Everyday French uses several common expressions for describing how your body feels.
Some physical feelings use avoir, while others use être or expressions such as avoir mal.
Saying that you are hungry or thirsty
French uses avoir to talk about hunger and thirst:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| avoir faim | to be hungry |
| avoir soif | to be thirsty |
Use the expression with the correct form of avoir:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| J'ai faim. | I'm hungry. |
| Tu as soif ? | Are you thirsty? |
| Elle a faim. | She is hungry. |
| Nous avons soif. | We're thirsty. |
Learn avoir faim and avoir soif as complete expressions.
Saying that you are hot or cold
French also uses avoir when you feel hot or cold:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| avoir chaud | to be hot |
| avoir froid | to be cold |
For example:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| J'ai chaud. | I'm hot. |
| J'ai froid. | I'm cold. |
| Tu as froid ? | Are you cold? |
| Les enfants ont chaud. | The children are hot. |
These expressions describe how someone feels physically.
Talking about tiredness
Use être fatigué / fatiguée to say that someone is tired:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| fatigué / fatiguée | tired |
| épuisé / épuisée | exhausted |
Use these adjectives with être:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je suis fatigué. | I'm tired. |
| Elle est fatiguée. | She is tired. |
| Nous sommes fatigués. | We're tired. |
| Il est épuisé. | He is exhausted. |
Saying that you feel well or sick
You can also describe your general physical condition:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| se sentir bien | to feel well |
| se sentir mal | to feel unwell |
| être malade | to be sick |
These expressions let you say more than simply Ça va or Ça ne va pas:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je me sens bien. | I feel well. |
| Je me sens mal. | I feel unwell. |
| Je suis malade. | I'm sick. |
| Tu te sens bien ? | Do you feel well? |
Saying that something hurts
Use avoir mal to say that you have pain:
avoir mal à + body part
| French | English |
|---|---|
| J'ai mal à la tête. | I have a headache. |
| J'ai mal au dos. | My back hurts. |
| Elle a mal au ventre. | Her stomach hurts. |
| Tu as mal à la gorge ? | Does your throat hurt? |
The form after à changes with the body part, as in à la tête, au dos, and à la gorge.
From learning to practice
During the day, notice how you feel physically and try to express it in French. Think about whether you are fatigué, malade, or whether you avez faim, avez soif, avez chaud, or avez froid.