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Scene illustrating a French-language explaining myself to the doctor conversation

Key Phrases

Je ne me sens pas bien.

I don't feel well.

Qu'est-ce qui ne va pas ?

What's wrong?

J'ai mal à la gorge.

I have a sore throat.

Skills You'll Learn

Describe basic symptoms to a doctor.

Décrire des symptômes simples chez le médecin.

Say how long you have had a health problem.

Dire depuis combien de temps on a un problème de santé.

Explain what remedies or medicine you already tried.

Expliquer quels remèdes ou médicaments on a déjà essayés.

Lesson Roleplay

Imagine you are at a doctor’s office in France, explaining that you have had a sore throat for three days, a slight fever since this morning, and that tea with honey and paracetamol helped only a little.

Bonjour docteur, je ne me sens pas bien.

Hello doctor, I don't feel well.

Bonjour Emily , qu'est-ce qui ne va pas ?

Hello Emily, what's wrong?

J'ai mal à la gorge depuis trois jours.

I've had a sore throat for three days.

D'accord. Vous avez déjà essayé quelque chose ?

Okay. Have you already tried anything?

Oui, j'ai pris du thé chaud avec du miel.

Yes, I had hot tea with honey.

Lesson Vocabulary & Phrases

👋

Bonjour

bohn-ZHOOR

Hello

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👨‍⚕️

Docteur

dok-TUR

Doctor

🇫🇷 In France, people often say [docteur] directly as a form of address, like [Bonjour docteur]. That sounds normal and polite in a medical setting.

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👋👨‍⚕️

Bonjour docteur.

bohn-ZHOOR dok-TUR

Hello doctor.

🇫🇷 [Bonjour docteur.] is the normal polite way to open the appointment. In France, starting with a greeting before launching into symptoms matters.

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🤒

Je ne me sens pas

zhuh nuh muh sahn pah

I do not feel

💬 [sens] sounds like (sahn): the final [s] is silent here. In phrases with [je me sens], French often drops that written ending in speech.

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🤒

Bien

byan

Well

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🤒

Je ne me sens pas bien.

zhuh nuh muh sahn pah byan

I don't feel well.

💬 French says [je ne me sens pas bien] where English uses [I don't feel well]. You can reuse [je me sens...] for how you feel: [Je me sens fatigué(e)].

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Qu'est-ce qui

k eh suh kee

What

💬 [Qu'] can't stand alone: it has to be joined to the next word, as in [qu'est-ce qui]. You see this before a vowel sound.

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⚠️

Ne va pas

nuh vah pah

Is wrong

💬 [aller] often means [to go], but in [ne va pas] it means something like [isn't right]. You'll hear the same pattern in [Ça ne va pas].

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❓⚠️

Qu'est-ce qui ne va pas ?

k eh suh kee nuh vah pah

What's wrong?

💬 [Qu'est-ce qui ne va pas ?] is a fixed way to ask what's wrong, not literally about [going]. You can also hear the shorter [Ça ne va pas ?] in everyday speech.

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🚀

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