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Hoy tengo dolor de cabeza.

Hoy tengo dolor de cabeza.
Today I have a headache.
From Lesson 185:Article or no article (un café, zumo de naranja)·Spanish (Spain)

Breakdown of Hoy tengo dolor de cabeza.

de
of
hoy
today
tener
to have
la cabeza
the head
el dolor
the pain

Questions & Answers about Hoy tengo dolor de cabeza.

Why is there no word for "a" before dolor?
In English we say "I have a headache," but in Spanish, ailments like dolor de cabeza (headache) or fiebre (fever) usually do not take the indefinite article un or una after the verb tener. You simply say you have "head pain."
Could I express this using the verb doler (to hurt) instead?
Yes! In fact, it is much more common in everyday Spanish to use the verb doler. You would say Hoy me duele la cabeza, which literally means "Today the head hurts me." Both phrases are perfectly correct, but using doler sounds more natural in casual conversation.
Why do we use de in dolor de cabeza?
In Spanish, nouns are often linked by the preposition de (of) to describe what type of thing something is. Instead of having a single compound noun like "headache," Spanish phrases it as "pain of head." You will see this pattern in other ailments too, like dolor de estómago (stomach ache).

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