Indirect vs reflexive form

Question

I'd just like to point out for your newer students that the following example is in indirect form and not reflexive form:
Me duele mucho la cabeza.My head hurts a lotWe can tell the difference because it does not say "Me duelo", which would be reflexive form, in which the "yo" form of the verb would agree with "me".Instead it says "me duele", which agrees with "la cabeza".  We can see this if we change the order of the words:"La cabeza me duele mucho." For students who do not know where the "me" comes from you can search for the lesson on Direct Objects.

Silvia Piriz · Accepted Answer

Hola Marcos R.
Thanks for taking the time to point this out. Your explanation is absolutely right and very helpful for learners.
In me duele la cabeza, doler is not being used reflexively. The verb agrees with la cabeza, which is the grammatical subject, and me is an indirect object pronoun indicating who is affected. As you correctly note, we can see this clearly when we reorder the sentence: La cabeza me duele mucho.
This structure is very common with verbs of physical sensation in Spanish (doler, gustar, molestar, etc.), and it can be confusing at first because it doesn’t follow the same subject–verb pattern as English. So your distinction between me duele and a hypothetical reflexive form like me duelo (which doesn’t exist) is spot on.
Thanks also for mentioning the link with object pronouns — that’s exactly the right direction for students who want to understand where me comes from in this type of sentence.
Really appreciate your contribution!
Saludos
Silvia