duele
“duele” means “it hurts” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:
it hurts
Also: he/she has a pain in..., it aches
📝 In Action
Me duele la cabeza.
A1My head hurts.
¿Te duele la garganta?
A1Does your throat hurt?
A mi hermano le duele la espalda después de correr.
A2My brother's back hurts after running.
it hurts
Also: it saddens, to regret
📝 In Action
Me duele que no confíes en mí.
B1It hurts me that you don't trust me.
Le duele haberte mentido.
B2He/She regrets having lied to you.
Me duele ver tanta injusticia en el mundo.
B1It pains me to see so much injustice in the world.
Indicative
Present
Imperfect
Preterite
Subjunctive
Present Subjunctive
Imperfect Subjunctive
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✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: duele
Question 1 of 1
How would you say 'My feet hurt' in Spanish?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
Comes from the Latin word 'dolēre', which meant 'to suffer pain' or 'to grieve'. It's the ancestor of words about sadness and pain in many languages, like 'doleful' in English.
First recorded: Around the 10th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between 'duele' and 'lastima'?
'Duele' describes the feeling of pain you experience inside ('Me duele la pierna' - My leg hurts). 'Lastima' often describes an action that causes an injury ('Él me lastimó la pierna' - He hurt my leg). 'Duele' is about the state of hurting, while 'lastima' is more about the act of hurting.
Why does the verb 'doler' change from 'o' to 'ue' (like in 'duele')?
'Doler' is a 'stem-changing' verb. In many common situations, like this one, the 'o' in the middle of the word changes to 'ue' to make it easier to pronounce. But notice how it changes back to 'o' for 'nosotros': 'nosotros dolemos'. It's a pattern you'll see in many other Spanish verbs!