The doctor decides on a medicine, then gives you the document you take to the pharmacy. The verb for the decision and the noun for the document are different words.
A prescription and the decision to prescribe
One word is the doctor's decision. The other is the document you take to the pharmacy:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| prescrire | to prescribe |
| une ordonnance | a prescription |
Une ordonnance can list a medicine. It can also order a test or other care. Prescrire covers that order, whether the item is a medicine or a test.
The doctor states the decision in the first person, and names the medicine or the document:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je vais vous prescrire un médicament. | I'm going to prescribe you a medicine. |
| Je vais vous faire une ordonnance. | I'm going to write you a prescription. |
Faire une ordonnance means producing the document. Prescrire un médicament means choosing the medicine.
From learning to practice
At the end of a visit, listen for ordonnance if you need a document for the pharmacy, and for prescrire if the doctor is telling you which medicine they have chosen.