Learn body parts with their article
Body parts are mostly regular in gender, but learn each with its article so agreement is automatic: la cabeza, el pelo, los ojos, la nariz, el brazo, la pierna, el pie, la garganta. Watch la mano — feminine despite the -o. Crucially, use the definite article, not a possessive: me duele la cabeza, not me duele mi cabeza. The full table is in the note.
Describe symptoms; give advice
Two structures cover most symptoms: tener dolor de + body part (tengo dolor de cabeza) and doler (like gustar) + indirect object (me duele la cabeza; me duelen los pies — plural part, plural duelen). Doler is an o->ue stem-changer, held as needs_human here. At the doctor's: ¿qué te pasa?, me siento mal, tengo fiebre. Advice uses debes/deberías + infinitive or an imperative: debes descansar; tómate esta medicina.
Drawn from real examiner reports.
Illness is estar, not ser
Health is the clearest place to apply ser/estar, and reports flag it every sitting: estar enfermo/a (ill — a state): hoy estoy enfermo, NOT soy enfermo. estar cansado/a (tired — always estar). ser débil (a lasting trait) vs estar débil (weak right now). Safe rule: illness, tiredness and current feelings = estar; fitness or build = ser.
Digest, ser/estar/por/para/hay: ser/estar confusion on the Writing common-errors list every sitting; 'es indio' vs 'está indio' (s23 P22 Q6h).
Symptoms use tener, not hay
Hay (there is/are) is impersonal and takes no personal subject, so it cannot say what is wrong with a specific person — symptoms need tener: tengo dolor de cabeza, NOT hay dolor de cabeza; tiene fiebre, NOT hay fiebre. Hay fits only an impersonal statement: hay mucha gripe este invierno.
Digest, ser/estar/por/para/hay: avoid using tiene where hay is required and vice versa (Q3 improvement list, all sittings).
Match adjectives to body/health nouns
An injury or condition pairs a noun with an adjective, and both must agree: el brazo roto vs la pierna rota — roto/rota matches the noun's gender. la mano hinchada — mano is feminine despite the -o, so the adjective takes -a. los pies cansados — plural needs plural. una vida sana — sana agrees with vida.
Digest, gender & number agreement: adjective-noun agreement a top Writing error every sitting ('los ojos azul', w23 41 Q2 Task 3).
doler agrees with the body part
Doler works like gustar: the verb agrees with the body part that hurts, not the person. Me duele la cabeza — one part, singular duele; me duelen los pies — a plural part, plural duelen. The person is the indirect object (me, te, le...), so it never drives the verb: a mi hermana le duelen las piernas.
(general FL trap)
Use la cabeza, not mi cabeza
With parts of the body, Spanish uses the definite article, not a possessive, when the owner is clear: me duele la cabeza, not me duele mi cabeza; me lavo las manos, not lavo mis manos. The pronoun (me, te, se) already shows whose body it is, so mi/tu/su is redundant and marked wrong.
(general FL trap)
estar is not only for temporary things
The shortcut "ser = permanent, estar = temporary" is applied too rigidly. The health choice is about what statement you make, not duration: estar enfermo/a is a state even when the illness is long. Ser sano/a is a general constitution; estar sano/a a current result. Over-applying "ser = permanent" gives the wrong soy enfermo — illness always takes estar.
Digest: ser/estar confusion a recurring Writing common-error across all sittings; health supplies the clearest estar-for-illness contrast.
Give advice with debes or an imperative
For advice, use debes/deberías + infinitive or an imperative: debes descansar, deberías beber agua, tómate la medicina. Keep the verb after debes infinitive (never debes descansas), and form the tú imperative properly (toma, not tomar).
Add the healthy or unhealthy verdict
Name the fact (como hamburguesas, hago ejercicio), then add the judgement — candidates often name an unhealthy food without ever saying it is unhealthy. Use es sano/malsano or es malo para la salud, justified with porque.
Transform first person to third
Reading health texts are first-person, but the answer must be third-person: transform verb and pronoun together — me dolía -> le dolía; no fui -> no fue. Keep the tense the question uses: a past state stays imperfect (tenía fiebre). Copying or quoting does not score.
This topic covers parts of the body, illness and remedies, at the doctor's, healthy vs unhealthy lifestyle, and sport and fitness — core vocabulary and set structures for Cambridge 0530 Reading, Listening and Writing tasks about health and wellbeing.
Parts of the body (las partes del cuerpo):
| Spanish | English | Article |
|---|---|---|
| la cabeza | head | la |
| el pelo | hair | el |
| los ojos | eyes | los |
| la nariz | nose | la |
| la boca | mouth | la |
Full notes, flashcards, Q&A and the topic quiz for every premium subject.
Premium plans are US$8.99/month or US$49.99/year — first month free.
Studying with a parent's blessing? Show them this.
