Learning a new language opens doors to not just new cultures, but also to essential areas of life, such as healthcare. Whether you’re traveling to a French-speaking region, planning to work in the medical field, or just aim to expand your vocabulary, understanding medical and health-related terms in French is invaluable. This article will introduce you to some of the fundamental terms and phrases you might encounter.

Médecin
The term médecin refers to a doctor or a physician. This is someone who is qualified to practice medicine.
Mon médecin a recommandé de faire plus d’exercice.

Pharmacie
Pharmacie is the French word for pharmacy or drugstore — a place where medications are dispensed and medical advice can be received.
Je dois aller à la pharmacie pour chercher mes médicaments.

Ordonnance
An ordonnance is a prescription. It is an official piece of paper on which a doctor has written the type of medicine a patient should take and how they should take it.
Le médecin a fait une ordonnance pour des antibiotiques.

Hôpital
An hôpital is a hospital — a medical facility where patients are treated by specialized staff and equipment.
L’hôpital le plus proche est à dix minutes en voiture.

Urgences
Urgences refers to the emergency room (ER) or emergency department, where people with serious injuries or illnesses are treated urgently.
En cas d’accident, il faut appeler les urgences immédiatement.

Santé
Santé means health. It encompasses the overall condition of a person’s body or mind.
Je fais du sport pour améliorer ma santé.

Infirmière / Infirmier
An infirmière (female) or infirmier (male) is a nurse — a person trained to care for the sick or infirm, especially in a hospital.
L’infirmière a pris ma tension artérielle.

Fièvre
Fièvre means fever — an abnormally high body temperature, often accompanied by illness.
Ma fille a une fièvre; je pense qu’elle a la grippe.

Toux
A toux is a cough, which is a sudden expulsion of air from the lungs typically to clear the air passages.
Cette toux persistante m’empêche de dormir la nuit.

Douleur
Douleur refers to pain — a distressing feeling often caused by intense or damaging stimuli.
Avez-vous de la douleur lorsque vous avalez?

Maladie
Maladie is the term for disease or illness — a condition that disrupts a person’s bodily or mental functions.
Le médecin a diagnostiqué une maladie rare.

Allergie
Allergie is an allergy — a usually adverse response by the body to a substance (such as pollen, food, or dust) with which it has become hypersensitive.
Je ne peux pas manger de noix à cause de mon allergie.

Vaccin
A vaccin is a vaccine — a substance used to stimulate the production of antibodies and provide immunity against one or several diseases.
Le vaccin contre la grippe est disponible à partir d’octobre.

Understanding and properly using these medical terms can greatly improve your ability to communicate in French-speaking healthcare settings. These words also provide a foundation on which to build a more comprehensive medical vocabulary. When studying these terms, remember to practice pronunciation and context to ensure that you can be understood in real-life situations.