How to Say ‘Have you had this before?’ in French
Est-ce que vous avez déjà eu ça avant ?
eh suh kuh voo ah-vay day-zhah uh sah ah-vahn
[eh suh kuh voo ah-vay day-zhah uh sah ah-vahn]
💬 Usage Tip: Useful doctor question. "Est-ce que" makes it a standard yes/no question. "déjà" = already/ever, and "eu" is the past participle of avoir in "avoir eu" (to have had).
🇫🇷 In France: In France, doctors often use "vous" with patients for politeness, even in a friendly consultation.
Phrase Breakdown
Est-ce que vous avez
eh suh kuh voo ah-vay
have you
Begins a neutral, polite yes/no question.
Est-ce que vous avez faim ?
Are you hungry?
Words in this phrase
Est
[eh]
is
Part of the fixed question starter “Est-ce que,” used to make a yes/no question in French.
Est-ce que « Est » sert à former une question polie chez le médecin ?
Does “Est” serve to form a polite question at the doctor's?
-ce
[suh]
question marker
In “est-ce que,” this piece helps turn a statement into a yes/no question.
Dans « Est-ce que vous avez déjà eu ça avant ? », « -ce » fait partie de la structure interrogative.
In “Est-ce que vous avez déjà eu ça avant?”, “-ce” is part of the question structure.
que
[kuh]
that
In “est-ce que,” “que” is part of the standard question pattern, not usually translated word-for-word.
Ici, « que » complète l’expression « est-ce que » pour poser une question.
Here, “que” completes the expression “est-ce que” to ask a question.
vous
[voo]
you
Formal or plural “you”; commonly used by doctors when speaking to a patient politely.
Le médecin dit souvent « vous » pour parler au patient avec politesse.
The doctor often says “vous” to speak to the patient politely.
avez
[ah-vay]
have
Form of “avoir” used with “vous”; here it helps ask about past experience.
Dans cette question, « avez » demande si vous avez connu ce problème auparavant.
In this question, “avez” asks whether you have had this problem before.
Déjà eu ça
day-zhah uh sah
already had this
Refers to having experienced the same problem before.
J'ai déjà eu ça.
I have already had this.
Words in this phrase
déjà
[day-zhah]
already
Shows that something happened before now, at an earlier time.
Le mot « déjà » indique que le symptôme a peut-être existé auparavant.
The word “déjà” indicates that the symptom may have existed before.
eu
[uh]
had
Past participle of “avoir”; with “avez,” it means “have had.”
Ici, « eu » sert à dire si vous avez eu ce symptôme dans le passé.
Here, “eu” is used to say whether you have had this symptom in the past.
ça
[sah]
that / this
Informal word used to refer to a problem, symptom, or situation already understood from context.
Le médecin peut dire « ça » pour parler du symptôme que vous ressentez.
The doctor may say “ça” to refer to the symptom you are feeling.
Avant ?
ah-vahn
before?
Asks whether it happened in the past, previously.
Vous l'avez vu avant ?
Have you seen it before?
Words in this phrase
avant
[ah-vahn]
before
Refers to an earlier time in the past.
Le mot « avant » demande si le problème s’est produit plus tôt.
The word “avant” asks whether the problem happened earlier.
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