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How to Say ‘It hurts when I eat.’ in French

Ça fait mal quand je mange.

sah feh mal kahn zhuh monzh

[sah feh mal kahn zhuh monzh]

Phrase Breakdown

Ça fait mal

sah feh mal

It hurts

This is the common way to say something hurts. 'Fait' rhymes with 'fay', and the 't' is silent.

Example

Ça fait mal ici.

It hurts here.

Words in this phrase

Ça

[sah]

that / it

Demonstrative pronoun used in everyday French to mean 'that' or 'it.'

Example

Ça me plaît quand une entreprise parle clairement.

I like it when a company speaks clearly.

fait

[feh]

makes

To create or construct by combining or shaping resources.

Example

Elle fait du café.

She makes coffee.

mal

[mal]

pain / hurt

Noun for pain; 'faire mal' means to hurt.

Example

Mon genou me fait mal.

My knee hurts.

quand je mange.

kahn zhuh monzh

when I eat.

'Quand' has a nasal vowel and a silent 'd'. 'Mange' ends with a soft 'zh' sound.

Example

J'ai soif quand je mange.

I'm thirsty when I eat.

Words in this phrase

quand

[kahn]

when

Question word asking about time; can go at the end in casual speech.

Example

Tu arrives quand ?

When are you arriving?

[zhuh]

Pronoun used by the speaker to identify themselves.

Example

Je suis content.

I am happy.

mange

[monzh]

eat

To consume food.

Example

Je mange une pomme.

I am eating an apple.

Guides for French learners

The Most Common French Verbs: the 20 You'll Actually UseThe 20 most common French verbs, with the present-tense forms you need, real example sentences with native audio, and two shortcuts for past and future.Ordering in French: Cafés, Bakeries and Restaurants (with Menu Vocabulary)How to order in French at a café, a bakery and a restaurant: the phrases, the questions staff ask, and the menu and food vocabulary to understand the answers.

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