Why is it *me duelen* with *los oídos* but *me duele* with *la cabeza*?

The verb agrees with the body part, which is the subject

*Oídos* is masculine and *cabeza* feminine

*Doler* is irregular in the plural

The pharmacist has offered you a brand-name box. What is worth asking every time?

*¿Tiene algo más barato de otra marca?*

Spanish at the pharmacy in Peru

Short answer

In Peru the everyday word is la botica rather than la farmacia. You describe what is wrong with "me duele" plus the body part, and ask for something with "¿qué me recomienda para...?" Many things sold only on prescription elsewhere are available over the counter, and pharmacists advise routinely.

CEFR A1 Reviewed by Jhoslyn Updated 2026-09-11

Draft copy. Every claim needs a native-speaker check before publishing — the byline is what makes this citable, so it has to be earned.

Botica, not farmacia

Both words are understood, but la botica is what Peruvians say and what the shopfronts say — InkaFarma and Mifarma are the two chains you will see on practically every corner.

la botica — the pharmacy
el boticario / la química farmacéutica — the pharmacist
la receta — the prescription
sin receta — over the counter
el genérico — the generic. “¿Hay genérico?” is worth asking every time, because the price gap is large

Saying where it hurts

The verb is doler, and it behaves like gustar: the body part is the subject, and you are the indirect object. So it is not “I hurt my head” but “the head hurts to me”.

me duele la cabeza — my head hurts
me duele el estómago — my stomach
me duele la garganta — my throat
me duelen los oídos — my ears (plural subject, so duelen)
me duele acá — it hurts here, with a finger, which is a complete and perfectly good sentence

Note la cabeza, not mi cabeza. Spanish uses the definite article with body parts; the me already says whose it is. If the gustar pattern is still awkward, gustar is the same machine.

Describing the problem

With tener:

tengo fiebre — I have a temperature
tengo tos — I have a cough
tengo náuseas — I feel sick
tengo diarrea — plain and unembarrassing here
tengo sueño — I’m sleepy. tengo frío — I’m cold

With estar:

estoy mareado — I’m dizzy. This one comes up constantly in Cusco and Puno
estoy resfriado — I have a cold
estoy cansado — I’m tired

The tengo / estoy split is worth keeping straight: tengo for a thing you have, estoy for a state you are in. More at tener expressions.

Asking for something

“¿Qué me recomienda para el dolor de cabeza?” — what do you recommend for
“¿Tiene algo para la tos?” — do you have anything for
“¿Se puede tomar sin receta?” — can it be taken without a prescription
“¿Cada cuánto lo tomo?” — how often do I take it
“¿Con comida o sin comida?”
“Soy alérgico a…” — I’m allergic to

Pharmacists in Peru advise routinely and will often recommend something directly, which is a normal part of the job here rather than overstepping.

Altitude, which is its own conversation

In Cusco, Arequipa, Puno or Huaraz the word you need is el soroche — altitude sickness. “Me agarró el soroche” — the altitude got me.

el mate de coca — coca leaf tea, offered everywhere and genuinely helpful
las pastillas para el soroche — altitude tablets, sold over the counter
“Me falta el aire.” — I’m short of breath
“Tómalo con calma el primer día.” — take it easy the first day, which is the advice everyone gives and most people ignore

This page is vocabulary, not medical advice — for anything that is not minor, “necesito ver a un doctor” is the sentence you want, and the next lesson covers it.

Topics Health and getting help Getting around Peruvian Spanish

Saying where it hurts

Eight on the botica — and on doler, which works like gustar, so what hurts is the subject and the verb agrees with it, not with you.

1Both your ears hurt. Which do you say?
Answer

*Me duelen los oídos.* — *Doler* works like *gustar*: the body part is the subject, so a plural body part takes *duelen*. The *me* already says whose ears they are, which is why it is *los*, not *mis*.
2Your head hurts. Which do you say?
Answer

*Me duele la cabeza.* — One head, so *duele*. And Spanish uses the definite article with body parts — *la cabeza*, never *mi cabeza*, because the *me* has already done that job.
3Why is it *me duelen* with *los oídos* but *me duele* with *la cabeza*?
Answer

The verb agrees with the body part, which is the subject — You are the indirect object — the thing that hurts is doing the hurting. It is the *gustar* machine exactly: *me gusta el libro*, *me gustan los libros*.
4You have had a cough for three days. Which do you say?
Answer

*Tengo tos.* — *Tener* for a thing you have — *tengo tos*, *tengo fiebre*, *tengo náuseas*. *Doler* is for a part of you that hurts, which a cough is not.
5You have just arrived in Cusco and the altitude has you unsteady. Which do you say?
Answer

*Estoy mareado.* — *Estar* for a state you are in — *estoy mareado*, *estoy resfriado*, *estoy cansado*. The split is worth keeping straight: *tengo* for a thing you have, *estoy* for a state you are in.
6You need a pharmacy. Which word will you actually see on the shopfront in Peru?
Answer

*la botica* — Both *botica* and *farmacia* are understood, but *botica* is what Peruvians say and what the signs say. InkaFarma and Mifarma are the two chains on practically every corner.
7The pharmacist has offered you a brand-name box. What is worth asking every time?
Answer

*¿Hay genérico?* — The price gap between brand and generic is large, and the question is completely routine. Haggling, by contrast, is not done in a pharmacy at all.
8Someone in Puno says *me agarró el soroche*. What is wrong with them?
Answer

Altitude sickness — *El soroche* is altitude sickness and the phrase is the usual way to report it. *Me falta el aire* — I'm short of breath — is the other one you will hear and may need.