Body Parts in French
Knowing body parts in French is essential for medical situations, everyday conversation, and understanding the countless French idioms that reference the body. This guide covers all the key vocabulary with grammatical gender, plus the invaluable avoir mal à construction that lets you describe any pain or discomfort.
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Head and Face (La Tête et Le Visage)
The head and face vocabulary comes up constantly — in descriptions of people, medical conversations, and everyday expressions. Always learn the article with each word.
L'œil (eye) has one of the most irregular plurals in French: les yeux. This is not just a spelling change — it is an entirely different word. Un œil bleu (one blue eye) but des yeux bleus (blue eyes). Memorize both forms as a pair.
Upper Body (Le Haut du Corps)
Upper body vocabulary is critical for medical visits and describing physical activities. Note the mix of masculine and feminine nouns.
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Lower Body (Le Bas du Corps)
Lower body vocabulary rounds out your knowledge and is particularly useful for sports, exercise, and describing injuries.
Avoir Mal À: Expressing Pain
The construction avoir mal à (to have pain in) is the most important medical phrase in French. The preposition à contracts with the definite article:
- J'ai mal à la tête. — I have a headache. (à + la = à la)
- J'ai mal au dos. — My back hurts. (à + le = au)
- J'ai mal aux dents. — I have a toothache. (à + les = aux)
- J'ai mal à l'épaule. — My shoulder hurts. (à + l' before vowel)
- J'ai mal à la gorge. — I have a sore throat.
- J'ai mal au ventre. — I have a stomachache.
Remember the contractions: à + le = au, à + les = aux. But à la and à l' do NOT contract. So it is j'ai mal au bras but j'ai mal à la jambe.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say "my arm hurts" in French?
Use the expression avoir mal à: J'ai mal au bras (I have pain in the arm). The preposition à contracts with the article: à + le = au (masculine), à + la = à la (feminine), à + les = aux (plural). So "my eyes hurt" is j'ai mal aux yeux.
Are body parts masculine or feminine in French?
French body parts can be either gender and must be memorized individually. Some patterns help: words ending in -e are often feminine (la tête, la bouche, la jambe) but not always (le nez, le ventre). The article is essential — always learn body parts with their article as one unit.
Why does French use "le" and "la" instead of "my" with body parts?
Like Spanish and Italian, French uses the definite article (le, la, les) instead of possessive adjectives (mon, ma, mes) when the owner is clear from context. Je me lave les mains means "I wash my hands" — the reflexive me makes it clear they are your hands. Using mes mains here would sound unnatural.
What is the most useful medical phrase in French?
The most versatile medical phrase is J'ai mal à + [body part] (I have pain in...). This covers any pain or ache: J'ai mal à la tête (headache), J'ai mal au ventre (stomachache), J'ai mal à la gorge (sore throat). Learn this one pattern and you can describe most symptoms.
What are some common French idioms using body parts?
French has hundreds of body-part idioms: avoir le bras long (to have a long arm = to have influence), coûter les yeux de la tête (to cost the eyes of the head = to cost an arm and a leg), avoir la main verte (to have a green hand = to have a green thumb). Body parts are deeply woven into French expressions.