A2Unit 2 of the A2 course · « Chez le médecin »
Feeling unwell abroad is stressful enough. Here you'll learn the body, the key structure « j'ai mal à la tête », and how to tell a doctor how long it has lasted with depuis.
By the end of this unit you can: describe symptoms and understand advice.
Where English says my or his, French often just uses le, la or les with body parts. And remember the odd one out: un œil, des yeux.
To say something hurts, French says « I have pain at »: avoir mal à + the body part. À joins with the article: à + le = au, à + les = aux. À la and à l' stay as they are.
Use avoir mal à for a pain somewhere in your body. Use ça fait mal for something that is causing pain, often right now.
Some symptoms use avoir + a noun, others use être + an adjective. Learn each one as a fixed phrase. With être, the adjective agrees: fatigué for a man, fatiguée for a woman.
To say how long something has been going on, French uses the present tense with depuis. English uses « have been » instead.
To give advice or instructions, use il faut or vous devez, then a verb in the infinitive (the dictionary form). Il faut is general; vous devez speaks to the person directly. Il ne faut pas means « you mustn't ».
In France and Belgium, many medicines are sold only with a prescription. But you can also ask the pharmacist for advice about small problems: they're trained to help.
You're living in Brussels and you feel awful. You go to see Dr Mensah, then take your prescription to the pharmacy.
Tap 🔊 to hear each one, recorded by a native-sounding French voice.
| Listen | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| tête(feminine) | head | |
| œil(masculine) | eyeThe plural is completely different: les yeux, said « lay zyeu ». | |
| oreille(feminine) | ear | |
| dent(feminine) | tooth | |
| gorge(feminine) | throat | |
| dos(masculine) | backThe s is silent: « doh ». Same spelling in the plural. | |
| ventre(masculine) | stomach / belly | |
| bras(masculine) | armSilent s, and the same spelling in the plural. | |
| main(feminine) | hand | |
| jambe(feminine) | leg |
| Listen | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| où avez-vous mal ? | where does it hurt?Informal: Tu as mal où ? | |
| j'ai mal à la tête | I have a headache | |
| j'ai mal à la gorge | I have a sore throat | |
| j'ai mal au ventre | I have a stomach acheà + le becomes au. | |
| j'ai mal au dos | my back hurts | |
| j'ai mal à l'oreille | I have earacheBefore a vowel, use à l'. | |
| j'ai mal aux dents | I have toothacheà + les becomes aux. | |
| ça fait malAïe ! Ça fait mal ! (Ouch! That hurts!) | it hurts |
| Listen | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| je suis malade | I'm ill / I'm sick | |
| j'ai de la fièvre | I have a temperatureLiterally « I have some fever ». | |
| je tousse | I'm coughingFrom tousser. Say « tooss ». | |
| j'ai un rhume | I have a cold | |
| j'ai la grippe | I have the flu | |
| je suis fatigué / fatiguée | I'm tired | |
| j'ai la nausée | I feel nauseousYou'll also hear j'ai envie de vomir: I feel like I'm going to be sick. | |
| depuis…J'ai mal au dos depuis lundi. (My back has hurt since Monday.) | for… / since…For something still going on, French uses the present: je tousse depuis trois jours. |
| Listen | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| il faut…Il faut boire beaucoup d'eau. (You need to drink lots of water.) | you need to… / one must… | |
| vous devez… | you must… / you have to…From devoir. Informal: tu dois. | |
| se reposer | to restThe little pronoun changes with the person: je me repose, vous devez vous reposer. | |
| ordonnance(feminine) | prescription | |
| médicament(masculine) | medicine / medication | |
| comprimé(masculine) | tablet / pill | |
| trois fois par jour | three times a day |
This unit is part of French Ultimate's A2 course: 5 short lessons with an animated video each, speaking and listening practice, a reading and an end-of-unit test.
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