French Health Vocabulary
Health vocabulary is essential both for everyday communication and for the DELF exam. DELF A2 and B1 listening materials often include scenes at the doctor's office or the pharmacy. This guide gives you all the vocabulary you need to express yourself clearly in health-related situations.
The human body — Le corps humain
la tête
/tɛt/
J'ai mal à la tête.
I have a headache.
le dos
/do/
Il a une douleur dans le dos.
He has back pain.
le ventre
/vɑ̃tʁ/
J'ai mal au ventre depuis ce matin.
I've had a stomachache since this morning.
la gorge
/ɡɔʁʒ/
J'ai mal à la gorge et de la fièvre.
I have a sore throat and a fever.
le bras / la jambe
/bʁa/ /ʒɑ̃b/
Il s'est cassé le bras en tombant.
He broke his arm falling.
Symptoms and illnesses — Les symptômes
la fièvre
/fjɛvʁ/
Elle a 39 degrés de fièvre.
She has a fever of 39°C.
la toux
/tu/
Il a une toux persistante depuis une semaine.
He's had a persistent cough for a week.
être enrhumé(e)
/ɑ̃ʁyme/
Je suis enrhumée depuis hier.
I've had a cold since yesterday.
la nausée
/noze/
J'ai des nausées le matin.
I feel nauseous in the mornings.
se blesser
/blɛse/
Elle s'est blessée au genou en faisant du sport.
She hurt her knee playing sports.
At the doctor's — Chez le médecin
prendre rendez-vous
/pʁɑ̃dʁ ʁɑ̃de vu/
J'ai pris rendez-vous chez le médecin.
I made an appointment with the doctor.
l'ordonnance (f)
/ɔʁdɔnɑ̃s/
Le médecin m'a donné une ordonnance.
The doctor gave me a prescription.
la mutuelle
/mytɥɛl/
Ma mutuelle rembourse 80% des soins.
My supplementary insurance covers 80% of the costs.
la pharmacie
/faʁmasi/
La pharmacie est ouverte jusqu'à 20h.
The pharmacy is open until 8pm.
Ejercicios de vocabulario
1How do you say 'I have a headache' in French?
2What is 'une ordonnance' in French?
3How do you make a doctor's appointment in French?
Consejos de pronunciacion
- La fièvre: the '-iè-' combination glides as /yeh/, and the ending '-vre' keeps the 'v' and 'r' together without an extra vowel between them.
- La toux: the final 'x' is completely silent — the word is just one syllable, sounding like 'too'.
- L'ordonnance: the double 'nn' is pronounced as a single /n/, but the nasal vowels throughout the word all matter.
- Rendez-vous: pronounced as a single unit, roughly 'rahn-day-voo' — note there is no liaison between 'rendez' and 'vous' here.