My Nose Hurts in Spanish | Doctor-Ready Phrase Pack

Say “Me duele la nariz” to tell someone your nose hurts, then add where it hurts and what else you feel.

You don’t need perfect Spanish to say one clear thing: your nose hurts. You just need the right sentence, said in a way that won’t make a listener pause and guess what you mean.

This page gives you the most natural options, plus plug-and-play add-ons for pressure, swelling, dryness, and tenderness. You’ll also get quick pronunciation cues and the small grammar detail that trips people up.

What to say when your nose hurts

The most common, widely understood line is:

• Me duele la nariz. (My nose hurts.)

If the pain is happening right now and you want that “it’s hurting” feel, say:

• Me está doliendo la nariz. (My nose is hurting.)

If you want to sound a bit more direct in a clinic or pharmacy setting, these also work:

• Me duele la nariz por dentro. (My nose hurts inside.)
• Me duele la nariz por fuera. (My nose hurts on the outside.)
• Me duele al tocarme la nariz. (It hurts when I touch my nose.)

You’ll see “duele” a lot because the verb used for “to hurt” in Spanish is doler. If you want to double-check meaning and usage, the RAE entry for “doler” defines it as “to suffer pain” when talking about a body part.

My nose hurts in Spanish: phrases that sound natural

If you only memorize one structure, make it this:

• Me duele + (body part).

So for “nose,” you’re pairing “Me duele” with la nariz. The word nariz is standard across Spanish and easy to spot in writing. If you want the formal dictionary definition, the RAE entry for “nariz” is the reference.

Now the little twist: in Spanish, the body part is the thing “doing” the hurting, even though you feel it. That’s why you’ll hear “me duele la nariz” rather than a direct “yo” sentence.

If your listener asks a follow-up, these short replies keep things smooth:

• Desde ayer. (Since yesterday.)
• Desde hace dos días. (For two days.)
• Me empezó hoy. (It started today.)
• Va y viene. (It comes and goes.)
• Es constante. (It’s constant.)

Choose the right version for inside, outside, or one side

Nose pain often needs one extra detail: where, exactly. Spanish lets you do that cleanly with short add-ons.

Inside the nose

• Me duele la nariz por dentro.
• Me duele dentro de la nariz.

Outside of the nose

• Me duele la nariz por fuera.
• Me duele la punta de la nariz. (The tip of my nose hurts.)
• Me duele el puente de la nariz. (The bridge of my nose hurts.)

One side

• Me duele el lado derecho de la nariz.
• Me duele el lado izquierdo de la nariz.

If you want the grammar reassurance on how doler behaves in these patterns, the RAE Diccionario panhispánico de dudas entry for “doler” is a solid check for usage notes and forms.

Table of ready-made phrases for common nose pain situations

Pick one line from the left, then add one detail from the right. It’s a fast way to sound clear without overthinking it.

What you mean	Spanish phrase	When it fits
General nose pain	Me duele la nariz.	Simple, works everywhere
Pain inside the nose	Me duele la nariz por dentro.	Raw, sore, stinging inside
Pain on the outside	Me duele la nariz por fuera.	Tender skin, sore to touch
Pain at the tip	Me duele la punta de la nariz.	Pinpoint pain at the front
Pain on the bridge	Me duele el puente de la nariz.	Pressure or soreness higher up
Pain on one side	Me duele un lado de la nariz.	One nostril area hurts more
Hurts when touched	Me duele al tocarme la nariz.	Tenderness, bruise-like pain
Pain with pressure	Siento presión en la nariz.	Pressure sensation more than sharp pain
Burning/stinging	Me arde la nariz.	Burning feel, irritation

Add symptom details without getting stuck

Once you say the main line, the next step is describing what comes with it. These add-ons are short, clear, and common.

Congestion, runny nose, and dryness

• Tengo la nariz tapada. (My nose is blocked.)
• Tengo moqueo. (I have a runny nose.)
• Me gotea la nariz. (My nose is dripping.)
• Tengo la nariz seca. (My nose is dry.)

Bleeding, sores, and irritation

• Me sangra la nariz. (My nose is bleeding.)
• Tengo una herida en la nariz. (I have a wound on my nose.)
• Tengo una llaga dentro de la nariz. (I have a sore inside my nose.)
• La nariz está irritada. (My nose is irritated.)

Swelling and bruised feeling

• Tengo la nariz hinchada. (My nose is swollen.)
• La tengo sensible. (It feels tender.)
• Me duele como si estuviera golpeada. (It hurts like it’s bruised.)

A small note on plural: Spanish sometimes uses narices (plural) while still talking about the same body part in a general way. If you’ve seen that and wondered if it’s “wrong,” Fundéu explains the singular/plural usage in their note on “nariz/narices”.

Table of pain words that pair well with “Me duele…”

These choices help you match the feel of the pain. Pick one that’s closest to what you feel and keep the sentence short.

What you feel	Spanish words	A natural sentence
Sharp pain	un dolor agudo	Me duele la nariz con un dolor agudo.
Dull ache	un dolor sordo	Tengo un dolor sordo en la nariz.
Throbbing	palpitante	Me duele la nariz y late.
Burning	ardor	Siento ardor en la nariz.
Pressure	presión	Siento presión en la nariz.
Tender to touch	sensibilidad	Me duele al tocarme la nariz.
Worse on one side	más de un lado	Me duele más del lado derecho.

How to say it out loud so you’re understood

Good news: “Me duele la nariz” is beginner-friendly. A few quick cues make it sound clean.

Pronunciation cheat sheet

• Me sounds like “meh.”
• DUE-le is two beats: DWEH-leh.
• La is “lah.”
• Na-RIZ ends with a crisp “s” sound: nah-REES.

If you’re reading Spanish and want a fast handle on stress patterns, watch where the word ends. “Nariz” ends in a consonant that’s not n or s, so stress falls on the last syllable: na-RIZ. That’s why it lands with a punch at the end.

Clinic and pharmacy lines that save time

If you’re speaking to a pharmacist, receptionist, or clinician, these lines move things along. They keep your story short while giving the basics: where, how long, and what else is going on.

Start the conversation

• Me duele la nariz desde hace tres días.
• Me duele la nariz y tengo la nariz tapada.
• Me sangra la nariz y me duele por dentro.

Answer common questions

• Me duele más al respirar. (It hurts more when I breathe.)
• Me duele más al tocarla. (It hurts more when I touch it.)
• Me pasó después de un golpe. (It happened after a hit.)
• Tengo fiebre. (I have a fever.)
• No puedo oler bien. (I can’t smell well.)

If you’re worried about being misunderstood, you can also point and say a simple clarifier:

• Aquí. (Here.)
• En este lado. (On this side.)
• Por dentro. (Inside.)

When nose pain needs urgent care language

This page is about language, not diagnosis. Still, it helps to have stronger phrases ready if something feels off and you want help fast.

Use these lines if there’s heavy bleeding, a strong hit to the face, trouble breathing, fainting, or pain that ramps up fast:

• Necesito ayuda ahora. (I need help now.)
• Me cuesta respirar por la nariz. (It’s hard for me to breathe through my nose.)
• La sangre no para. (The bleeding won’t stop.)
• Me golpeé la nariz y me duele mucho. (I hit my nose and it hurts a lot.)
• Me siento mareado. (I feel dizzy.)

If someone offers to call emergency services, you can say:

• Sí, por favor. (Yes, please.)
• No, gracias. (No, thank you.)

Small swaps that make your Spanish sound more natural

Once you’ve got the core sentence down, you can vary it without changing the meaning.

Swap “I have” for “it hurts”

These can sound more neutral in some settings:

• Tengo dolor en la nariz. (I have pain in my nose.)
• Siento dolor en la nariz. (I feel pain in my nose.)

Add “a little” or “a lot” in plain Spanish

If you want intensity without sounding dramatic, keep it simple:

• Me duele un poco. (It hurts a little.)
• Me duele mucho. (It hurts a lot.)

Say what makes it worse

• Me duele al sonarme. (It hurts when I blow my nose.)
• Me duele al estornudar. (It hurts when I sneeze.)
• Me duele al respirar hondo. (It hurts when I take a deep breath.)

A quick practice script you can read once and reuse

If you want one tight script that covers the basics, try this. Read it out loud two or three times, then swap in your own details.

Hola. Me duele la nariz desde hace dos días. Me duele por dentro y tengo la nariz tapada. Me duele más al tocarla.

If you want to shorten it even more, this one still lands:

Me duele la nariz. Es desde ayer. Me duele por dentro.