FlexiLingoIn one line
In France
112is the European emergency number and works from any phone — and the first thing to say is where you are, not what happened.
Emergency numbers
| Number | French | For | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
15 | le SAMU | medical emergency | /lə sa.my/ |
17 | la police | police | /pɔ.lis/ |
18 | les pompiers | fire brigade | /pɔ̃.pje/ |
112 | le numéro européen | everything — from any phone | /lə ny.me.ʁo ø.ʁo.pe.ɛ̃/ |
114 | — | for deaf callers, by text |
Nouns
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
l'urgence (f.) | /yʁ.ʒɑ̃s/ | emergency |
les urgences (f. pl.) | /yʁ.ʒɑ̃s/ | A&E department |
l'accident (m.) | /ak.si.dɑ̃/ | accident |
le secours | /sə.kuʁ/ | help, rescue |
l'aide (f.) | /ɛd/ | help |
l'ambulance (f.) | /ɑ̃.by.lɑ̃s/ | ambulance |
les pompiers (m. pl.) | /pɔ̃.pje/ | firefighters |
la police | /pɔ.lis/ | police |
le commissariat | /kɔ.mi.sa.ʁja/ | police station |
la plainte | /plɛ̃t/ | formal complaint |
le vol | /vɔl/ | theft |
le voleur | /vɔ.lœʁ/ | thief |
l'incendie (m.) | /ɛ̃.sɑ̃.di/ | fire |
la fuite | /fɥit/ | leak |
la panne | /pan/ | breakdown |
le témoin | /te.mwɛ̃/ | witness |
le blessé | /blɛ.se/ | injured person |
la victime | /vik.tim/ | victim |
le danger | /dɑ̃.ʒe/ | danger |
la sortie de secours | /sɔʁ.ti də sə.kuʁ/ | emergency exit |
la victimeis always feminine, even for a man:Il est la victime.
Three cognates that go wrong in an emergency.
Looks like Actually means prévenirto warn, to let someone know — not to prevent ( empêcher)la fuitea leak — and also a getaway l'incendiea fire in the destructive sense; le feuis fire in general
préveniris the one that matters.Prévenez la policemeans call the police, not stop them. Hearing it as "prevent" reverses the instruction.
Verbs
| Verb | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
appeler | /a.pə.le/ | to call |
aider | /ɛ.de/ | to help |
secourir | /sə.ku.ʁiʁ/ | to rescue |
avoir besoin de | /a.vwaʁ bə.zwɛ̃ də/ | to need |
se blesser | /sə blɛ.se/ | to get hurt |
tomber | /tɔ̃.be/ | to fall |
perdre | /pɛʁdʁ/ | to lose |
voler | /vɔ.le/ | to steal |
porter plainte | /pɔʁ.te plɛ̃t/ | to file a complaint |
déclarer | /de.kla.ʁe/ | to report, to declare |
prévenir | /pʁev.niʁ/ | to warn, to notify |
s'échapper | /se.ʃa.pe/ | to escape |
éteindre | /e.tɛ̃dʁ/ | to put out, to switch off |
évacuer | /e.va.kɥe/ | to evacuate |
Adjectives
| Masculine | Feminine | English |
|---|---|---|
urgent /yʁ.ʒɑ̃/ | urgente /yʁ.ʒɑ̃t/ | urgent |
grave /ɡʁav/ | grave /ɡʁav/ | serious |
blessé /blɛ.se/ | blessée /blɛ.se/ | injured |
inconscient /ɛ̃.kɔ̃.sjɑ̃/ | inconsciente /ɛ̃.kɔ̃.sjɑ̃t/ | unconscious |
dangereux /dɑ̃ʒ.ʁø/ | dangereuse /dɑ̃ʒ.ʁøz/ | dangerous |
perdu /pɛʁ.dy/ | perdue /pɛʁ.dy/ | lost |
volé /vo.le/ | volée /vo.le/ | stolen |
cassé /ka.se/ | cassée /ka.se/ | broken |
Set phrases
The most urgent
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
Au secours ! | /o sə.kuʁ/ | help! |
Aidez-moi ! | /ɛ.de mwa/ | help me! |
Appelez une ambulance ! | /a.ple yn ɑ̃.by.lɑ̃s/ | call an ambulance! |
Appelez la police ! | /a.ple la po.lis/ | call the police! |
C'est urgent. | /sɛt yʁ.ʒɑ̃/ | it's urgent |
Il y a eu un accident. | /i.lja y œ̃n ak.si.dɑ̃/ | there's been an accident |
Quelqu'un est blessé. | /kɛl.kœ̃ ɛ blɛ.se/ | someone is hurt |
Attention ! | /a.tɑ̃.sjɔ̃/ | look out! |
At the police station
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
Je voudrais porter plainte. | /ʒə vu.dʁɛ pɔʁ.te plɛ̃t/ | I'd like to report a crime |
On m'a volé mon sac. | /ɔ̃ ma vo.le mɔ̃ sak/ | my bag has been stolen |
J'ai perdu mon passeport. | /ʒe pɛʁ.dy mɔ̃ pas.pɔʁ/ | I've lost my passport |
Ça s'est passé où ? | /sa sɛ pa.se u/ | where did it happen? |
Ça s'est passé quand ? | /sa sɛ pa.se kɑ̃/ | when did it happen? |
Je ne parle pas bien français. | /ʒə nə paʁl pa bjɛ̃ fʁɑ̃.sɛ/ | my French isn't good |
Est-ce qu'il y a un interprète ? | /ɛs ki.lja œ̃n ɛ̃.tɛʁ.pʁɛt/ | is there an interpreter? |
Je voudrais contacter mon consulat. | /ʒə vu.dʁɛ kɔ̃.tak.te mɔ̃ kɔ̃.sy.la/ | I'd like to contact my consulate |
Traps
| Trap | Explanation |
|---|---|
Au secours !, not Aide ! | The shout for help is always Au secours. |
les urgences is plural | The A&E department is always plural. |
la victime is feminine | Even for a man. |
On m'a volé mon sac | The natural structure — not Mon sac a été volé. French prefers on. See passif. |
porter plainte takes no article | Not porter une plainte. |
prévenir means to notify | Not to prevent — that is empêcher. |
112 works from any phone | Even with no SIM and no credit. |
Sentences to know by heart
five sentences for a moment with no time to think
Under stress, a second language becomes much harder to reach. These five should be stored as single units, not built word by word:
1. Asking for help
Au secours ! J'ai besoin d'aide.
2. Stating the situation
Il y a eu un accident. Quelqu'un est blessé.
3. Giving your location
Je suis à [address]. C'est près de [landmark].
4. Flagging the language problem
Je ne parle pas bien français. Vous parlez anglais ?
5. Asking them to slow down
Plus lentement, s'il vous plaît.
And on a 112 call the operator asks these three, in this order:
| French | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
Où êtes-vous ? | where are you? — the important one | /u ɛt.vu/ |
Que s'est-il passé ? | what happened? | /kə sɛ.t‿il pa.se/ |
Combien de personnes ? | how many people? | /kɔ̃.bjɛ̃ də pɛʁ.sɔn/ |
So give the address before anything else. If the call drops, that alone is enough to send help.
One piece of good news. 112 operators in France usually speak English, and asking is entirely normal — Vous parlez anglais ? costs two seconds and is never held against you. But say the address in French first, because street names read in an English accent are the part that gets misheard. See chiffres-a-loreille for the numbers.