It's time to step inside a French doctor's surgery! In this lesson you'll learn the vocabulary you need for a medical consultation — how to describe symptoms, interact with a doctor, and understand what a prescription means in France. You'll also master a set of very common 'avoir' expressions for physical states like hunger, thirst, fear, and cold. Camille accompanies Lucas to see Dr Moreau, and the visit turns out better than expected.
Learning tips
- In France, seeing a doctor is called 'prendre rendez-vous chez le médecin' or 'chez le docteur'. 'Médecin' and 'docteur' are interchangeable in everyday speech.
- French uses 'avoir' (not 'être') for most physical states: 'j'ai faim' (I'm hungry), 'j'ai soif' (I'm thirsty), 'j'ai peur' (I'm scared). Think of these as 'having hunger/thirst/fear' rather than 'being' those states.
- The expression 'j'ai de la fièvre' uses a partitive article ('de la') because fever is treated as a quantity. But 'avoir la grippe' uses the definite article — 'the flu' as a specific illness.
- When describing symptoms to a doctor, list them clearly: 'j'ai de la fièvre, mal à la gorge et une toux'. French doctors appreciate precise, calm descriptions.
- France has a system of healthcare reimbursement called 'le remboursement de la Sécurité Sociale'. Many medications are partly or fully reimbursed — that's what Lucas means when he says 'c'est remboursé'!
Warm-up & Active Recall
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| se sentir | to feel (reflexive) |
| malade | ill / sick |
| fatigué | tired |
| en bonne santé | in good health / healthy |
| content | happy / pleased |
| triste | sad |
| inquiet | worried / anxious |
| nerveux | nervous |
| tranquille | calm / peaceful |
| la douleur | pain / ache |
Dialog
Lucas has been unwell and Camille takes him to see their local GP, Dr Moreau. In the waiting room they discuss his symptoms; then Lucas goes in for his consultation and comes out with a prescription. The dialog naturally introduces medical vocabulary and shows the 'avoir' physical-state expressions in context.
Vocabulary
Active words
| Word | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| le docteur | /lə dɔk.tœʁ/ | the doctor | 'Le docteur' and 'le médecin' are both used. 'Docteur' is the title (like 'Dr'); 'médecin' is the profession. Both are masculine even for female doctors, though 'la médecin' is increasingly accepted. |
| le rendez-vous | /lə ʁɑ̃.de.vu/ | the appointment | Literally 'give-yourself' — a meeting arranged in advance. 'Prendre rendez-vous' = to make an appointment. Also used for any scheduled meeting. |
| la fièvre | /la fjɛvʁ/ | fever | Feminine noun. 'Avoir de la fièvre' = to have a fever (use partitive 'de la'). 'Avoir de la fièvre' vs 'avoir chaud' — fever is a medical symptom, 'avoir chaud' just means feeling hot. |
| la grippe | /la ɡʁip/ | the flu | Feminine noun. 'Avoir la grippe' = to have the flu (definite article — the specific illness). Different from 'un rhume' (a cold). |
| le médicament | /lə me.di.ka.mɑ̃/ | the medicine / medication | Masculine noun. Generic word for any medication. 'Prendre un médicament' = to take a medicine. |
| l' l'ordonnance | /lɔʁ.dɔ.nɑ̃s/ | the prescription | Feminine noun. In France, many medicines require an ordonnance — without one, you cannot buy them. Lucas's visit ends with one! |
| examiner | /ɛɡ.za.mi.ne/ | to examine | Regular -er verb. In a medical context: 'le médecin examine le patient'. Related English cognate makes this easy to remember. |
| prescrire | /pʁɛs.kʁiʁ/ | to prescribe | Irregular verb (like 'écrire'). 'Il prescrit un médicament' = 'He prescribes a medicine'. You'll often hear 'il m'a prescrit...' (he prescribed me...). |
| la consultation | /la kɔ̃.syl.ta.sjɔ̃/ | the consultation / appointment | Feminine noun. Refers specifically to the medical appointment itself. 'La consultation s'est bien passée' = 'The consultation went well'. |
| le symptôme | /lə sɛ̃p.tom/ | the symptom | Masculine noun. Direct cognate with English. Plural: 'les symptômes'. 'Décrire ses symptômes' = to describe one's symptoms. |
Passive words
| Word | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| le diagnostic | /lə dja.ɡnɔs.tik/ | ||
| l' l'analyse | /la.na.liz/ | ||
| le traitement | /lə tʁɛt.mɑ̃/ | ||
| guérir | /ɡe.ʁiʁ/ | ||
| la pharmacie | /la faʁ.ma.si/ | ||
| la salle d'attente | /la sal da.tɑ̃t/ |
Useful chunks
| Word | Translation |
|---|---|
| j'ai de la fièvre | I have a fever |
| prendre rendez-vous | to make a doctor's appointment |
| il me prescrit un médicament | he prescribes me a medicine |
Grammar: 'Avoir' expressions for physical states — used with 'avoir', not 'être'; article or no article depends on the expression
| Expression | Sens | Exemple |
|---|---|---|
| avoir faim | to be hungry | J'ai faim — on mange ? |
| avoir soif | to be thirsty | Tu as soif ? Bois de l'eau ! |
| avoir sommeil | to be sleepy | Il a sommeil après le déjeuner. |
| avoir froid | to be cold | Nous avons froid dans la salle d'attente. |
| avoir chaud | to be hot | Elle a chaud — elle a de la fièvre. |
| avoir peur | to be scared | J'ai peur chez le médecin. |
| avoir de la fièvre | to have a fever | Lucas a de la fièvre depuis hier. |
| avoir mal | to be in pain | Il a mal à la gorge — c'est la grippe. |
French uses the verb 'avoir' (to have) — not 'être' (to be) — for many common physical and emotional states. This is a fundamental difference from English. You do NOT say 'je suis faim' — you say 'j'ai faim' (I have hunger = I am hungry). The key 'avoir' expressions are: 'avoir faim' (to be hungry), 'avoir soif' (to be thirsty), 'avoir sommeil' (to be sleepy), 'avoir froid' (to be cold), 'avoir chaud' (to be hot), 'avoir peur' (to be scared/afraid), 'avoir de la fièvre' (to have a fever), and 'avoir mal' (to be in pain — combined with 'à' + body part as in lesson 9.1). Notice that most of these use no article at all: 'j'ai faim', 'j'ai peur', 'j'ai froid'. But 'avoir de la fièvre' uses the partitive 'de la' because fever is an amount of something. These expressions are used with all subject pronouns: 'tu as soif ?', 'il a sommeil', 'nous avons peur', 'ils ont froid'. Memorise them as fixed phrases — they come up constantly in everyday French.
Exercises
Fill in the Blanks
Choose the correct word from the brackets to complete each sentence.
- Lucas de la fièvre depuis hier soir. (a / est / fait)(fever is 'avoir de la...' — which verb form with Lucas?)
- Le docteur va les symptômes du patient. (examiner / prescrire / prendre)(the doctor is going to do what first?)
- Vous avez une ? Je dois aller à la pharmacie. (ordonnance / consultation / fièvre)(what do you need to buy medicine at the pharmacy?)
- J'ai de dormir — je prends le médicament ce soir. (sommeil / soif / faim)(which physical state = wanting to sleep?)
- Tu as chez le médecin ? C'est normal ! (peur / froid / chaud)(which physical state = being scared?)
Grammar Application
Build a complete sentence using 'avoir' + the given expression. Use the correct conjugation of 'avoir' for each subject.
- je / avoir peur → (je + avoir peur — use present tense)
- elle / avoir de la fièvre → (elle + avoir de la fièvre — remember 'de la')
- nous / avoir faim → (nous + avoir faim — no article needed)
- ils / avoir sommeil → (ils + avoir sommeil — plural form of avoir)
- tu / avoir froid → (tu + avoir froid — no article needed)
Translate into French
Translate each sentence into French. Use the medical vocabulary and 'avoir' expressions from this lesson.
- I have a doctor's appointment today.
- She has the flu and a fever.
- The doctor prescribed a medicine.
- I am hungry and thirsty.
- He is scared at the doctor's.
Build Your Own Sentence
Write 2–3 French sentences describing a visit to the doctor — real or imaginary. Use at least one medical noun and one 'avoir' physical-state expression.
Takeaway
In French, physical states like hunger, thirst, cold, heat, sleepiness, and fear are expressed with 'avoir' — not 'être': 'j'ai faim', 'j'ai froid', 'j'ai peur'. Memorise these as fixed expressions.