Sickness and pain
Maladie et douleur
- Express sickness and pain.
- Express your medical condition at the doctor's office.
- The near future: "Aller" + Infinitive
Learn essential French related to sickness and medical visits, including symptoms like "avoir de la fièvre" (to have a fever) and expressions with "aller" for future actions, such as "Je vais aller chez le médecin" (I am going to the doctor). Master practical words like "le docteur," "le patient," and common phrases for describing pain and symptoms.
Listening & reading materials
Practice vocabulary in context with real materials.
Vocabulary (13) Share Copied!
Exercises Share Copied!
These exercises can be done together during conversation lessons or as homework.
Exercise 1: Reorder sentences
Instruction: Make correct sentences and translate.
Exercise 2: Match a word
Instruction: Match the translations
Exercise 3: Cluster the words
Instruction: Classify these words into two categories: those that describe symptoms and those that refer to people or places related to the disease.
Symptômes
Personnes et lieux
Exercise 4: Translate and use in a sentence
Instruction: Pick a word, translated and use the word in a sentence or dialogue.
1
La maladie
The illness
2
Se moucher
To blow one's nose
3
L'hôpital
The hospital
4
Éternuer
To sneeze
5
Le docteur
The doctor
Exercice 5: Conversation exercise
Instruction:
- Describe the symptoms of each person. (Describe the symptoms of each person.)
- Play a dialogue at the doctor's office. (Play a dialogue at the doctor's office.)
Teaching guidelines +/- 10 minutes
Example phrases:
|
Il a mal au cou. He has pain in the neck. |
|
Vous avez de la fièvre. You have a fever. |
|
J'ai mal au dos. My back hurts. |
|
Où avez-vous mal ? Where does it hurt? |
|
J'ai une toux. I have a cough. |
|
J'ai mal à la tête. I have a headache. |
|
J'ai mal au ventre. I have a stomachache. |
|
J'ai la nausée. I feel nauseous. |
| ... |
Exercise 6: Dialogue Cards
Instruction: Select a situation and practice the conversation with your teacher or fellow students.
Exercise 7: Multiple Choice
Instruction: Choose the correct solution
1. Je ____ prendre un médicament pour la douleur.
(I ____ going to take a medicine for the pain.)2. Tu ____ aller chez le médecin demain matin.
(You ____ going to go to the doctor tomorrow morning.)3. Il ne ____ pas éternuer devant tout le monde.
(He is not ____ going to sneeze in front of everyone.)4. Nous ____ nous moucher avant de partir.
(We ____ are going to blow our noses before leaving.)Exercise 8: A Visit to the Doctor
Instruction:
Verb Tables
Aller - Go
Présent
- je vais
- tu vas
- il/elle/on va
- nous allons
- vous allez
- ils/elles vont
Tousser - Cough
Présent
- je tousse
- tu tousses
- il/elle/on tousse
- nous toussons
- vous toussez
- ils/elles toussent
Exercise 9: Le futur proche : "Aller" + Infinitif
Instruction: Fill in the correct word.
Grammar: The near future: "Aller" + Infinitive
Show translation Show answersvont, allez, allons, vas, va, vais
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Lesson Overview: Sickness and Pain in French
This lesson introduces essential vocabulary and useful expressions related to common symptoms, sickness, and visiting the doctor. Designed for beginners (A1 level), it focuses on understanding and using phrases you might encounter or need when you are sick or talking about health in French.
Key Grammar Point: The Near Future Tense (Futur Proche)
You will learn how to express upcoming actions using the near future tense formed with aller + infinitive. For example, "Je vais aller chez le médecin demain." This structure is practical when talking about plans, such as going to the doctor or taking medication.
Important Vocabulary
- Symptoms: avoir de la fièvre, avoir le nez qui coule, tousser, éternuer, une allergie
- People and Places related to illness: le docteur, le patient, l'hôpital
Useful Expressions and Examples
- Je vais aller chez le médecin parce que j’ai mal à la gorge. (I am going to go to the doctor because I have a sore throat.)
- Vous avez de la fièvre ? Il faut prendre un médicament. (Do you have a fever? You need to take medicine.)
- Nous allons prendre un médicament contre la toux. (We are going to take medicine for the cough.)
- Tu as le nez qui coule ? Il faut te moucher souvent. (Do you have a runny nose? You need to blow your nose often.)
Dialogues and Practical Use
The lesson includes scenarios like visiting the doctor's office, going to the pharmacy, and calling the doctor. These dialogues help practice describing symptoms, asking for advice, and explaining your condition clearly in French.
Verb Conjugation Practice
Focus is placed on the verb aller in the present tense as part of near future constructions, as well as common verbs like tousser (to cough). Mastering these verbs will enable you to form sentences about health and actions you plan to take.
Cultural and Language Tips
Unlike English, French uses the verb aller plus infinitive to express actions in the near future, similar to "going to" in English but often used more frequently. For example:
- French: Je vais prendre un médicament.
- English: "I am going to take medicine." or simply "I will take medicine."
Also, French expresses certain symptoms with phrases such as avoir mal à la tête (literally "to have pain at the head") instead of "I have a headache." Understanding these expressions is key to natural communication.
Practical Phrases You Should Know
- J’ai mal à la tête. - I have a headache.
- Je ne vais pas éternuer ici. - I am not going to sneeze here.
- Le docteur va examiner le patient. - The doctor is going to examine the patient.
- Vous allez prendre quoi ? - What are you going to take?
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