Me duele la pierna.
My leg hurts.
After eight hours of walking, the leg is the first thing to complain, and me duele la pierna says so with one leg in the singular.
From Dr. House · Spanish audio
Spanish vocabularyA1 · Beginner
How to say "leg" in Spanish
la pierna
nounfeminineplural: las piernas
"Leg" in Spanish is la pierna, the part of your body from the hip down to the ankle. Below the ankle is a separate word, el pie. The legs of animals and furniture are las patas.
Hear "pierna" in real scenes
One sore leg, then two. Each video starts and stops on that line.
Me duelen las piernas.
My legs hurt.
With both legs the noun turns plural, las piernas, and the verb follows it from duele to duelen.
From Dr. House · Spanish audio
Pierna, pie, pata and the parts of the leg
Six words for talking about legs.
| Spanish | English | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| la pierna | leg | A person's leg, hip to ankle. |
| el pie | foot | Below the ankle. |
| la pata | leg of an animal or furniture | las patas del perro, la pata de la mesa. |
| el muslo | thigh | The upper part of the leg. |
| la rodilla | knee | Halfway down the leg. |
| el tobillo | ankle | Where the leg meets the foot. |
Tip: Estirar las piernas means to stretch your legs, often by going for a short walk.
Grammar: la pierna, las piernas
Four points for talking about legs.
Feminine -a noun
la pierna, las piernas, una pierna. Learn it with la, like most nouns ending in -a.Me duele, me duelen
One leg: Me duele la pierna. Both legs: Me duelen las piernas. The verb agrees with whatever hurts.La, not mi
Levanta la pierna. Lift your leg. Where English says your or my with body parts, Spanish normally uses the article.Left and right
la pierna izquierda, la pierna derecha. Both words take -a to match pierna.Example sentences
Sentences from the Wordy Spanish course. Tap to listen.
Me duelen las piernas.
My legs hurt.
Me duele la pierna.
My leg hurts.
Me duelen la pierna y la rodilla.
My leg and my knee hurt.
¿Dos piernas?
Two legs?
Common mistakes
Mistakes learners make with this word, and how to fix them.
✗Me duele mi pierna
✓Me duele la pierna
Me already says it's your leg, so the article la is enough.
✗Me duele las piernas
✓Me duelen las piernas
Two legs need the plural verb, duelen.
✗la pierna de la mesa
✓la pata de la mesa
Tables and chairs stand on patas, never on piernas.
Practice: 3 quick exercises
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1 of 3 · Watch and choose
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How to remember it
Pierna starts like pier. Picture a pier standing on long legs in the water.
Questions about "leg" in Spanish
How do you say leg in Spanish?
La pierna. Your foot has its own word, el pie.
What's the difference between pierna and pata?
Pierna is a person's leg. Pata is the leg of an animal or a piece of furniture.
How do you say "my leg hurts" in Spanish?
Me duele la pierna. When both of them hurt, say Me duelen las piernas.
How do you say "I broke my leg" in Spanish?
Me rompí la pierna, with la in place of mi, as usual with body parts.
