🤒 Essential French Vocabulary: Illnesses

When traveling, living abroad, or simply learning French, it’s important to know how to talk about health problems and illnesses.

Whether at the doctor’s office or a pharmacy, these words will help you describe symptoms and understand advice.

Here is a list of essential French vocabulary about illnesses, with English translations.

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🩺 Common Illnesses

1. La grippe → The flu

2. Un rhume → A cold

3. Une toux → A cough

4. Une angine → Sore throat infection

5. Une infection → Infection

6. Une fièvre → Fever

7. Une migraine → Migraine

8. Un mal de tête → Headache

9. Un mal de ventre → Stomachache

10. Un mal de gorge → Sore throat

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🤕 Pains and Conditions

11. Une douleur → Pain

12. Une blessure → Injury

13. Une coupure → Cut

14. Une brûlure → Burn

15. Une entorse → Sprain

16. Une fracture → Fracture / broken bone

17. Un bleu → A bruise

18. Un empoisonnement alimentaire → Food poisoning

19. Une allergie → Allergy

20. L’asthme → Asthma

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🧠 More Serious Illnesses

21. Le diabète → Diabetes

22. Une crise cardiaque → Heart attack

23. Un AVC (accident vasculaire cérébral) → Stroke

24. Le cancer → Cancer

25. La pneumonie → Pneumonia

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👩‍⚕️ Symptoms You Might Say

26. J’ai mal à la tête. → I have a headache.

27. J’ai de la fièvre. → I have a fever.

28. Je tousse beaucoup. → I am coughing a lot.

29. Je me sens faible. → I feel weak.

30. Je suis enrhumé(e). → I have a cold.

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✅ Quick Recap

• Use J’ai… for illnesses and symptoms:

  • J’ai la grippe. → I have the flu.

  • J’ai mal au dos. → I have back pain.

• Use Je suis… for general states:

  • Je suis malade. → I am sick.

  • Je suis enrhumé(e). → I have a cold.

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🎯 Practice Exercise

Translate into French:

1. I have a sore throat.

2. He has a fever.

3. We have the flu.

4. She is coughing a lot.

5. They have stomachaches.

Answers:

1. J’ai mal à la gorge.

2. Il a de la fièvre.

3. Nous avons la grippe.

4. Elle tousse beaucoup.

5. Ils ont mal au ventre.

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Conclusion

With this essential French illness vocabulary, you’ll be ready to explain your symptoms, understand a doctor or pharmacist, and feel more confident if you ever get sick in a French-speaking country.

👉 Pro tip: Practice saying J’ai mal à… + body part (head, stomach, throat) to quickly describe pain in French.

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TAGS: French vocabulary illnesses, essential French health words, how to say I am sick in French, French doctor phrases, beginner French medical vocabulary