In an emergency, you may have to ask someone nearby for help or answer an operator. They need what happened, where you are, and whether the person is conscious and breathing.
Ask for emergency help
These words and phrases are for asking someone nearby for help, or for calling emergency services:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| une urgence | an emergency |
| les secours | emergency services / help |
| une ambulance | an ambulance |
| appeler les secours | to call emergency services |
| appeler une ambulance | to call an ambulance |
| avoir besoin d'aide | to need help |
| immédiatement | immediately |
| rapidement | quickly |
| C'est une urgence. | It's an emergency. |
| Appelez les secours. | Call emergency services. |
| Appelez une ambulance. | Call an ambulance. |
| J'ai besoin d'aide. | I need help. |
Les secours means emergency help in general. An ambulance is only one of those services.
Describe what is happening
These expressions describe what you can see, including whether the person is conscious, breathing, or bleeding:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| conscient / consciente | conscious |
| inconscient / inconsciente | unconscious |
| respirer | to breathe |
| avoir du mal à respirer | to have difficulty breathing |
| saigner | to bleed |
| saigner beaucoup | to bleed heavily |
| s'évanouir | to faint |
| une crise | a seizure / attack |
| une réaction allergique | an allergic reaction |
| une douleur intense | severe pain |
Describe what you can see. Do not try to say what the illness is:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Il est inconscient. | He is unconscious. |
| Elle ne répond pas. | She isn't responding. |
| Il ne respire pas. | He isn't breathing. |
| Elle a du mal à respirer. | She is having difficulty breathing. |
| Il saigne beaucoup. | He is bleeding heavily. |
| Elle s'est évanouie. | She fainted. |
| Il fait une crise. | He is having a seizure. |
| Elle fait une réaction allergique. | She is having an allergic reaction. |
| Il a une douleur intense dans la poitrine. | He has severe chest pain. |
For wounds, fractures, and burns, see Injuries.
Questions from emergency services
An operator asks where you are and what is happening to the person:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Où êtes-vous ? | Where are you? |
| Quelle est l'adresse ? | What is the address? |
| Que s'est-il passé ? | What happened? |
| La personne est-elle consciente ? | Is the person conscious? |
| Est-ce qu'elle respire ? | Is the person breathing? |
| Est-ce qu'elle saigne ? | Is the person bleeding? |
| Quel âge a-t-elle ? | How old is the person? |
| Est-ce que son état change ? | Is the person's condition changing? |
If you do not know an answer, say so directly. Je ne sais pas is clearer than guessing about the person's condition or medical history.
Give your location
Give the street address if you know it, or a nearby building, station, or road if you do not:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je suis au 25 rue Victor-Hugo. | I'm at 25 Victor-Hugo Street. |
| Nous sommes devant la gare. | We're in front of the train station. |
| Nous sommes au deuxième étage. | We're on the second floor. |
| L'accident a eu lieu sur la route. | The accident happened on the road. |
| Je ne connais pas l'adresse exacte. | I don't know the exact address. |
| Je peux vous donner ma position. | I can give you my location. |
Essential medical information
An operator may ask about allergies, medication, a chronic condition, or pregnancy:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| une allergie | an allergy |
| un médicament | a medication |
| un traitement | a treatment / medication regimen |
| une maladie chronique | a chronic condition |
| diabétique | diabetic |
| enceinte | pregnant |
| une pièce d'identité | an identity document / ID |
| les antécédents médicaux | medical history |
Give what you know, without letting it delay the description of what is happening:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je suis allergique à la pénicilline. | I'm allergic to penicillin. |
| Il prend des médicaments pour le cœur. | He takes medication for his heart. |
| Elle est diabétique. | She is diabetic. |
| Je suis enceinte. | I'm pregnant. |
| Je ne connais pas ses antécédents médicaux. | I don't know their medical history. |
| Je ne sais pas quels médicaments il prend. | I don't know what medication he takes. |
Follow emergency instructions
An operator may tell you to stay on the line, stay with the person, or wait:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Restez en ligne. | Stay on the line. |
| Ne raccrochez pas. | Don't hang up. |
| Restez avec la personne. | Stay with the person. |
| Les secours arrivent. | Emergency services are on their way. |
| Attendez les secours. | Wait for emergency services. |
| Suivez mes instructions. | Follow my instructions. |
If you do not understand an instruction, ask the operator to repeat it.
From learning to practice
When you hear a French emergency call in a film, a news report, or training material, listen for the location and for whether the person is conscious, breathing, or bleeding.