Health and needs in French

Level A2

Health and needs in French

Explain a simple problem and arrange an appointment: say where it hurts, add how long it has continued, then state what you need to do. You will also distinguish a necessary action from a possible next step. The examples practise communication, not diagnosis or treatment.

A request you already know

Je means I; before ai it becomes j’. J’ai means I have. Je voudrais means I’d like: keep it as a polite request here. Prendre rendez-vous means make an appointment. Vous pouvez répéter, s’il vous plaît ? means Can you repeat that, please? Répéter means repeat. Vous addresses one person politely in this conversation; pouvez is its verb form.

The words for the problem

Learn la tête (head), le dos (back) and un rendez-vous (an appointment). Tête is feminine, dos and rendez-vous masculine. These articles are useful even when a card displays the word alone. Here rendez-vous is a healthcare appointment.

Where it hurts and since when

J’ai mal à la tête means I have a headache; j’ai mal au dos means my back hurts. Use avoir, not être, in this expression. Mal expresses pain here. With these body parts, French uses the definite article rather than my: à la tête; au dos, where au combines à + le.

For pain that began earlier and still continues, these examples use the present ai with depuis. Depuis deux jours gives a duration: for two days; deux means two, jours means days. Depuis hier gives the starting point: since yesterday. English uses have had or has hurt here; do not copy that tense into the French model. Listen to both complete sentences and change the body part or time expression.

J’ai mal à la tête / au dos depuis deux jours / hier

A need or a possible step

Je dois prendre rendez-vous means I have to make an appointment: the speaker presents it as necessary. Vous pouvez appeler demain means You can call tomorrow: in this administrative context, it suggests an available option. Appeler means call by telephone; demain means tomorrow. This is a suggestion about booking, not medical advice.

After dois and pouvez, the next verb stays in the infinitive: prendre, appeler. Do not add another conjugated verb. Compare je voudrais, a polite request, with je dois, a necessity. Only these useful forms are needed here.

Je dois / Vous pouvez infinitif

At an information desk

The visitor asks how to arrange a routine appointment. The desk explains that telephone booking is available tomorrow; it is not assessing the visitor’s symptoms. Speaker A asks for an appointment, B suggests calling tomorrow, A asks for repetition, and B repeats the information. Listen for the request, the option and the repair phrase.

Recognize a document word

C’est une ordonnance means This is a prescription. C’est means this is; une is a feminine a; ordonnance names the document specifying medicines. Recognize this specialist word if you hear it. You do not need to produce this sentence, interpret a prescription or recommend treatment.

Your turn: explain, then ask

Before opening the models, say: My back has hurt since yesterday; I have to make an appointment; I’d like to book an appointment. Then take the desk’s role and offer the option You can call tomorrow. All the words and combinations have appeared above. Check the four models in that order and listen.

Keep three pieces ready: j’ai mal à la tête / au dos; depuis + duration or starting point for the continuing problem; je dois + infinitive for a need. Je voudrais asks politely, while vous pouvez can suggest an option. Try the same task once with a headache lasting two days.

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