A Pocket Glossary of 140 French Medical Terms for Healthcare Workers or Patients
Whether you’re living in a French-speaking country or just visiting, you’re going to want to know some medical terminology.
Hopefully, you stay safe and healthy, but you never know when you might need to see a doctor or discuss an ailment.
Plus, health issues and medical treatments are common in everyday conversations.
And if you work in the medical field with French-speaking patients, these words and phrases are crucial to do your job well.
In this article, we’ll cover 140 French medical terms for illnesses, body parts, emergency situations, common phrases at the doctor’s office and more.
Contents
- Parts of the Body
- Physical Ailments
- General Medical Terms
- Medical Treatments
- French Medical Verbs
- Adjectives That Describe Bodily Systems
- Emergencies and Asking for Help
- Common Doctors’ Questions and Phrases
- Useful Medical French Resources
- And one more thing...
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
Parts of the Body
Beyond describing any pain or issue you have with a certain body part, many of these words are sure to come in handy in day-to-day conversation. Check out this post for even more French body parts and some French idioms involving body parts.
For each noun in the table below, we’ve provided the grammatical gender (“f” for feminine, “m” for masculine) in parentheses.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| amygdale (f) | tonsil |
| bouche (f) | mouth |
| bras (m) | arm |
| cheville (f) | ankle |
| coeur (m) | heart |
| cou (m) | neck |
| coude (m) | elbow |
| dents (f) | teeth |
| doigt (m) | finger |
| dos (f) | back |
| épaule (f) | shoulder |
| estomac (m) | stomach |
| foie (m) | liver |
| front (m) | forehead |
| gencive (f) | gums |
| genou (m) | knee |
| gorge (f) | throat |
| jambe (f) | leg |
| joue (f) | cheek |
| narine (m) | nostril |
| nez (m) | nose |
| oeil (m)/ yeux (m plural) | eye(s) |
| oreille (f) | ear |
| orteil (f) | toe |
| paupière (f) | eyelid |
| poitrine (f) | chest |
| pouce (f) | thumb |
| poumon (m) | lung |
| région lombaire (f) | lumbar (lower back) |
| rein (m) | kidney |
| tête (f) | head |
| ventre (m) | abdomen |
| vertèbre (f) | Vertebra |
As you’re learning the terms in this post, it’s a good idea to see them in context so that you know how to actually use them in conversation if you ever need to.
Physical Ailments
In case you develop a cold (or something more serious) while visiting a French-speaking country, here’s some vocabulary to talk about it.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| accident vasculaire cérébral (avc) (m) | stroke |
| allergie (f) | allergy |
| amygdalite (f) | tonsillitis |
| angine (f) | sore throat, strep throat |
| aphte (m) | canker sore |
| appendicite (f) | appendicitis |
| arthrite (f) | arthritis |
| asthme (m) | asthma |
| bronchite (f) | bronchitis |
| bouton de fièvre (m) | cold sore |
| commotion cérébrale (f) | concussion |
| crise cardiaque (f) | heart attack |
| coup de soleil (m) | sunburn |
| diabète sucré (m) | diabetes mellitus |
| entorse (f) | sprain |
| fracture (f) | fracture |
| gastrite (f) | gastritis |
| grippe (f) | flu |
| hernie (f) | hernia |
| infection urinaire (f) | urinary tract infection |
| migraine (f) | migraine |
| piqûre d'abeille (f) | bee sting |
| pneumonie (f) | pneumonia |
| rhume (m) | cold |
| rougeurs (f plural) | rash |
| ulcère (m) | ulcer |
General Medical Terms
Here are some general medical terms that might come in handy any time you’re talking to medical professionals or about medical issues.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| aide-soignant (m) | orderly |
| ambulance (f) | ambulance |
| assurance (f) | insurance |
| blessure (f) | injury |
| bleu (m) | bruise |
| cabinet médical (m) | doctor's office |
| carnet de santé (m) | medical record |
| diagnostic (m) | diagnosis |
| médecin (m) | doctor |
| douleur (f) | pain |
| effet secondaire (m) | side effect |
| fièvre (f) | fever |
| glycémie (f) | blood sugar |
| gonflement (m) | swelling |
| hôpital (m) | hospital |
| infirmier (m), infirmière (f) | nurse |
| inflammation (f) | inflammation |
| maladie (f) | illness |
| pharmacie (f) | pharmacy |
| pouls (m) | pulse |
| premiers secours (m) | first aid medical help |
| pression artérielle (f) | blood pressure |
| radiographie (f) | x-ray |
| salive (f) | saliva |
| sang (m) | blood |
| santé (f) | health |
| seringue (f) | syringe |
| symptôme (m) | symptom |
| trousse de premiers secours (f plural) | first-aid kit |
| urgence (f) | emergency |
| vomi (m) | vomit |
Medical Treatments
Even if you don’t have to receive any medical treatments while in a French-speaking country, they’re often a part of daily conversations. You’ll want to be able to understand and use these terms.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| anti-douleur (m) | painkiller |
| béquille (f) | crutch |
| comprimé (m) | tablet |
| fauteuilroulant (m) | wheelchair |
| médicament (m) | medication |
| ordonnance (f) | prescription |
| pansement (m) | bandage |
| plâtre (m) | cast |
| pommade (f) | ointment |
| repos (m) | rest |
| vaccin (m) | shot, vaccine |
French Medical Verbs
These verbs will come in handy when you need to give someone (for example, a first responder) the low-down on a situation. Make sure you know how to conjugate them!
| French | English |
|---|---|
| accoucher | to give birth |
| asphyxier | to suffocate |
| avaler | to swallow |
| blesser | to injure |
| cicatriser | to scar |
| contusionner | to bruise |
| élever | to lift |
| hyperventiler | to hyperventilate |
| saigner | to bleed |
| s'étouffer | to choke |
| s'évanouir | to faint |
| gonfler | to swell |
| guérir | to heal |
| mâcher | to chew |
| se faire une entorse à | to sprain |
| vomir | to throw up |
Adjectives That Describe Bodily Systems
If you find yourself surrounded by people speaking way too fast and you can’t pick out every word, adjectives that describe bodily systems can be useful points of reference.
| Adjective | Description |
|---|---|
| cardiovasculaire (cardiovascular) | Pertains to your heart and blood vessels |
| coronaire (coronary) | Pertains to the arteries that surround your heart |
| gastro-intestinal (gastrointestinal) | Pertains to your stomach or intestine, pancreas, liver and gallbladder |
| musculaire (muscular) | Pertains to muscles or tendons |
| neurologique (neurological) | Related to the brain, spinal cord, nerves |
| pulmonaire (pulmonary) | Related to the lungs |
| respiratoire (respiratory) | Pertains to parts of the body that help you breathe |
| squelettique (skeletal) | Relates to the bones, skeleton or joints |
| urinaire (urinary) | Related to the bladder, kidneys and other parts of the body that are tied to your body's production of urine |
| vasculaire (vascular) | Related to blood vessels |
Emergencies and Asking for Help
If you’re not feeling well or are experiencing a medical emergency, you can use these phrases to let those around you know.
| French | English Translation |
|---|---|
| Au secours! | Help! |
| Aidez-moi! | Help me! |
| J’ai eu un accident. | I had an accident. |
| J'ai besoin d’une ambulance. | I need an ambulance. |
| J'ai besoin d’un médecin. | I need a doctor. |
| J'ai mal! | I'm in pain! |
| Je ne vais pas bien. | I am not well. |
| Où est-ce qu’on peut trouver un cabinet médical? | Where can one find a doctor's office? |
Common Doctors’ Questions and Phrases
Here are some common questions and phrases you might hear from a French doctor.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Qu’est-ce qui ne va pas? | What's wrong? |
| Qui dois-je contacter en cas d’urgence? | Who is your emergency contact? |
| C’est la première fois que ceci vous est arrivé? | Is this the first time this has happened to you? |
| Prenez un comprimé une fois par jour avant de manger. | Take a pill once a day before eating. |
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Useful Medical French Resources
- International Association for Medical Assistance to Travelers: This nonprofit’s site contains a treasure trove of resources for anyone with a case of wanderlust who’d like to keep safe and informed.
- Anglo French Medical Society: The Anglo French medical society offers courses in medical French for native English speakers.
- French Emergency numbers: No, 9-1-1 isn’t a universally recognized phone number. If you’re traveling in France, take the time to familiarize yourself with these important numbers.
- “English-French Medical Dictionary and Phrase Book:” This is a great text for medical professionals who are just beginning their French-learning adventure. It contains about 5,000 medical terms along with a nifty 300-data point template for a complete history and physical using English and French phrases.
- “English/French Medical Dictionary:” This dictionary contains a whopping 12,000 medical terms. It’s a must-have for global medical or public health professionals as well as just plain-old adventurer types.
Along with a brief grammatical rundown and a pronunciation guide, the book also includes a questionnaire arranged by medical specialty for taking a complete patient history and physical using English and French phrases.
By reviewing the words and phrases in this post, you’ll be more prepared to talk about a variety of medical issues and health concerns.
These French medical terms will help you follow along and engage in everyday conversations and common situations like doctor’s appointments.
To your health! Or should I say, À votre santé!
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
And one more thing...
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