Recursio
Spanish from zero with Recursio Lesson 87 of 100 · Module 18

Lesson 87. At the doctor's: me duele

Step 1 · New words

10 words in this lesson

Tap 🔊 and repeat out loud. These words come back in the dialogue and the exercises below.

doler
to hurt
la cabeza
head
el estómago
stomach
la garganta
throat
la espalda
back
la fiebre
fever, temperature
el médico / la médica
doctor
la pastilla
pill, tablet
la cita
appointment
resfriado / resfriada
(to have) a cold
Step 2 · Grammar

me duele / me duelen; tener fiebre

Doler works like gustar

Doler is built like gustar (lesson 26): the thing that hurts is the subject.

one thingmore than one
meme duele la cabezame duelen las manos
youte duelete duelen
him, her, you (formal)le duelele duelen

The body part usually takes the article, not mi: Me duele la cabeza. — the me already shows whose head it is. English says “my head”.

How you feel

  • Tengo fiebre. — “I’ve got a temperature.” Spanish uses tener.
  • Estoy resfriado / resfriada. — “I’ve got a cold” — with estar, like estar enfermo (lesson 12).
  • Necesito una cita. — “I need an appointment.” Ir al médico — “to go to the doctor”.

These are everyday phrases for conversation. For health questions, see a doctor.

Me duele la cabeza. — I've got a headache.

Me duelen las manos. — My hands hurt.

Tengo fiebre. — I've got a temperature.

Necesito una cita con la médica. — I need an appointment with the doctor.

¿Te duele la espalda? — Does your back hurt?

Step 3 · Dialogue

Dialogue

Listen to each line and repeat it. Try to understand it before you look at the translation.

Javier Lucía, ¿qué te pasa? Lucía, what's wrong?

Lucía Estoy resfriada. Me duele la garganta. I've got a cold. My throat hurts.

Javier ¿Tienes fiebre? Have you got a temperature?

Lucía Un poco. Y también me duele la cabeza. A bit. And I've got a headache too.

Javier ¿Por qué no vas al médico? Why don't you go to the doctor?

Lucía Ya tengo cita con la médica mañana a las nueve. I've already got an appointment with the doctor tomorrow at nine.

Javier Muy bien. Hoy descansa. Yo te hago una sopa. Good. Rest today. I'll make you some soup.

Lucía ¡Gracias, Javier! Eres el mejor vecino. Thanks, Javier! You're the best neighbour.

Step 4 · Exercises

Check yourself

Listen. What did you hear?

1. How do you say “I've got a headache”?

2. How do you say “My hands hurt”?

3. How do you say “Lucía has a cold”?

4. How do you say “I need an appointment with the (female) doctor”?

Match each word with its translation

Build the sentence: “I've got a headache”

Build the sentence: “I need an appointment with the doctor”

Lesson summary

What you can do now

  • Say what hurts: Me duele la cabeza.
  • Talk about more than one body part: Me duelen las manos.
  • Say you have a temperature: Tengo fiebre.
  • Make an appointment: Necesito una cita con la médica.

Key phrases of the lesson:

Me duele la cabeza.

Tengo fiebre.

Necesito una cita con la médica.

The course is the first step. Next comes the Recursio app: short daily practice with spaced review.