grammar.articles.with-body-parts-clothing
Me lavo las manos: articles, not possessives, for body and clothes
With body parts and clothing, Spanish uses the definite article plus a reflexive or indirect pronoun: me duele la cabeza, ponte los zapatos — not *mis manos.
⚠ Stub: AI-drafted outline, not yet reviewed. The structure is permanent; the content will be expanded.
grammarA2, B1stubdraftv0.1.0
Explanation
The owner is marked on the verb, not the noun: me rompí el brazo ('I broke my arm'), le cortaron el pelo, quítate la chaqueta. Using the possessive (*lavo mis manos) is grammatical but sounds translated.
Same pattern with doler: me duelen los pies — the article does the possessive's job.
Examples
Me duele la espalda.
My back hurts.
My back hurts.
Region: global
Ponte el casco.
Put on your helmet.
Put on your helmet.
Region: global