How to Say ‘My mother uses a wheelchair.’ in French
Ma mère se déplace en fauteuil roulant.
mah suh day-PLASS on foh-TUY roo-LAHN
[mah suh day-PLASS on foh-TUY roo-LAHN]
🇫🇷 In France: This is the usual neutral way to say it in France. It describes how she gets around, not what she has, and it's what staff expect to hear.
Phrase Breakdown
Ma mère se déplace
mah suh day-PLASS
My mother gets around
The subject 'ma mère' plus the reflexive verb 'se déplacer'.
Ma mère se déplace en bus.
My mother gets around by bus.
Words in this phrase
Ma
[mah]
My
Possessive adjective indicating ownership or association.
Ma maison est bleue.
My house is blue.
mère
se
[suh]
each other / oneself
"Se" marks the reciprocal idea of helping one another.
On se soutient beaucoup. Personne ne reste isolé.
We support each other a lot. No one is left isolated.
déplace
[day-PLASS]
moves around / gets around
From 'se déplacer', to move about or travel.
Il se déplace à pied.
He gets around on foot.
en fauteuil roulant.
on foh-TUY roo-LAHN
in a wheelchair
'En' gives the means of getting around. Say 'fo-teuy roo-lan'.
Elle voyage en fauteuil roulant.
She travels in a wheelchair.
Words in this phrase
en
[on]
in
A preposition indicating inclusion within a space.
Il est en France.
He is in France.
fauteuil
[foh-TUY]
armchair / chair
A chair with arms; with 'roulant' it means wheelchair.
Asseyez-vous dans le fauteuil.
Sit in the armchair.
roulant
[roo-LAHN]
rolling / wheeled
Adjective meaning on wheels; 'fauteuil roulant' = wheelchair.
Elle utilise un fauteuil roulant.
She uses a wheelchair.
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