By the end of this lesson you'll be able to name the parts of the body, say where it hurts, and talk about a cold, the flu or a temperature.
The body
Learn each word with its article, because the article decides what happens in the next section.
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| la tête | lah TET | the head |
| le nez | luh NAY | the nose |
| la bouche | lah BOOSH | the mouth |
| la dent | lah DAHN | the tooth |
| l'oreille | loh-RAY | the earFeminine: une oreille. |
| la gorge | lah GORZH | the throat |
| le cou | luh KOO | the neck |
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| le dos | luh DOH | the back |
| le ventre | luh VAHN-truh | the stomach, the belly |
| l'estomac | les-toh-MAH | the stomach (the organ)Masculine: un estomac. |
| le cœur | luh KUHR | the heart |
| la poitrine | lah pwah-TREEN | the chest |
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| le bras | luh BRAH | the arm |
| la main | lah MAN | the hand |
| le doigt | luh DWAH | the finger |
| la jambe | lah ZHAHNB | the leg |
| le genou | luh zhuh-NOO | the kneePlural: les genoux. |
| le pied | luh PYAY | the foot |
You've already met les yeux and les cheveux in the lesson on describing people. Le dos and le bras end in a silent consonant, and they look the same in the plural: les bras. Le genou takes an -x: les genoux.
Le ventre is the general word for your stomach or belly. L'estomac is the organ itself.
Saying what hurts
French doesn't say "my back hurts". It says "I have pain at the back", using avoir mal à. Avoir comes from the lesson on avoir, and à joins the article exactly as you learned in the lesson on à and de with articles.
| Article | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| le | au | J'ai mal au dos. (My back hurts.) |
| la | à la | J'ai mal à la tête. (My head hurts.) |
| l' | à l' | J'ai mal à l'estomac. (My stomach hurts.) |
| les | aux | J'ai mal aux dents. (My teeth hurt.) |
Only avoir changes with the subject.
Elle a mal à la gorge.
She has a sore throat.
Tu as mal au ventre ?
Does your stomach hurt?
Nous avons mal aux jambes.
Our legs hurt.
Il a mal à l'oreille.
His ear hurts.
Being ill
Here are the words for everyday illnesses.
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| malade | mah-LAHD | ill, sick |
| un rhume | uhn REWM | a cold |
| enrhumé / enrhumée | ahn-rew-MAY | having a cold (man / woman) |
| la grippe | lah GREEP | the flu |
| la fièvre | lah FYEH-vruh | a temperature, a feverJ'ai de la fièvre: learn it as a whole. |
| la toux | lah TOO | a cough |
| tousser | too-SAY | to cough |
| un mal de tête | uhn mahl duh TET | a headache |
Notice which verb goes with which word. You have a cold, the flu or a temperature, but you are ill.
- J'ai un rhume. (I have a cold.)
- J'ai la grippe. (I have the flu.)
- J'ai de la fièvre. (I've got a temperature.) Learn this one as a whole phrase.
- Je suis malade. (I'm ill.)
- Je suis enrhumé. (I have a cold.) A woman writes enrhumée.
Mon frère tousse et il a de la fièvre.
My brother is coughing and he has a temperature.
J'ai un mal de tête aujourd'hui.
I have a headache today.
Saying J'ai un mal de tête is correct, but J'ai mal à la tête is the more common way of saying it.
En français
- Ça va ? (Are you OK?)
- Non, je suis malade. J'ai mal à la tête et à la gorge. (No, I'm ill. My head and throat hurt.)
- Tu as de la fièvre ? (Do you have a temperature?)
- Oui, et je tousse. J'ai la grippe. (Yes, and I'm coughing. I have the flu.)
What's next
Next, the lesson on the doctor and pharmacy shows you how to use these words in a real appointment. Then the lesson on il faut and simple advice helps you tell someone what to do about it. You'll bring it all together in the review of this unit.