français · A2 · vocabulary · 4 minutes
Health and the pharmacy
Describe a symptom, its duration, and the medicine you need.
Understand the choice
Effective health language separates the painful body part, measurable symptoms, and treatment. The frames j’ai mal à…, j’ai … depuis…, and il me faut quelque chose contre… let a pharmacist ask useful follow-up questions.
Core rule: Use avoir mal à for pain, avoir de la fièvre for fever, and contre before a symptom a medicine should treat.
Notice it in context
J’ai mal à la gorge et il me faut quelque chose contre la toux.
My throat hurts and I need something for the cough.
À + la stays à la before gorge; contre introduces the symptom targeted by the medicine.
J’ai de la fièvre depuis hier.
I have had a fever since yesterday.
French present tense plus depuis describes a state continuing to now.
Prenez un comprimé toutes les huit heures.
Take one tablet every eight hours.
The vous command gives an instruction; toutes agrees with plural heures.
What to remember
- Ordonnance is a medical prescription; recette is a cooking recipe.
- Médicament is a general medicine; comprimé, gélule, and sirop name dosage forms.
Common trap: Do not say je suis fièvre. French uses avoir: j’ai de la fièvre.