French describes injuries in several ways. A noun can identify the type of injury, while a verb can describe the accident or movement that caused it.
The affected part of the body, visible signs, and the seriousness of the injury add the details needed in a medical conversation.
For vocabulary that focuses on how something hurts, see pain and discomfort.
Identify common types of injuries
Some French nouns describe damage to the skin, while others describe injuries to bones, joints, or muscles. These words identify common injuries from accidents, falls, and sports:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| une blessure | an injury, a wound |
| une plaie | a wound |
| une coupure | a cut |
| une égratignure | a scratch, a graze |
| une brûlure | a burn |
| un bleu | a bruise |
| une bosse | a bump |
| une entorse | a sprain |
| une fracture | a fracture, a broken bone |
| une luxation | a dislocation |
| une déchirure musculaire | a muscle tear |
| un traumatisme crânien | a head injury, head trauma |
Une blessure is a broad word for an injury and can also refer to a wound. Une plaie refers more specifically to an open wound or damaged skin. Un bleu is the everyday word for a bruise.
The type of injury and the affected body part can appear together in the same phrase. The preposition depends on how the injury is expressed:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| une entorse de la cheville | an ankle sprain |
| une fracture du poignet | a wrist fracture |
| une coupure au doigt | a cut on the finger |
| une blessure au genou | a knee injury |
| une brûlure à la main | a burn on the hand |
| une plaie à la tête | a wound on the head |
Expressions with entorse and fracture commonly use de to connect the injury to the affected body part. Expressions such as une coupure au doigt and une blessure au genou use à to indicate where the injury is located.
Say how the injury happened
French commonly uses reflexive verbs to describe an injury that happened to the speaker. Other verbs describe a fall, impact, or accident that caused the injury:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je suis tombé(e). | I fell. |
| J'ai eu un accident. | I had an accident. |
| Je me suis blessé(e). | I injured myself. |
| Je me suis coupé(e). | I cut myself. |
| Je me suis brûlé(e). | I burned myself. |
| Je me suis cogné la tête. | I hit my head. |
| Je me suis tordu la cheville. | I twisted my ankle. |
| Je me suis fait mal au dos. | I hurt my back. |
| J'ai glissé dans l'escalier. | I slipped on the stairs. |
| Je suis tombé(e) de vélo. | I fell off my bike. |
Se blesser identifies the general fact of being injured. More specific verbs such as se couper, se brûler, se cogner and se tordre also indicate how the injury occurred.
A short account can include when or where the accident happened, or the activity you were doing at the time. These sentences add that context without requiring a long explanation:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je suis tombé(e) hier. | I fell yesterday. |
| Je me suis blessé(e) au travail. | I injured myself at work. |
| Je me suis fait mal pendant le match. | I hurt myself during the match. |
| Je me suis blessé(e) en faisant du sport. | I injured myself while playing sports. |
| Je suis tombé(e) en courant. | I fell while running. |
Written forms such as tombé(e) and blessé(e) show the masculine and feminine endings together. In these examples, the two forms have the same pronunciation.
Describe visible signs and movement problems
Bleeding, swelling, the condition of a wound, and difficulty moving help describe the physical effects of an injury.
These expressions report changes you can see or movements that the injury prevents:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Ça saigne. | It's bleeding. |
| C'est gonflé. | It's swollen. |
| C'est rouge. | It's red. |
| J'ai un hématome. | I have a hematoma, a bruise. |
| La plaie est profonde. | The wound is deep. |
| La coupure est superficielle. | The cut is superficial. |
| Je n'arrive pas à bouger le bras. | I can't move my arm. |
| Je n'arrive pas à marcher. | I can't walk. |
| Je ne peux pas poser le pied par terre. | I can't put my foot on the ground. |
| La blessure s'est aggravée. | The injury has gotten worse. |
Un hématome is used more in medical contexts than un bleu. In everyday conversation, un bleu is the more natural word for an ordinary bruise. A healthcare professional may use un hématome for a collection of blood under the skin.
Je n'arrive pas à describes something you are unable to do despite trying. Je ne peux pas states that you cannot do it. Both are useful for describing how an injury limits movement.
Describe how serious an injury is
When you need to describe the seriousness of an injury, these expressions range from minor to serious and can also indicate a possible broken bone:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Ce n'est pas grave. | It's not serious. |
| C'est une blessure légère. | It's a minor injury. |
| La blessure est sérieuse. | The injury is serious. |
| C'est grave. | It's serious. |
| Ça a l'air grave. | It looks serious. |
| Je pense que c'est cassé. | I think it's broken. |
| Je ne sais pas si c'est cassé. | I don't know if it's broken. |
Grave describes seriousness rather than pain intensity. See pain and discomfort to describe how much an injury hurts or what the pain feels like.
Describe a broken bone
Cassé is the everyday way to describe a bone as broken. Une fracture is the noun for the injury itself and is also common in medical contexts. Compare how the two appear in complete sentences:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| J'ai le bras cassé. | I have a broken arm. |
| Elle s'est cassé le poignet. | She broke her wrist. |
| Il a une fracture du poignet. | He has a wrist fracture. |
| La radio montre une fracture. | The X-ray shows a fracture. |
Say that you need medical care
If you need medical attention after an injury, use these expressions to ask for help, request medical care, or ask whether you need to see a doctor or go to the hospital:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| J'ai besoin d'aide. | I need help. |
| J'ai besoin de soins. | I need medical care. |
| J'ai besoin de voir un médecin. | I need to see a doctor. |
| Il faut que je voie un médecin. | I need to see a doctor. |
| Est-ce que je dois aller à l'hôpital ? | Do I need to go to the hospital? |
| Est-ce que je dois faire une radio ? | Do I need to get an X-ray? |
| Appelez une ambulance. | Call an ambulance. |
| C'est une urgence. | It's an emergency. |
Des soins refers broadly to care or treatment without specifying what treatment is needed. Faire une radio is a common expression for having an X-ray.
For injuries that require urgent attention or hospital care, see medical emergencies or the hospital.
From learning to practice
Listen for how speakers connect the injury to a body part and then add its cause, visible effects, or severity. In a medical conversation, give the most relevant facts first and add more detail when the other person asks for it.