolimos

él/ella/usteddolió

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedesdolían

yodolía

túdolías

vosotrosdolíais

nosotrosdolíamos

él/ella/usteddolía

present

ellos/ellas/ustedesduelen

yoduelo

túdueles

vosotrosdoléis

nosotrosdolemos

él/ella/ustedduele

View All Tenses & Moods →

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: dolió

Question 1 of 1

How would you say 'My foot hurt'?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

dolor(pain) - noun

dolorido(sore / in pain) - adjective

doloroso(painful) - adjective

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does 'dolió' look different from 'duele'?

This verb changes its 'o' to 'ue' in the present tense (duele), but it stays as an 'o' in the past tense (dolió).

Can I use 'dolió' for a broken heart?

Yes! It is very common to use 'dolió' for emotional heartbreak or disappointment, just like in English.