📝 In Action
Me caí y ahora tengo el tobillo muy hinchado.
A2I fell and now my ankle is very swollen.
Necesitas llevar zapatos que te sujeten bien el tobillo.
B1You need to wear shoes that support your ankle well.
El doctor dice que solo es un esguince de tobillo leve.
B1The doctor says it's only a mild ankle sprain.
💡 Grammar Points
Masculine Noun
Since 'tobillo' ends in '-o', it is a masculine noun. Always use 'el' (the) or 'un' (a) before it.
❌ Common Pitfalls
Using Possessives for Body Parts
Mistake: "Me duele mi tobillo. (Literally: My ankle hurts me.)"
Correction: Me duele el tobillo. (Correct: The ankle hurts me.) Spanish usually uses the definite article ('el') instead of 'mi' (my) when talking about your own body parts, especially with reflexive verbs.
⭐ Usage Tips
Talking about Injuries
To talk about injuring your own ankle, use the reflexive verb form 'me torcí el tobillo' (I sprained my ankle). This structure emphasizes that the action happened to you.
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: tobillo
Question 1 of 1
Which sentence correctly describes an ankle injury?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I say 'I sprained my ankle' correctly in Spanish?
The most common and natural way is 'Me torcí el tobillo.' Remember to use the reflexive pronoun 'me' because the action happened to your body.
Is 'tobillo' used to describe anything besides the body part?
No, 'tobillo' almost exclusively refers to the anatomical joint connecting the foot and the leg. It does not have common figurative meanings like 'head' (cabeza) or 'hand' (mano).