Chez le médecin
At the doctor
At the doctor
When you feel ill, you need to say where it hurts, how long it has lasted, and then understand the advice you are given. This lesson teaches you to describe symptoms simply and to follow or give advice. These are exactly the kinds of everyday situations that come up in the speaking parts of the TEF and TCF Canada.
| le médecin | the doctor |
| un rendez-vous | an appointment |
| être malade | to be ill |
| avoir mal | to be in pain / to hurt |
| la tête | the head |
| la gorge | the throat |
| le ventre | the stomach / belly |
| le dos | the back |
| la fièvre | the fever |
| tousser | to cough |
| fatigué(e) | tired |
| un médicament | a medicine |
| une ordonnance | a prescription |
| se reposer | to rest |
Associez la partie du corps à sa traduction.
Match the body part to its English meaning.
- la tête
- la gorge
- le ventre
- le dos
- les dents
Choisissez la forme correcte.
Choose the correct form.
Complétez avec la bonne contraction.
Complete with the right contraction.
J'ai mal ____ dents.
Grammar: avoir mal à
To say something hurts, French uses avoir mal à plus the body part. The little word à joins with the article: à + le becomes au, à + les becomes aux. So you say j'ai mal à la tête, j'ai mal au dos, j'ai mal aux dents. Notice that French keeps the (la, le, les) before the body part, never my.
Complétez avec le mot de durée.
Complete with the word for duration.
Je tousse ____ trois jours.
Quelle phrase est correcte ?
Which sentence is correct?
Traduisez en français.
Translate into French.
My throat hurts.
Grammar: depuis
To say how long a symptom has lasted, use depuis with the present tense. Depuis means for (a duration) or since (a starting point). French uses the present, not the past, because the pain is still going on now: j'ai mal depuis trois jours (I have been in pain for three days).
Mettez les mots dans l'ordre.
Put the words in order.
Écoutez et écrivez ce que vous entendez.
Listen and type what you hear.
Le médecin vous dit (poliment) de prendre ce médicament. Quelle forme est correcte ?
The doctor tells you (politely) to take this medicine. Which is correct?
Grammar: the imperative (advice)
The doctor gives advice with the imperative. Take the present tense and drop the subject pronoun. There are three forms: tu, nous and vous. With vous (polite): Reposez-vous (rest), Buvez de l'eau (drink water), Prenez ce médicament (take this medicine). For -er verbs in the tu form, drop the final -s: tu manges becomes Mange !. To say do not, put ne ... pas around the verb: Ne sortez pas (do not go out).
Traduisez en français (impératif poli).
Translate into French (use the polite imperative).
Rest well.
Complétez le conseil négatif (ne sortez pas).
Complete the negative advice (do not go out).
Ne ____ pas aujourd'hui.