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 phrases for describing symptoms like "avoir de la fièvre" (to have a fever) and "avoir le nez qui coule" (to have a runny nose), plus how to talk about visiting the doctor using the near future tense with "aller" + infinitive.
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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Introduction to Talking About Sickness and Pain in French
This lesson focuses on common vocabulary and expressions related to health, sickness, and visiting the doctor in French. You will learn how to describe symptoms, talk about pain, and use essential phrases for medical consultations and pharmacy visits—ideal for beginner learners at the A1 level.
Key Grammar: The Near Future Tense with "Aller" + Infinitive
A major highlight of this lesson is the construction of the near future tense using the verb aller (to go) followed by an infinitive verb. This structure helps you talk about upcoming actions, such as visiting the doctor or taking medicine.
- Example: Je vais aller chez le médecin demain parce que j'ai mal à la tête. (I’m going to go to the doctor tomorrow because I have a headache.)
- Example: Nous allons prendre un médicament contre la toux. (We are going to take medicine for the cough.)
Important Vocabulary Categories
Symptoms
- avoir de la fièvre (to have a fever)
- avoir le nez qui coule (to have a runny nose)
- tousser (to cough)
- éternuer (to sneeze)
- une allergie (an allergy)
People and Places Related to Health
- le docteur (the doctor)
- le patient (the patient)
- l'hôpital (the hospital)
Useful Phrases for Medical Situations
- Est-ce que vous avez de la fièvre ? (Do you have a fever?)
- Il faut prendre un médicament. (You need to take medicine.)
- Je vais rester au lit. (I’m going to stay in bed.)
- Le docteur va examiner le patient. (The doctor is going to examine the patient.)
Practice Dialogues and Contexts
You will find sample dialogues for typical situations such as medical consultations, pharmacy visits, and telephone appointments with a doctor. These help you practice expressing symptoms and requesting help in natural conversations.
Verb Conjugation Focus: "Aller" and "Tousser" in Present Tense
Understanding the present tense conjugations of aller (to go) and tousser (to cough) is important for constructing sentences about health and planned actions.
- Aller: je vais, tu vas, il/elle/on va, nous allons, vous allez, ils/elles vont
- Tousser: je tousse, tu tousses, il/elle/on tousse, nous toussons, vous toussez, ils/elles toussent
Comparison Between English and French Expressions for Health
Unlike English, French often uses the verb avoir + noun to express symptoms instead of 'to be' + adjective. For example, English says 'I have a headache' and French says J'ai mal à la tête (literally 'I have pain in the head'). This is an important difference to keep in mind.
Other useful phrase differences include:
- English: I have a runny nose.
French: J'ai le nez qui coule. (Literally: I have the nose that runs.) - English: You should blow your nose.
French: Il faut te moucher souvent. (Literally: It is necessary for you to blow your nose often.)
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