Body Parts in Spanish

Learn the names of all body parts in Spanish - essential for medical situations, describing people, and talking about health!

Main Body Parts

The Essentials

The Head (La Cabeza)

Head and Face

Examples:

• Me duelen los ojos (My eyes hurt)
• Tengo el pelo negro (I have black hair)
• Tienes una cara bonita (You have a pretty face)

Upper Body (Parte Superior)

Arms and Hands

Examples:

• Me rompí el brazo (I broke my arm)
• Me duele la muñeca (My wrist hurts)
• Tengo cinco dedos en cada mano (I have five fingers on each hand)

Torso

Examples:

• Me duele el estómago (My stomach hurts)
• Tiene dolor de espalda (He/She has back pain)
• Tiene la cintura pequeña (He/She has a small waist)

Lower Body (Parte Inferior)

Legs and Feet

Examples:

• Me duelen las piernas (My legs hurt)
• Me torcí el tobillo (I sprained my ankle)
• Tengo ampollas en los pies (I have blisters on my feet)

Internal Organs (Órganos Internos)

Major Organs

Examples:

• El corazón late rápido (The heart beats fast)
• Tiene problemas con el hígado (He/She has liver problems)
• Los pulmones son importantes para respirar (Lungs are important for breathing)

Other Important Parts

Additional Vocabulary

Examples:

• Me rompí un hueso (I broke a bone)
• Tengo la piel seca (I have dry skin)
• Me duelen los músculos (My muscles hurt)

Expressing Pain: DOLER

Pattern: ME DUELE / ME DUELEN

DOLER = to hurt (works like GUSTAR!)

Pattern: Indirect pronoun + DUELE/DUELEN + body part

DUELE = singular body parts DUELEN = plural body parts

Examples:

• Me duele la cabeza (My head hurts / I have a headache)
• Me duelen los pies (My feet hurt)
• Te duele el estómago (Your stomach hurts)
• Le duelen las piernas (His/Her legs hurt)

All persons:

• Me duele (it hurts me)
• Te duele (it hurts you)
• Le duele (it hurts him/her/you formal)
• Nos duele (it hurts us)
• Les duele (it hurts them/you all)

Using Articles with Body Parts

With Reflexive Verbs

Important: Use definite articles (el/la/los/las), NOT possessives!

Wrong: ❌ Me lavo mis manos Right: ✅ Me lavo las manos (I wash my hands)

Pattern: Reflexive pronoun + verb + article + body part

Examples:

• Me lavo las manos (I wash my hands)
• Me cepillo los dientes (I brush my teeth)
• Me corto el pelo (I cut my hair)
• Me pongo los zapatos (I put on my shoes)
• Me ducho el cuerpo (I shower my body)

Why? The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se) already shows it's YOUR body part!

Common Expressions with Body Parts

Idiomatic Phrases

Con la cabeza:

• Tener la cabeza fría = To keep a cool head
• Perder la cabeza = To lose one's mind
• Romperse la cabeza = To rack one's brain

Con los ojos:

• Echar un ojo = To keep an eye on
• Costar un ojo de la cara = To cost an arm and a leg
• Abrir los ojos = To open one's eyes / wake up to reality

Con la mano:

• Dar una mano = To lend a hand
• Mano a mano = One on one
• Estar en buenas manos = To be in good hands

Con el pie:

• Empezar con el pie derecho = To start off on the right foot
• Estar de pie = To be standing
• A pie = On foot

Con el corazón:

• De todo corazón = From the bottom of one's heart
• Tener buen corazón = To be kind-hearted
• Partírsele el corazón = To break one's heart

At the Doctor

Medical Phrases

Describing pain:

• Me duele aquí (It hurts here)
• Tengo dolor de cabeza (I have a headache)
• Tengo dolor de estómago (I have a stomachache)
• Tengo dolor de garganta (I have a sore throat)

Describing injuries:

• Me rompí el brazo (I broke my arm)
• Me torcí el tobillo (I sprained my ankle)
• Me corté el dedo (I cut my finger)
• Me quemé la mano (I burned my hand)

Common ailments:

• Tengo dolor de cabeza (I have a headache)
• Tengo dolor de muelas (I have a toothache)
• Me duele la espalda (My back hurts)
• Me duele todo el cuerpo (My whole body hurts)

Describing People

Physical Descriptions

Height:

• Es alto = He's tall
• Es bajo = He's short
• Es de estatura media = He's average height

Build:

• Es delgado = He's thin
• Es gordo = He's fat
• Es fuerte = He's strong
• Es musculoso = He's muscular

Hair:

• Tiene el pelo largo = He/She has long hair
• Tiene el pelo corto = He/She has short hair
• Tiene el pelo rizado = He/She has curly hair
• Tiene el pelo liso = He/She has straight hair
• Es calvo = He's bald

Features:

• Tiene los ojos grandes = He/She has big eyes
• Tiene la nariz pequeña = He/She has a small nose
• Tiene una cara redonda = He/She has a round face

Practice Dialogues

Dialogue 1: At the Doctor

Doctor: ¿Qué le pasa? Paciente: Me duele mucho la cabeza. Doctor: ¿Le duele algo más? Paciente: Sí, también me duele el estómago. Doctor: ¿Desde cuándo? Paciente: Desde ayer por la noche. Doctor: Voy a examinarle. Abra la boca, por favor.

Translation: Doctor: What's wrong? Patient: My head hurts a lot. Doctor: Does anything else hurt? Patient: Yes, my stomach also hurts. Doctor: Since when? Patient: Since last night. Doctor: I'm going to examine you. Open your mouth, please.

Dialogue 2: Describing Someone

A: ¿Cómo es tu hermano? B: Es alto y delgado. A: ¿De qué color tiene los ojos? B: Tiene los ojos azules. A: ¿Y el pelo? B: Tiene el pelo castaño y corto. A: ¿Se parece a ti? B: Sí, pero yo tengo los ojos marrones.

Translation: A: What does your brother look like? B: He's tall and thin. A: What color are his eyes? B: He has blue eyes. A: And his hair? B: He has brown, short hair. A: Does he look like you? B: Yes, but I have brown eyes.

Dialogue 3: Sports Injury

A: ¿Qué te pasó? B: Me torcí el tobillo jugando fútbol. A: ¿Te duele mucho? B: Sí, me duele bastante. A: ¿Puedes caminar? B: Con dificultad. También me duele un poco la rodilla. A: Deberías ir al médico. B: Sí, voy a ir ahora mismo.

Translation: A: What happened to you? B: I sprained my ankle playing soccer. A: Does it hurt a lot? B: Yes, it hurts quite a bit. A: Can you walk? B: With difficulty. My knee also hurts a little. A: You should go to the doctor. B: Yes, I'm going right now.

Practice Exercises

Exercise 1: Identify Body Parts

Point to or name these body parts in Spanish:

1. Head
2. Hand
3. Foot
4. Eye
5. Mouth

Answers:

1. La cabeza
2. La mano
3. El pie
4. El ojo
5. La boca

Exercise 2: DUELE or DUELEN?

1. Me ___ la cabeza (my head hurts)
2. Me ___ los pies (my feet hurt)
3. Te ___ el estómago (your stomach hurts)
4. Le ___ las piernas (his/her legs hurt)
5. Nos ___ la espalda (our back hurts)

Answers:

1. Me duele la cabeza
2. Me duelen los pies
3. Te duele el estómago
4. Le duelen las piernas
5. Nos duele la espalda

Exercise 3: Use Correct Article

1. Me lavo ___ manos (I wash my hands)
2. Me cepillo ___ dientes (I brush my teeth)
3. Me duele ___ cabeza (my head hurts)
4. Me corté ___ dedo (I cut my finger)

Answers:

1. Me lavo las manos
2. Me cepillo los dientes
3. Me duele la cabeza
4. Me corté el dedo

Exercise 4: Translate to Spanish

1. My head hurts
2. I broke my arm
3. She has long hair
4. He has blue eyes
5. I wash my hands

Answers:

1. Me duele la cabeza
2. Me rompí el brazo
3. (Ella) Tiene el pelo largo
4. (Él) Tiene los ojos azules
5. Me lavo las manos

Common Mistakes to Avoid

❌ Mistake 1: Using Possessive with Body Parts

Wrong: ❌ Me lavo mis manos Right: ✅ Me lavo las manos (I wash my hands)

Wrong: ❌ Me duele mi cabeza Right: ✅ Me duele la cabeza (My head hurts)

Use articles, not possessives!

❌ Mistake 2: Wrong DUELE/DUELEN

Wrong: ❌ Me duelen la cabeza Right: ✅ Me duele la cabeza (singular!)

Wrong: ❌ Me duele los pies Right: ✅ Me duelen los pies (plural!)

Match to singular or plural!

❌ Mistake 3: Confusing Ear Words

La oreja = outer ear (what you see) El oído = inner ear (hearing)

• Me duele la oreja (My ear hurts - outer)
• Tengo problemas de oído (I have hearing problems - inner)

❌ Mistake 4: Wrong Gender

Wrong: ❌ El mano Right: ✅ La mano (hand is feminine!)

LA MANO is feminine (despite ending in -O)!

Quick Reference Chart

Main Body Parts

DOLER Pattern

Common Pain Expressions

Your Action Plan

Week 1: Head and Face

• Master la cabeza, los ojos, la boca, la nariz
• Learn all facial features
• Practice ME DUELE pattern

Week 2: Upper Body

• Learn arm and hand parts
• Master torso vocabulary
• Practice with reflexive verbs

Week 3: Lower Body

• Learn leg and foot parts
• Add internal organs
• Practice describing pain

Week 4: Natural Usage

• Describe people's appearances
• Use at doctor appointments
• Practice common expressions

Pro Tip: Touch each body part and say its name in Spanish: "Esta es mi mano, estos son mis dedos, esta es mi cabeza." Physical association helps memory!

Practice: When you have minor aches or pains, describe them in Spanish: "Me duele la cabeza hoy," "Me duelen los pies después de caminar."

Memory Trick:

• LA MANO ends in -O but is FEMININE (exception!)
• DUELE = singular (one 'E' = one thing)
• DUELEN = plural (two vowels = multiple things)
• Articles not possessives with body parts + reflexives

Remember: Body parts vocabulary is essential for health situations, describing people, and daily activities! Master the main parts first, then add details. Practice with ME DUELE pattern for expressing pain naturally!