Breakdown of Es que me duele mucho la muela y la cita se está complicando.
ser
to be
y
and
mucho
many / a lot
estar
to be (location/state)
que
that / than
me
to me / me (direct object)
doler
to hurt / to ache
la cita
appointment / date (social/romantic outing)
complicarse
to get complicated
la muela
the molar / the tooth (back)
Questions & Answers about Es que me duele mucho la muela y la cita se está complicando.
What is the purpose of starting the sentence with Es que?
Es que is a very common phrase used to give an excuse, justify an action, or soften a refusal. It translates well to 'It's just that...' or 'The thing is...'. Notice that it is followed by a normal indicative verb (duele), not the subjunctive.
How does the verb doler work in this sentence?
Doler (to hurt or ache) works exactly like gustar. The thing causing the pain is the subject of the sentence, and the person feeling it is the indirect object. Literally, me duele la muela means 'the molar is causing pain to me'.
Why do we say la muela instead of using a possessive like 'mi muela'?
In Spanish, we generally use definite articles like el or la for body parts and clothing instead of possessive pronouns like mi. Because we already used the indirect object pronoun me, it is perfectly clear whose tooth is hurting.
Why is there a se in se está complicando?
Can I attach the se to the end of the verb instead?
Yes! When using the present progressive (a form of estar plus an -ando or -iendo ending), you can attach the pronoun to the end of the action verb. You could also say está complicándose, but remember to add an accent mark over the 'a' to keep the spoken stress in the right place.
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