Duele vs duelen

Question

I want to say in Spanish: My son's head and neck hurts.

Would it be: Mi hijo le duele la cabeza y cuello.

1) Do I need "el" before cuello?

2) Is it suppose to be duelen because there are more than one body parts involved?

3) Do I need "a" before "mi"?

Answer 1

It should be: A mi hijo le duele la cabeza y el cuello.

A few days ago there was a discussion about singular or plural verbs with multiple objects. The RAE says to use plural verbs in this case, but many of us use singular because of the proximity of the verb to the first object while we consider the additional object simply an addition even though it is also affected. Maybe this is regional, but it sounds more natural this way.

For Ramona- "le duelen las piernas y la cabeza" but "le duele la cabeza y las piernas" - it is the subject closest to the verb. :) - bosquederoble, Jun 24, 2016

Also remember the RAE says that for countable nouns "le duelen la cabeza y el cuello" is a correct choice. Even if it is not what Julian nor I do. :) - bosquederoble, Jun 24, 2016

I'm with the RAE on this one. It's the way our college textbook teaches. - Daniela2041, Jun 24, 2016

Thanks Julian, Bosque, and Daniela! :) - Ramonaspiker, Jun 25, 2016

Answer 2

bump