Describing Health and Basic Problems in Spanish
How to explain what hurts, how you feel, and ask for help (real-life Spanish)
🧠 What you will learn in this lesson
In this lesson, you will learn how to:
Say what part of your body hurts
Describe common symptoms
Explain how you feel physically
Ask for help at a pharmacy or clinic
Understand how natives talk about health in daily life
This is real survival Spanish for travel and everyday situations.
🔷 Part 1 — The Most Important Structure: Me duele / Me duelen
Spanish does NOT say “I hurt my head.”
Spanish says: “My head hurts me.”
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Me duele la cabeza | My head hurts |
| Me duele el estómago | My stomach hurts |
| Me duele la espalda | My back hurts |
| Me duelen los pies | My feet hurt |
Rule:
duele → one thing hurts
duelen → multiple things hurt
🔷 Part 2 — Common Body Parts
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| la cabeza | head |
| el estómago | stomach |
| la garganta | throat |
| la espalda | back |
| los pies | feet |
| los ojos | eyes |
Practice:
Me duele la garganta.
Me duelen los ojos.
🔷 Part 3 — Common Symptoms
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Tengo fiebre | I have a fever |
| Tengo tos | I have a cough |
| Tengo gripe | I have the flu |
| Estoy mareado/a | I feel dizzy |
| Estoy cansado/a | I feel tired |
Notice the mix of tener and estar.
🔷 Part 4 — At the Pharmacy or Doctor
Useful phrases:
Necesito medicina. (I need medicine.)
¿Tiene algo para el dolor? (Do you have something for pain?)
Me siento mal. (I feel sick.)
¿Qué me recomienda? (What do you recommend?)
📖 Reading Practice
Ayer empecé a sentirme mal. Me dolía la cabeza y tenía mucha fiebre. También me dolía la garganta y estaba muy cansado. Fui a la farmacia y dije: “Me siento mal y me duele la cabeza. ¿Tiene algo para el dolor?” El farmacéutico me recomendó una medicina y ahora me siento mejor.
Notice how natural this sounds using the structures you just learned.
✍️ Practice — Say it in Spanish
My back hurts.
I have a cough and a fever.
I feel dizzy.
My feet hurt.
I need medicine.
🎯 Why this lesson is essential
Now you can:
Explain physical discomfort
Ask for help confidently
Handle real-life health situations
Speak naturally using native structures
This is Spanish you will actually use.
🎥 Recommended YouTube Video
“How to Talk About Pain and Health in Spanish | Me duele Explained”
Show:
Body parts visually
Real pronunciation
Mini roleplay pharmacy scene
✅ Recap
You can now:
✔ Say what hurts
✔ Describe symptoms
✔ Ask for medicine or help
✔ Use me duele / me duelen correctly
➡️ Next: Article 40 — Giving Advice in Spanish (Should, Need to)
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