French Word of the Day

French Fanatic

Learn French vocabulary with one new French word a day
Thursday, October 11, 2012

avoir mal à la tête

to have a headache

Vous dites au médecin, “J’ai mal à la tête. C’est grave.”
You tell the doctor, “I have a headache. It’s bad.”

TODAY
We’re considering a phrase that might be useful for a visit to the doctor’s office, chez le médecin.

Vocabulary Section: Body and Health,Word of the Day


Thursday, July 5, 2012

bâiller

to yawn

Elle ne pouvait pas s’arrêter de bâiller.
She couldn’t stop yawning.

TODAY’S WORD
Most of us spend about a third of our lives sleeping. Today’s word is one of many about sleep and the activities related to it.

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

chez le médecin

at the doctor’s office

Si tu es malade, va chez le médecin.
If you’re sick, go to the doctor (or doctor’s office).

ALSO
The phrase chez le docteur means the same as chez le médecin.

TODAY
Our vocabulary word is just what the doctor ordered to describe a visit to the doctor’s office, chez le médecin.

Vocabulary Section: Body and Health,Word of the Day
Saturday, June 1, 2013

chez le médecin

the doctor, doctor’s office

Si vous avez mal de gorge, vous devriez aller chez le médecin.
If you have a sore throat, you should go to the doctor.

Vocabulary Section: Body and Health,Word of the Day
Monday, April 8, 2013

éternuer

to sneeze

Ma sœur a éternué trois fois de suite.
My sister sneezed three times in a row.

ALSO
une éternuement = a sneeze

TODAY
Our vocabulary word is among those to used to describe the symptoms of the common cold. Discover more words about your health by clicking here.

QUIZ LINK
Test yourself on today’s word and others about the common cold here.

Vocabulary Section: Body and Health,Word of the Day
Saturday, March 6, 2010

fièvre

fever

J’ai de la fièvre. J’ai besoin de médicaments.
I have a fever. I need some medicine.

THIS WEEK
Our vocabulary topic is the common cold. We’ll focus mostly on describing the symptoms. Who knows? You might find yourself in France someday clutching a handkerchief and remembering these words that will help you find a little relief!

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER
Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter for more thoughts on all things French.

TODAY’S WORD BROUGHT TO YOU BY YABLA.

Yabla French Video Immersion.
The fun way to learn French

Vocabulary Section: Body and Health,Word of the Day
Tuesday, March 19, 2013

la grippe porcine

swine flu

Vocabulary Section: Body and Health,Word of the Day
Wednesday, July 10, 2013

la main

the hand

La mère de Jean a pris la main.
Jean’s mother took his hand.

Vocabulary Section: Body and Health,Word of the Day
Tuesday, June 16, 2009

la tête

head

La tête est attachée au cou.
The head is attached to the neck.

Vocabulary Section: Body and Health,Word of the Day
Tuesday, September 24, 2013

le cœur

the heart

Béatrice a donné son cœur à Robert.
Beatrice gave her heart to Robert.

TIP
Just as the heart has literal and symbolic meanings in English, so does le cœur in French. While le coeur is quite literally the organ that pumps blood through the body, it is also a great symbol of love.

MORE PARTS OF THE BODY IN FRENCH
Follow the links below to discover more French vocabulary about the body:

HOW WELL CAN YOU DESCRIBE THE BODY?
Take our French Body Parts Quiz to find out if you can say heart in French.

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

le coude

the elbow

Je me suis cogné le coude contre la porte.
I bumped my elbow against the door.

THIS WEEK
We’ll use the remainder of this week to cover parts of the body.

GRAMMAR NOTE
You might have noticed that when the French talk about parts of their own body, they do not change the article preceding the part of the body to a possessive pronoun, such as my, as we do in English. It is understood that the part of the body they’re referring to is their own.

TRACK YOUR LEARNING WITH OUR QUIZ!
How well did you learn last week’s words? Take our Weekly Quiz to find out!

TODAY’S WORD BROUGHT TO YOU BY YABLA.
Yabla French Video Immersion.
The fun way to learn French

Vocabulary Section: Body and Health,Word of the Day
Saturday, June 5, 2010

le menton

the chin

Il s’est gratté le menton.
He scratched his chin.

THIS WEEK
We’ll use the remainder of this week to cover parts of the body.

GRAMMAR NOTE
You might have noticed that when the French talk about parts of their own body, they do not change the article preceding the part of the body to a possessive pronoun, such as my, as we do in English. It is understood that the part of the body they’re referring to is their own.

TRACK YOUR LEARNING WITH OUR QUIZ!
How well did you learn last week’s words? Take our Weekly Quiz to find out!

TODAY’S WORD BROUGHT TO YOU BY YABLA.
Yabla French Video Immersion.
The fun way to learn French

Vocabulary Section: Body and Health,Word of the Day
Wednesday, March 3, 2010

le nez bouché

stuffy nose

Avez-vous le nez bouché?
Do you have a stuffy nose?

THIS WEEK
Our vocabulary topic is the common cold. We’ll focus mostly on describing the symptoms. Who knows? You might find yourself in France someday clutching a handkerchief and remembering these words that will help you find a little relief!

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER
Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter for more thoughts on all things French.

TODAY’S WORD BROUGHT TO YOU BY YABLA.

Yabla French Video Immersion.
The fun way to learn French

Vocabulary Section: Body and Health,Word of the Day
Tuesday, March 2, 2010

le nez qui coule

runny nose

J’ai le nez qui coule.
I have a runny nose.

THIS WEEK
Our vocabulary topic is the common cold. We’ll focus mostly on describing the symptoms. Who knows? You might find yourself in France someday clutching a handkerchief and remembering these words that will help you find a little relief!

TRACK YOUR LEARNING WITH OUR QUIZ!
How well did you learn last week’s words? Take our Weekly Quiz to find out!

TODAY’S WORD BROUGHT TO YOU BY YABLA.

Yabla French Video Immersion.
The fun way to learn French

Vocabulary Section: Body and Health,Word of the Day
Friday, June 4, 2010

le poignet

the wrist

Elle s’est cassé le poignet.
She broke her wrist.

THIS WEEK
We’ll use the remainder of this week to cover parts of the body.

GRAMMAR NOTE
You might have noticed that when the French talk about parts of their own body, they do not change the article preceding the part of the body to a possessive pronoun, such as my, as we do in English. It is understood that the part of the body they’re referring to is their own.

TRACK YOUR LEARNING WITH OUR QUIZ!
How well did you learn last week’s words? Take our Weekly Quiz to find out!

TODAY’S WORD BROUGHT TO YOU BY YABLA.
Yabla French Video Immersion.
The fun way to learn French

Vocabulary Section: Body and Health,Word of the Day
Wednesday, February 3, 2010

les blessés

the injured (people)

Les médecins ont aidé les blessés d’abord.
The doctors helped the injured first.

ALSO
le blessé = an injured man
la blessée = an injured woman
les blessées = injured women

THIS WEEK
Our vocabulary topic is emergency relief at a disaster scene.

TRACK YOUR LEARNING WITH OUR QUIZ!
How well did you learn last week’s words? Take our NEW Weekly Quiz to find out!

TODAY’S WORD BROUGHT TO YOU BY YABLA.

Yabla French Video Immersion.
The fun way to learn French

Thursday, September 12, 2013

les lèvres

n.f.pl., the lips

Elle a des lèvres rouges.
She has red lips.

TODAY
Our word is one of the many parts of the body.

FROM HEAD TO FEET
Learn the French words for these parts that make us, well, us.

HOW WELL CAN YOU DESCRIBE THE BODY?
Take our French Body Parts Quiz to find out.

Vocabulary Section: Body and Health,Word of the Day
Saturday, August 14, 2010

Ouvrez la bouche…

Open your mouth…

Ouvrez la bouche et faites <<Aah.>>
Open your mouth and say, “Aah.”

THIS WEEK
We’ll cover vocabulary useful for a visit to the doctor’s office, chez le médecin.

THE LATEST QUIZ IS READY FOR OUR VOILÀ! SUBSCRIBERS
Members of our Voilà service can go straight to this week’s quiz by clicking here.
Not a member yet? SUBSCRIBE HERE!

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

prendre le pouls

to take the pulse (of someone)

L’infirmière va prendre votre pouls avant que le docteur arrive.
The nurse is going to take your pulse before the doctor gets here.

THIS WEEK
We’ll cover vocabulary useful for a visit to the doctor’s office, chez le médecin.

THE LATEST QUIZ IS READY FOR OUR VOILÀ! SUBSCRIBERS
Members of our Voilà service can go straight to this week’s quiz by clicking here.
Not a member yet? SUBSCRIBE HERE!

Vocabulary Section: Body and Health,Word of the Day
Tuesday, August 10, 2010

prendre rendez-vous

to make an appointment

Puis-je prendre rendez-vous avec le médecin pour demain?
Can I make an appointment with the doctor for tomorrow?

THIS WEEK
We’ll cover vocabulary useful for a visit to the doctor’s office, chez le médecin.

THE LATEST QUIZ IS READY FOR OUR VOILÀ! SUBSCRIBERS
Members of our Voilà service can go straight to this week’s quiz by clicking here.
Not a member yet? SUBSCRIBE HERE!

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Qu’est-ce qui ne va pas?

What’s wrong?

Le docteur vous demande, <<Qu’est-ce qui ne va pas?>>
The doctor asks you, “What’s wrong?”

THIS WEEK
We’ll cover vocabulary useful for a visit to the doctor’s office, chez le médecin.

THE LATEST QUIZ IS READY FOR OUR VOILÀ! SUBSCRIBERS
Members of our Voilà service can go straight to this week’s quiz by clicking here.
Not a member yet? SUBSCRIBE HERE!

Sunday, August 15, 2010

rédiger une ordonnance

to write a prescription

Le docteur vous rédige une ordonnance pour soigner la toux.
The doctor writes you a prescription to treat the cough.

THIS WEEK
We’ve been covering vocabulary useful for a visit to the doctor’s office, chez le médecin.

THE LATEST QUIZ IS READY FOR OUR VOILÀ! SUBSCRIBERS
Members of our Voilà service can go straight to this week’s quiz by clicking here.
Not a member yet? SUBSCRIBE HERE!

Vocabulary Section: Body and Health,Word of the Day
Wednesday, August 21, 2013

se brosser les dents

to brush one’s teeth

Combien de fois par jour vous brossez-vous les dents?
How many times a day do you brush your teeth?

Sunday, March 7, 2010

se débarrasser de

to get rid of

Enfin, je me suis débarrassé de mon rhume.
Finally, I got rid of my cold.

THIS WEEK
Our vocabulary topic has been the common cold. We hope if you now ever find yourself under the weather in a French-speaking country, you’ll be just a little more prepared!

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER
Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter for more thoughts on all things French.

TODAY’S WORD BROUGHT TO YOU BY YABLA.

Yabla French Video Immersion.
The fun way to learn French

Vocabulary Section: Body and Health,Word of the Day
Sunday, November 6, 2011

se lever

to get up

Je dois me lever à 6h demain.
I have to get up at 6 a.m. tomorrow.

ALSO RELATED
se réveiller = to wake up
éveillé(e)(s) = awake

THIS WEEK
Most of us spend about a third of our lives sleeping. This week, we’ve been exploring some French words about sleep and the activities related to it.

Sunday, May 15, 2011

soulager

to relieve, to make feel better

Quand elle avait la grippe, du thé chaud la soulageait.
When she had the flu, some hot tea made her feel better.

THIS WEEK
We always enjoy exploring French verbs that are important to everyday conversation but that, for whatever reason, don’t always make the cut of words commonly learned in traditional French classes. This week, we’ll attempt to uncover some of these common but uncommonly-taught verbs.

NEED HELP WITH REGULAR ER VERBS LIKE TODAY’S WORD?
Don’t forget to check out our Quick Verb Guide for conjugation examples.

SUBSCRIBE TO GET MORE FROM THE WORD OF THE DAY!

Thursday, July 28, 2011

suer

to sweat

Il suait comme un bœuf.
He was sweating like a pig. (literally, He was sweating like a cow.)

THIS WEEK
We’ll cover words about the summer heat wave, la vague de chaleur.

FOR OUR VOILÀ! MEMBERS
Review last week’s words by taking our weekly quiz.
SUBSCRIBE TO VOILÀ! Only 3.95 a month, secure via PayPal!

Saturday, September 15, 2012

un cil

an eyelash

Elle se maquille les cils avec un mascara noir.
She makes up her eyelashes with black mascara.

TODAY
Our word is from the vocabulary topic parts of the body.

Vocabulary Section: Body and Health,Word of the Day
Wednesday, May 6, 2009

un comprimé, une pilule

a tablet, a pill

Vocabulary Section: Body and Health,Word of the Day
Thursday, August 6, 2009

un doigt

a finger

Elle n’a pas remué le petit doigt.
She didn’t lift a finger.

This expression, translated literally, says: She didn’t move a little finger.

Thursday, June 3, 2010

un pouce

a thumb

Nous avons quatre doigts et un pouce à chaque main.
We have four fingers and a thumb on each hand.

THIS WEEK
We’ll use the remainder of this week to cover parts of the body.

TRACK YOUR LEARNING WITH OUR QUIZ!
How well did you learn last week’s words? Take our Weekly Quiz to find out!

TODAY’S WORD BROUGHT TO YOU BY YABLA.
Yabla French Video Immersion.
The fun way to learn French

Vocabulary Section: Body and Health,Word of the Day
Sunday, March 3, 2013

un rhume

a cold

J’ai le rhume.
I have a cold.

TODAY
Our vocabulary topic is the common cold.

QUIZ LINK
Test yourself on today’s word and others like it here.

Vocabulary Section: Body and Health,Word of the Day
Monday, June 17, 2013

un sourcil

an eyebrow

Les sourcils sont au-dessus des yeux.
The eyebrows are above the eyes.

TODAY
Our word is one of many parts of the body. For more words about body and health, click here.

TAKE THE QUIZ
Find out how many words for parts of the body you know by taking our quiz.

Vocabulary Section: Body and Health,Word of the Day
Sunday, August 26, 2012

une toux

a cough

Question: Avez-vous une toux? Une toux sèche?
Do you have a cough? A dry cough?

Réponse: Non, c’est grasse.
Non, it’s loose.

TODAY
Our vocabulary word is one of many words you might need to discuss the symptoms of the common cold.

VIDÉO
Enjoy this French publicité for cough-relief medicine.

If you received this video in our e-mail and are having difficulty viewing it, please visit our Web site, www.frenchfanatic.com.

Vocabulary Section: Body and Health,Word of the Day