The body in French
After today’s French audio lesson you’ll know the parts of the body in French – some basic medical French for your language survival kit!
Listen to the French audio and follow the pronunciation, and when you’re ready, practice saying the French words aloud. I hope you don’t need to use it, but you’ll also learn how to say "I’m sick" in French – just in case!
Just as everything else in French, body parts are either feminine or masculine, which affects how you would describe them! Look at the following gender clues in both singular and plural forms:
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Le corps
The body
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La jambe
The leg
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Les jambes
The legs
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La main
The hand
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Les mains
The hands
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Le pied
The foot
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Les pieds
The feet
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La tête
The head
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Le ventre
The stomach
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Le dos
The back
When a word begins with “Le”, it means it falls into the masculine group of words, and when it begins with “La”, it’s feminine. Also, if the word is a plural then it begins with "Les", no matter whether it is referring to a male or female gender word.
When describing physical pain, its useful to know a few expressions that might get you some help when you need it!
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Mal
Pain or Ache
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J’ai mal à la tête
I have a headache
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J’ai mal au dos
I have backache
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J’ai mal au ventre
I have a stomach ache
À bientôt!
Marie-Claire Rivière and the Rocket French Team
