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You are here: Home Education Languages Practical French: I need a doctor!

12/02/2009Practical French: I need a doctor!

Even fluent French speakers sometimes have to ask: Comment dit-on? We offer some practical vocabulary for every-day life.

Your teacher: Marie-Alice Laulo-Smith

You can find a family doctor by looking up médecins in the a-z listings. But just making the appointment won't make you feel better; first you have to tell him or her where it hurts.

GP: un généraliste
family doctor: un médecin de famille
primary physician: un médecin traitant (a specific relationship in the French Social Security system; these doctors are responsible for all basic treatment and supply referrals to most specialists in order to receive reimbursement payments. See 'A guide to French healthcare' for an explanation of these terms.)

waiting room: la salle d'attente
examination room: salle de consultation
diagnosis: un diagnostic
prescription: un ordonnance
to refill a prescription: renouveler un ordonnance
X-ray: une radio
ultrasound/sonogram: une échographie
examination of heart, lungs, ears: l'auscultation du cœur, des poumons, des oreilles
to take your blood pressure: prendre votre tension
Pap smear: un frottis

Social Security medical card: la carte vitale (An adult patient must always carry the carte vitale for any medical visit as it proves he/she is covered by Social Security; future versions of the card will also carry a limited medical history.)

Before going to the doctor, it's advisable to find out his/her status. Avant de se rendre chez le médecin il est bon de se renseigner sur le statut de celui-ci.

Is he/she a fund doctor or not? Est-il conventionné ou non?

1 reaction to this article

Keith Eckstein posted: 14-08-2008 | 11:46 AM

On my site - I let my visitors download a 1 page PDF file of important numbers/phrases (to be placed by the phone) - http://www.bretondiary.com/downloads/numbers.pdf

Perhaps Expatica could do something similar - just a thought.

All the best

Keith

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