You’re standing in a pharmacy in Madrid or maybe a clinic in Mexico City, and something feels wrong. You need to explain a physical sensation, or maybe your feelings are bruised after a rough breakup. You reach for a translator, but the results are a mess. Why? Because how do you say to hurt in Spanish isn't a one-word answer. It’s a linguistic minefield that changes depending on whether your toe is throbbing or your ego is crushed.
Spanish doesn't play by the same rules as English. In English, "to hurt" covers everything from a bee sting to a mean comment. In Spanish, we have a whole cast of characters: doler, lastimar, herir, and hacer daño.
Most beginners default to doler. It makes sense. It’s the most common. But if you use it wrong, you’ll sound like a robot—or worse, you won’t be understood at all. Honestly, the biggest mistake is treating these verbs as interchangeable synonyms. They aren't. They each carry a specific "vibe" and grammatical weight that can totally flip the meaning of your sentence.
Why Doler Is Actually a Weird Verb
If you want to master how do you say to hurt in Spanish, you have to start with doler. But here’s the kicker: doler works exactly like gustar.
In English, you say "My head hurts." You are the subject; the head is doing the hurting. In Spanish, the body part is the subject, and it "does the hurting" to you. Me duele la cabeza. Literally, "The head hurts to me."
It’s an intransitive verb. You can’t "doler" someone else. If you say "Yo duelo a Juan," people will look at you like you’ve lost your mind. It’s strictly for the sensation of pain.
Think about the stem change, too. It’s an O-to-UE verb.
- Duele (singular)
- Duelen (plural)
If both your feet are killing you after hiking the Camino de Santiago, you say Me duelen los pies. Note the plural. If it’s just one foot, it’s Me duele el pie.
The Physical vs. The Emotional Doler
While doler is usually for physical aches, it can be used for emotional grief. But it’s heavy. If you say Me duele el alma (My soul hurts), you’re being poetic or deeply dramatic. It’s the kind of thing you hear in a Luis Miguel ballad. For everyday "hurt feelings," there are better options.
When to Use Lastimar Instead
So, what if you actually did something to cause the pain? Maybe you tripped. Maybe you dropped a heavy book on your foot.
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That’s where lastimar comes in.
Lastimar implies an action or an injury. It’s more active than doler. If you tell a doctor Me duele el brazo, you're just saying it hurts. If you say Me lastimé el brazo, you're saying "I hurt my arm" (implying an event happened).
In many Latin American countries, lastimar is the go-to for "to hurt someone's feelings."
"Me lastimaste con lo que dijiste." (You hurt me with what you said.)
It’s softer than herir. It’s about the bruise on the ego or the heart. Interestingly, in Spain, you might hear hacer daño used more frequently for this than lastimar, which can sound a bit "telenovela" depending on who you're talking to.
The Serious Impact of Herir
If lastimar is a bruise, herir is a wound.
This verb is literally "to wound." You use it for soldiers in battle (heridos de guerra) or a deep, metaphorical gash in someone’s spirit. It’s formal. It’s sharp.
If you’re writing a formal letter or reading the news, you’ll see herir.
"El accidente hirió a tres personas." (The accident injured/wounded three people.)
When it comes to emotions, herir is for the big stuff. Betrayal. Infidelity. Life-altering insults. It’s not for when your friend forgets to text you back. Use it sparingly, or you’ll come off as incredibly intense.
The Versatility of Hacer Daño
This is the "Swiss Army Knife" of Spanish pain. Literally translated, it means "to do harm."
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You can use it for almost anything.
- Food: La leche me hace daño. (Milk doesn't agree with me/hurts my stomach.)
- Physical impact: Me hice daño al caer. (I hurt myself when I fell.)
- Emotional malice: Él quiere hacerme daño. (He wants to hurt me.)
It’s a bit more "objective" than doler. Doler is about the internal feeling; hacer daño is about the damage caused.
Regional Differences That Will Trip You Up
Language isn't a monolith. How you say to hurt in Spanish in Buenos Aires might sound different than in Bogota.
In Mexico and parts of Central America, lastimar is incredibly common for both physical and emotional slights. You'll hear "No me lastimes" (Don't hurt me) in songs and daily speech.
In Spain, hacer daño is the king of the mountain. If a kid falls down, a Spanish mom asks, "¿Te has hecho daño?" whereas a Mexican mom might ask, "¿Te lastimaste?"
Then there’s molar. Wait, no, molar is "to be cool." I’m thinking of molestar.
New learners often confuse molestar with "to hurt." It doesn't mean to hurt; it means to bother or annoy. If your shoe is rubbing your heel, it’s molestando. It’s a nuisance. It’s not necessarily "painful" in the doler sense yet, but it’s getting there.
Reflexive vs. Non-Reflexive
This is the technical part that actually matters for sounding human.
Most verbs for hurting yourself are reflexive.
- Me lastimé (I hurt myself)
- Te heriste (You wounded yourself)
- Se hizo daño (He/she/it hurt themselves)
If you leave out the "me/te/se," you are hurting someone else.
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- Lo lastimé (I hurt him)
- La herí (I wounded her)
Notice that doler doesn't do this. You don't "me duelo." You are always the recipient of the pain with doler.
Let's Talk About Specific Pains (Colloquialisms)
Sometimes, you don't even use the word "hurt." Spanish is colorful.
If your head is pounding, you might say Me estalla la cabeza (My head is exploding).
If you have "pins and needles," that’s hormigueo (literally "ant-ing," like ants crawling on you).
If you have a sharp, stabbing pain, those are punzadas.
Real fluency involves moving away from the generic "it hurts" and toward describing the type of hurt. A dull ache is a dolor sordo. A constant ache is a dolor constante.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Don't say "Yo duele." Just don't. It’s the "I is" of the Spanish world.
Another big one: using "mi" with body parts.
In English, we say "My back hurts."
In Spanish, we say Me duele la espalda.
We use the definite article (la/el) because the "me" already tells us whose back it is. Saying Me duele mi espalda sounds redundant and slightly foreign. It's a dead giveaway that you're translating directly from English in your head.
Actionable Steps for Mastery
To really get comfortable with how do you say to hurt in Spanish, you need to practice the "Gustar" structure of doler until it's second nature.
- Start with the Indirect Object Pronouns: Focus on me, te, le, nos, les.
- Practice the Present Tense: Say Me duele for one thing, Me duelen for multiple things.
- Switch to Lastimar for Actions: Next time you stub your toe, shout "¡Me lastimé!" instead of just saying it hurts.
- Use Hacer Daño for General Harm: If a pair of shoes is too tight, they are haciendo daño.
Try this: Look at your body right now. Point to your shoulder and say Me duele el hombro. Point to your eyes and say Me duelen los ojos. Then, imagine you accidentally hit your hand with a hammer. Say Me lastimé la mano.
The distinction becomes clearer the more you associate the words with specific scenarios rather than just definitions on a page. Spanish is a language of feeling and intent. Once you stop trying to force English grammar onto Spanish verbs, you’ll find that expressing pain—whether it’s a tiny scratch or a broken heart—becomes a lot more natural.
Focus on the context of the injury. Was it an accident? Use lastimarse. Is it a chronic ache? Use doler. Is it a malicious act? Hacer daño. By categorizing the pain in your mind before you speak, you’ll choose the right word every single time.