Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): Me duele la oreja porque olvidé quitarme los audífonos inalámbricos antes de dormir. - My ear hurts because I forgot to take off the wireless earphones before sleeping.

Spanish uses doler like English uses “to hurt,” but grammatically it works like gustar: the thing causing pain (here la oreja) is the subject, and the person feeling it is an indirect object. You need an indirect object pronoun (me, te, le, etc.), then duele/duelen, then the body part with a definite article.

Why is la oreja used with a definite article instead of saying mi oreja?

When talking about body parts (or clothing), Spanish normally uses the definite article (el/la) because the owner is clear from the context or the pronoun. Saying me duele la oreja already tells you it’s “my ear,” so you don’t need mi.

How does the verb doler work in Spanish compared to to hurt in English?

In English you say “My ear hurts me,” putting the person first. In Spanish it’s closer to “The ear hurts me”:
• Subject: la oreja
• Verb: duele (agrees with la oreja)
• Indirect object pronoun: me (to me)
Structure: Me + duele + la oreja.

What’s the difference between olvidé quitarme and me olvidé de quitarme?

• Olvidé quitarme uses olvidar (transitive) + infinitive: you directly forget an action.
• Me olvidé de quitarme uses olvidarse de (pronominal) + de + infinitive.
Both mean “I forgot to remove,” but olvidé + infinitive is more concise.

Why is the reflexive pronoun me attached to quitarme here, and where else can I put it?

With a conjugated verb + infinitive combo, Spanish lets you either:
1) Attach to the infinitive: olvidé quitarme
2) Place before the conjugated verb: me olvidé de quitarme
Both are correct and equally common.

What does antes de dormir mean, and can I say antes de dormirme instead?

Antes de + infinitive means “before doing something,” so antes de dormir = “before sleeping.”
Dormirse means “to fall asleep,” so antes de dormirme would be “before I fall asleep.” Both are possible; the non-reflexive dormir is more general (“before going to bed/sleep”), while dormirme emphasizes the moment of falling asleep.

What are audífonos inalámbricos in English? Are they the same as “headphones”?

Audífonos inalámbricos literally means “wireless headphones” or “wireless earphones.” In Latin America, audífonos covers both over-ear and in-ear devices. If you want to be specific, you can say “wireless earbuds” or “wireless over-ear headphones.”

Can audífonos also refer to hearing aids, and how do I distinguish them from headphones?

Yes, audífonos can mean hearing aids in medical contexts. In everyday speech, if someone says audífonos inalámbricos or mentions Bluetooth/streaming music, you know they mean headphones. For hearing aids you might hear audífonos para sordos or ayudas auditivas.

Are there other common words for audífonos in Latin America or Spain?

Yes. In Spain people often say auriculares or cascos for headphones. In Latin America auriculares is also understood. Brand names like AirPods are used colloquially too.