Hospital in French: useful vocabulary and phrases
You are travelling in French-speaking Switzerland or France when something unexpected happens. A pain suddenly gets worse, you are accompanying a loved one who isn't feeling well, or you simply need to find a hospital quickly. Once you get there, the signs, directions and questions from the staff can become difficult to understand if you haven't yet mastered French.
In this article, discover the essential vocabulary to find your way around and communicate in a French-speaking hospital.
How do you say hospital in French?
When you look up the word "hospital" in an English–French dictionary, you will mainly find l'hôpital. This is the general term used to talk about a hospital.
In French, the preposition stays the same: it is the verb that shows what you mean. If you are already there, you say être à l'hôpital, meaning "to be in hospital". If you are heading to the facility, you will use aller à l'hôpital instead.
| English | French | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| hospital | l'hôpital | L'hôpital est à proximité. |
| clinic | la clinique | La clinique est à proximité. |
| to be in hospital | être à l'hôpital | Je suis à l'hôpital. |
| to go to hospital | aller à l'hôpital | Il doit aller à l'hôpital. |
These differences may seem small, but they are useful for understanding directions or explaining exactly where you are.
Hospital services and departments in French
Now imagine you have arrived at reception. The staff direct you to a department, but you don't immediately recognise the name on the sign. Being able to identify the main departments then helps you follow the directions more easily and quickly find the right place.
For an emergency, you will need to look for les urgences (the emergency department). Other departments specialise in certain types of care: surgery, internal medicine, radiology or paediatrics.
Here are the main terms to remember:
| English | French |
|---|---|
| the emergency department | les urgences |
| intensive care | les soins intensifs / la réanimation |
| surgery | la chirurgie |
| internal medicine | la médecine interne |
| the maternity ward | la maternité |
| paediatrics | la pédiatrie |
| radiology | la radiologie |
| the pharmacy | la pharmacie |
Vocabulary for a hospital stay in French
Once you have been directed to the right department, another step begins: admission. The staff ask for your details, may give you some documents and explain what will happen next with your care.
At admission
You may need to show your health insurance card, give details about your insurance or fill in a form. If you have a scheduled appointment, the staff will also check its time.
| English | French |
|---|---|
| admission | l'admission |
| the health insurance card | la carte d'assurance maladie |
| health insurance | l'assurance maladie |
| the form | le formulaire |
| the appointment | le rendez-vous |
Don't understand a word or a question? No need to look for a complicated sentence. Pouvez-vous répéter, s'il vous plaît ? ("Could you repeat that, please?") can already help you keep the conversation going.
On the ward
After admission, you are settled into your room. The staff show you where your bed is and introduce the different stages of your care.
| English | French |
|---|---|
| admission | l'admission |
| to be settled in | être installé(e) |
| the room | la chambre |
| the staff | le personnel |
| to explain | expliquer |
| to be located | se trouver |
| the bed | le lit |
| to introduce | présenter |
| the different stages | les différentes étapes |
| care | la prise en charge |
As your stay goes on, you will hear words related to care and your hospitalisation: the ward round, a drip, an injection or a dressing. At the end of your stay, you may also hear the term used for your discharge.
| English | French |
|---|---|
| the ward round | la visite médicale |
| the drip | la perfusion |
| the injection | la piqûre |
| the dressing / the plaster | le pansement |
| discharge (from hospital) | la sortie (de l'hôpital) |
The vocabulary can also vary depending on the type of facility. For example, you might come across hôpital de jour for a day hospital, hôpital militaire for a military hospital or hôpital pour enfants for a children's hospital.
Understanding hospital vocabulary is a first step towards feeling more at ease in a French-speaking environment. Would you like to assess your French level and know where to start?
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Essential phrases at the hospital in French
Let's go back to our starting situation. You are at reception, you need help, but you don't know exactly how to explain it. At that moment, a few short, easy-to-remember phrases can be particularly useful.
- J'ai besoin d'un médecin. → I need a doctor.
- Où sont les urgences ? → Where is the emergency department?
- J'ai très mal. → I'm in a lot of pain.
- Appelez une ambulance, s'il vous plaît. → Please call an ambulance.
- Pouvez-vous m'aider ? → Can you help me?
- Je ne comprends pas. → I don't understand.
- Pouvez-vous répéter, s'il vous plaît ? → Could you repeat that, please?
The aim is not to speak perfectly, but to be able to convey essential information clearly. In a stressful situation, a simple phrase you know well is often more useful than a complex one.
Emergency vocabulary in French
In an emergency, knowing a few words can help you quickly identify the people or services you need.
| English | French | Number in Switzerland |
|---|---|---|
| ambulance | l'ambulance | 144 |
| fire brigade | les pompiers | 118 |
| police | la police | 117 |
In France, the emergency number to remember is 112.
Knowing the essential words related to the hospital, care and emergencies will help you better understand directions and explain your needs in French, even in a stressful situation.
But to talk about health, it is also useful to be able to describe how you feel. Read our article on illnesses in French to learn how to name common illnesses and symptoms and expand your medical vocabulary.