This cheat sheet covers common Spanish words for body parts and health vocabulary that students can use in simple conversations. It helps grades 4-5 learners name parts of the body, describe how they feel, and understand basic health questions. Students need these phrases for classroom speaking, reading short dialogues, and building confidence with everyday Spanish.
Key Facts
- To say something hurts, use Me duele plus a singular body part, as in Me duele la cabeza.
- To say multiple things hurt, use Me duelen plus plural body parts, as in Me duelen los pies.
- Use Tengo plus a symptom to say how you feel, as in Tengo fiebre, Tengo tos, or Tengo dolor de garganta.
- Most body parts use el, la, los, or las instead of mi or mis in pain sentences, as in Me duele el brazo.
- La cabeza means the head, el ojo means the eye, la nariz means the nose, la boca means the mouth, and la mano means the hand.
- El brazo means the arm, la pierna means the leg, el pie means the foot, el estómago means the stomach, and la espalda means the back.
- Use ¿Qué te duele? to ask What hurts you, and answer with Me duele or Me duelen.
- Use Necesito ayuda to say I need help, and use Quiero ver al doctor to say I want to see the doctor.
Vocabulary
- el cuerpo
- El cuerpo means the body and is the main word for talking about body parts.
- la cabeza
- La cabeza means the head and is used in the phrase Me duele la cabeza.
- el dolor
- El dolor means pain or ache and can be used in phrases like Tengo dolor de garganta.
- la fiebre
- La fiebre means fever and is used with Tengo, as in Tengo fiebre.
- la tos
- La tos means cough and is used with Tengo, as in Tengo tos.
- enfermo/enferma
- Enfermo or enferma means sick, and the ending changes to match the person being described.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Using mi in pain sentences, like Me duele mi cabeza, is not the usual Spanish pattern because Spanish normally uses el or la with body parts in this expression.
- Forgetting the plural verb in Me duelen los pies is wrong because pies is plural, so duele must become duelen.
- Mixing up tengo and me duele can confuse the meaning because Tengo fiebre means I have a fever, while Me duele la cabeza means my head hurts.
- Using the wrong article with body parts can make the phrase sound incorrect, so learn common pairs like la cabeza, el brazo, la mano, and el pie.
- Keeping enfermo the same for everyone is incorrect because a girl says Estoy enferma, while a boy says Estoy enfermo.
Practice Questions
- 1 Write 5 Spanish body parts with the correct article el, la, los, or las.
- 2 Translate these 3 health phrases into Spanish: I have a fever, my head hurts, and my feet hurt.
- 3 Choose the correct phrase: Me duele los pies or Me duelen los pies. Explain your choice in one sentence.
- 4 A friend says Estoy enferma and Me duele la garganta. Explain what might be happening and what helpful phrase they could use next.