FlexiLingoIn one line
avoir mal àfor pain,être maladefor illness — and in France the prescription isl'ordonnance, without which most medicines are not sold.
Nouns
People and places
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
le médecin | /med.sɛ̃/ | doctor |
le généraliste | /ʒe.ne.ʁa.list/ | GP |
le spécialiste | /spe.sja.list/ | specialist |
le dentiste | /dɑ̃.tist/ | dentist |
l'infirmier l'infirmière | /ɛ̃.fiʁ.mje/ · /ɛ̃.fiʁ.mjɛʁ/ | nurse |
le pharmacien | /faʁ.ma.sjɛ̃/ | pharmacist |
le cabinet | /ka.bi.nɛ/ | surgery, practice |
l'hôpital (m.) | /o.pi.tal/ | hospital |
la clinique | /kli.nik/ | private clinic |
la pharmacie | /faʁ.ma.si/ | pharmacy |
les urgences (f. pl.) | /yʁ.ʒɑ̃s/ | A&E |
la salle d'attente | /sal da.tɑ̃t/ | waiting room |
Symptoms and illness
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
la douleur | /du.lœʁ/ | pain |
la fièvre | /fjɛvʁ/ | fever |
le rhume | /ʁym/ | cold |
la grippe | /ɡʁip/ | flu |
la toux | /tu/ | cough |
le mal de tête | /mal də tɛt/ | headache |
la nausée | /no.ze/ | nausea |
la fatigue | /fa.tiɡ/ | tiredness |
l'allergie (f.) | /a.lɛʁ.ʒi/ | allergy |
la blessure | /blɛ.syʁ/ | wound, injury |
la fracture | /fʁak.tyʁ/ | fracture |
la maladie | /ma.la.di/ | illness |
le virus | /vi.ʁys/ | virus |
la tension | /tɑ̃.sjɔ̃/ | blood pressure |
Treatment
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
le rendez-vous | /ʁɑ̃.de.vu/ | appointment |
la consultation | /kɔ̃.syl.ta.sjɔ̃/ | consultation |
l'ordonnance (f.) | /ɔʁ.dɔ.nɑ̃s/ | prescription |
le médicament | /me.di.ka.mɑ̃/ | medicine |
le comprimé | /kɔ̃.pʁi.me/ | tablet |
le sirop | /si.ʁo/ | syrup |
la piqûre | /pi.kyʁ/ | injection |
le vaccin | /vak.sɛ̃/ | vaccine |
l'analyse (f.) | /a.na.liz/ | test, blood work |
la radio | /ʁa.djo/ | X-ray |
l'opération (f.) | /ɔ.pe.ʁa.sjɔ̃/ | operation |
la carte Vitale | /vi.tal/ | French health insurance card |
la mutuelle | /my.tɥɛl/ | top-up insurance |
le remboursement | /ʁɑ̃.buʁs.mɑ̃/ | reimbursement |
Almost every word on this page looks like English, and four of them lie.
Looks like Actually means The word you wanted la médecinethe science of medicine le médicamentsensiblesensitive raisonnablela radioX-ray (and radio) — l'analysea lab test, not an essay —
la médecineis the dangerous one. "I take medicine" translated word for word becomes, which says you are studying to be a doctor.Je prends la médecineJe prends un médicament.
Verbs
| Verb | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
avoir mal à | /a.vwaʁ mal a/ | to have a pain in |
être malade | /ɛtʁ ma.lad/ | to be ill |
tomber malade | /tɔ̃.be ma.lad/ | to fall ill |
se sentir | /sə sɑ̃.tiʁ/ | to feel |
souffrir de | /su.fʁiʁ də/ | to suffer from |
tousser | /tu.se/ | to cough |
éternuer | /e.tɛʁ.nɥe/ | to sneeze |
vomir | /vɔ.miʁ/ | to be sick |
guérir | /ɡe.ʁiʁ/ | to get better |
soigner | /swa.ɲe/ | to treat |
prescrire | /pʁɛs.kʁiʁ/ | to prescribe |
prendre un médicament | /pʁɑ̃dʁ œ̃ me.di.ka.mɑ̃/ | to take medicine |
se reposer | /sə ʁə.po.ze/ | to rest |
prendre rendez-vous | /pʁɑ̃dʁ ʁɑ̃.de.vu/ | to make an appointment |
Adjectives
| Masculine | Feminine | English |
|---|---|---|
malade /ma.lad/ | malade /ma.lad/ | ill |
fatigué /fa.ti.ɡe/ | fatiguée /fa.ti.ɡe/ | tired |
en forme /ɑ̃ fɔʁm/ | — | on good form |
guéri /ɡe.ʁi/ | guérie /ɡe.ʁi/ | recovered |
grave /ɡʁav/ | grave /ɡʁav/ | serious |
léger /le.ʒe/ | légère /le.ʒɛʁ/ | mild |
douloureux /du.lu.ʁø/ | douloureuse /du.lu.ʁøz/ | painful |
allergique à /a.lɛʁ.ʒik a/ | allergique à /a.lɛʁ.ʒik a/ | allergic to |
enceinte /ɑ̃.sɛ̃t/ | — | pregnant — feminine only |
Set phrases
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
Je ne me sens pas bien. | /ʒə nə mə sɑ̃ pa bjɛ̃/ | I don't feel well |
J'ai mal à la gorge. | /ʒe mal a la ɡɔʁʒ/ | I have a sore throat |
J'ai de la fièvre. | /ʒe də la fjɛvʁ/ | I have a temperature |
Ça fait mal. | /sa fɛ mal/ | it hurts |
Où avez-vous mal ? | /u a.ve.vu mal/ | where does it hurt? |
Depuis quand ? | /də.pɥi kɑ̃/ | since when? |
Je suis allergique aux… | /ʒə sɥi.z‿a.lɛʁ.ʒik o/ | I'm allergic to… |
Je voudrais prendre rendez-vous. | /ʒə vu.dʁɛ pʁɑ̃dʁ ʁɑ̃.de.vu/ | I'd like to make an appointment |
Bon rétablissement ! | /ʁe.ta.blis.mɑ̃/ | get well soon |
Prenez soin de vous. | /pʁə.ne swɛ̃ də vu/ | take care of yourself |
trois fois par jour | /tʁwa fwa paʁ ʒuʁ/ | three times a day |
avant les repas | /a.vɑ̃ le ʁə.pa/ | before meals |
Traps
| Trap | Explanation |
|---|---|
avoir mal à, not avoir douleur | J'ai mal à la tête — with the contraction. |
Ça fait mal, not Ça a mal | "It hurts" uses faire. |
enceinte is feminine only | There is no masculine form. une enceinte is also a speaker or an enclosure. |
la médecine is the science | The medicine you swallow is le médicament. A dangerous false friend. |
Know what la carte Vitale is | The French health card; without it you pay the full amount up front. |
sensible means sensitive, not sensible | Sensible is raisonnable. |
être malade, not avoir malade | But avoir mal does take avoir. |
avoir mal versus faire mal
one is about you, the other about the thing
English says "it hurts" for both. French splits them by subject:
| French | Subject | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
J'ai mal à la tête. | me | I have a pain | /ʒe mal a la tɛt/ |
Ma tête me fait mal. | my head | my head is hurting me | /ma tɛt mə fɛ mal/ |
Ça fait mal. | it | it hurts | /sa fɛ mal/ |
Tu me fais mal. | you | you're hurting me | /ty mə fɛ mal/ |
avoir mal is the commoner and more natural way of saying where it hurts.
faire mal is for when something or someone is causing the pain.
And a third pattern you will meet in the surgery:
Ça vous fait mal quand j'appuie ?— does it hurt when I press?
One structural difference to fix now. English names the pain as a noun — "a headache", "a sore throat", "a stomach ache". French names the place: mal à la tête, mal à la gorge, mal au ventre. And the body part keeps its definite article, so it is mal à la tête, never mal à ma têtecorps.
Four sentences that cover most of a doctor's visit:
J'ai mal ici.— it hurts hereÇa fait mal depuis trois jours.— it has hurt for three daysJ'ai de la fièvre.— I have a temperatureJe suis allergique à…— I'm allergic to…