Su hombro tiene que descansar.
Your shoulder has to rest.
The shoulder is where a bag strap sits, and once it gives out, you won't be lifting anything for a while.
From Dr. House · Spanish audio
Spanish vocabularyA1 · Beginner
How to say "shoulder" in Spanish
el hombro
nounmasculineplural: los hombrossilent h
"Shoulder" in Spanish is el hombro, said OHM-broh because the h is silent. Both shoulders together are los hombros. Watch the last letter: with an e at the end, hombre means man.
Hear "hombro" in real scenes
A doctor's order and a friendly check-in. Each video starts and stops on that line.
¿Y cómo va tu hombro?
And how's your shoulder doing?
Out on a walk, he asks about his partner's shoulder. It's a short, natural way to follow up when you know someone has been in pain.
From Suits · Spanish audio
Phrases with hombro
From the doctor's office to everyday idioms.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Me duele el hombro. | My shoulder hurts. |
| el hombro derecho / izquierdo | the right / left shoulder |
| encogerse de hombros | to shrug |
| llevar a hombros | to carry someone on your shoulders |
| hombro con hombro | shoulder to shoulder |
| mirar por encima del hombro | to look down on someone |
Tip: When a friend has a hard day, you can offer un hombro en el que llorar, a shoulder to cry on.
Grammar: el hombro, los hombros
Four points for talking about shoulders.
Masculine, plural with -s
el hombro, los hombros. Adjectives agree: el hombro izquierdo, los hombros anchos (broad shoulders).Whose shoulder
Me duele el hombro. Le pongo la mano en el hombro. The pronoun shows whose shoulder it is, so el takes the place of mi.On the shoulder: en el hombro
Use en for something that rests there: Lleva la mochila en el hombro. She carries the backpack on her shoulder.Shrug with de
encogerse de hombros means to shrug: Me encojo de hombros. The shoulders stay plural in this phrase.Example sentences
Sentences from the Wordy Spanish course. Tap to listen.
Me duele el hombro.
My shoulder hurts.
En el hombro.
On the shoulder.
Su hombro tiene que descansar.
Your shoulder has to rest.
Sí, pero me duele el hombro.
Yes, but my shoulder hurts.
Common mistakes
Mistakes learners make with this word, and how to fix them.
✗el hombre (meaning shoulder)
✓el hombro
Hombre with a final e is a man. The shoulder ends in -o.
✗Encojo mis hombros
✓Me encojo de hombros
Shrugging takes the reflexive verb and de, with no possessive.
✗HOM-broh (pronunciation)
✓OHM-broh
Say it as if the word began with o. Spanish never pronounces the h.
Practice: 3 quick exercises
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1 of 3 · Watch and choose
What do you hear in the video?
The other 34 exercises on this topic are in the app.
How to remember it
Hombro sounds like "OHM-bro". Picture your bro dropping a friendly hand on your shoulder.
Questions about "shoulder" in Spanish
How do you say shoulder in Spanish?
El hombro, said OHM-broh. Both shoulders are los hombros.
How do you say "my shoulder hurts" in Spanish?
Me duele el hombro. When both of them hurt, say Me duelen los hombros.
How do you say shrug in Spanish?
Encogerse de hombros: Se encogió de hombros. He shrugged.
What's the difference between hombro and hombre?
Hombro ends in -o and means shoulder. Hombre ends in -e and means man, and both start with a silent h.
