French Useful Vocabulary: Covid / Coronavirus 😷🦠
When the Covid-19 pandemic started, new words and expressions became part of daily life all over the world.
If you’re learning French, it’s important to know the most common French words about Covid / Coronavirus so you can follow the news, understand health information, or talk about the pandemic in French.
This vocabulary list covers the essential French Covid terms with English translations and example sentences.
🦠 Basic French Covid Vocabulary
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Le coronavirus – coronavirus
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La Covid-19 / le Covid-19 – Covid-19 (both masculine and feminine are used in French)
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La pandémie – pandemic
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L’épidémie – epidemic
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Un virus – virus
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La maladie – illness / disease
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Les symptômes – symptoms
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Être contaminé – to be infected
👉 Example: La pandémie de Covid-19 a commencé en 2020.
(The Covid-19 pandemic started in 2020.)
🤒 Symptoms & Health Words in French
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La fièvre – fever
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La toux – cough
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La fatigue – tiredness
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La perte de goût / d’odorat – loss of taste / smell
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Les difficultés respiratoires – breathing difficulties
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Être malade – to be sick
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Être positif / négatif – to test positive / negative
👉 Example: Il a de la fièvre et de la toux.
(He has a fever and a cough.)
🧴 Prevention & Protection Vocabulary
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Un masque – mask
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Le gel hydroalcoolique – hand sanitizer
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Se laver les mains – to wash one’s hands
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La distanciation sociale – social distancing
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Les gestes barrières – preventive measures
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La quarantaine – quarantine
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Le confinement – lockdown
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Le couvre-feu – curfew
👉 Example: Il faut porter un masque dans les lieux publics.
(You must wear a mask in public places.)
💉 Medical & Vaccine Vocabulary
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Un test PCR – PCR test
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Un test antigénique – antigen test
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Se faire tester – to get tested
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Un vaccin – vaccine
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La vaccination – vaccination
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Un certificat de vaccination – vaccination certificate
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Le pass sanitaire – health pass
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Une dose de rappel – booster shot
👉 Example: Je me suis fait vacciner contre le Covid-19.
(I got vaccinated against Covid-19.)
📰 Everyday Covid-Related Expressions
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Respectez les gestes barrières. – Respect the preventive measures.
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Je dois rester en quarantaine. – I have to stay in quarantine.
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Est-ce que vous êtes vacciné ? – Are you vaccinated?
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Les restaurants ont rouvert après le confinement. – The restaurants reopened after the lockdown.
🎯 Practice Activity
👉 Write 3 sentences in French using some of these Covid vocabulary words. Example:
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Je porte toujours un masque dans le métro.
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Ma sœur a été testée positive au coronavirus.
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Nous avons reçu la troisième dose du vaccin.
✅ Conclusion
By learning these French Covid-19 vocabulary words, you’ll be able to follow French media, understand official health announcements, and talk about the pandemic in everyday conversation.
This French vocabulary list about coronavirus is a practical resource for learners who want to stay informed and sound natural when speaking French.