The Body and Saying What Hurts in French
How do you say what hurts in French? Try out different phrases with this sentence builder lesson.
Whether you’re at the doctor’s office or just chatting with a friend, knowing how to say what hurts in French is a useful skill. In this lesson, you’ll learn how to describe pain in different parts of the body, and pick up some handy grammar tips along the way.
Asking What’s Wrong
To ask someone if they’re feeling okay, you can say:
- Qu’est-ce qu’il y a ? – What’s wrong?
This is a common way to ask if someone is hurt or feeling unwell.
Saying What Hurts
To describe pain, use the phrase:
- J’ai mal… – I have pain…
Then add the body part. Here are some examples:
| French Phrase | English Meaning |
|---|---|
| J’ai mal au bras | My arm aches |
| J’ai mal aux bras | My arms ache |
| J’ai mal au dos | I have a backache |
| J’ai mal à la cheville | My ankle aches |
| J’ai mal aux chevilles | My ankles ache |
| J’ai mal à la hanche | My hip aches |
| J’ai mal à la tête | I have a headache |
| J’ai mal au genou | My knee aches |
| J’ai mal aux genoux | My knees ache |
Why au, à la, and aux?
French uses different little words depending on the gender and number of the noun:
- au = à + le (used with masculine singular nouns)
- au bras, au dos, au genou
- à la = used with feminine singular nouns
- à la cheville, à la hanche, à la tête
- aux = à + les (used with plural nouns)
- aux bras, aux chevilles, aux genoux
So when you say J’ai mal au bras, you’re literally saying “I have pain at the arm.”
Plural Patterns and Irregular Words
Most French nouns become plural by adding -s, just like in English. But there are exceptions:
- genou (knee) becomes genoux (knees)
- Words ending in -ou often add -x in the plural.
Some words already end in -s even when they’re singular:
- le bras (arm), le dos (back), le corps (body)
- These don’t change in the plural: les bras, les dos, les corps
These are called invariable nouns—they look the same in singular and plural.
A Quirky Pronunciation: os (bone)
- un os – a bone (pronounced oss)
- les os – bones (pronounced oh)
Yes, really! The s is pronounced in the singular but silent in the plural. It’s one of those oddities that makes French charming.
A Note on the Letter h
The word for hip is:
- la hanche – the hip
You might expect l’hanche, but that’s incorrect. Why? Because the h in hanche is aspirated – which means it behaves like a consonant, not a vowel. So you don’t use l’ in front of it.
