# Me lavo las manos: articles, not possessives, for body and clothes

> id: grammar.articles.with-body-parts-clothing · category: grammar · depth: standard · levels: A2, B1 · review: internally_reviewed

**Summary.** 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.

With body parts and clothing, Spanish marks the owner on the verb (a reflexive or indirect-object pronoun) and uses the plain definite article on the noun — not a possessive. So me lavo las manos ('I wash my hands'), not *lavo mis manos; se puso el abrigo, quítate los zapatos.

The pronoun already says whose it is, so the possessive would be redundant: me rompí el brazo ('I broke my arm'), le cortaron el pelo, me duele la cabeza. Using mis/tus there is grammatical but immediately sounds translated.

The verb doler works the same way, with an indirect-object pronoun + article: me duelen los pies, ¿te duele la garganta? The article, not a possessive, carries the 'my/your'.

## Examples
- Me duele la espalda. — My back hurts.
- Ponte el casco. — Put on your helmet.
- Lávate las manos y ponte la chaqueta. — Wash your hands and put on your jacket.

Related: grammar.pronouns.reflexive, grammar.articles.definite-uses

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