Body Parts in French

Quick Answer

In this article, you'll find all the essential French vocabulary words and phrases you'll need to talk about le corps humain(the human body), including French words for body parts, important organs, and common French phrases you might need if you are sick, hurt, or injured!

Questions This Article Answers

How do you talk about the human body in French?

What are the names of body parts in French?

What are some key words for human organs in French?

What are some useful French phrases to use if you are sick, hurt, or injured?

How Do You Talk About the Human Body in French?

To talk about le corps humain(the human body) in French, you'll need to know vocabulary words for les parties du corps(body parts) and les organes(organs). Here are some important words to learn!

Body Parts in French

French	English
la bouche	the mouth
le bras	the arm
la cheville	the ankle
le cou	the neck
le coude	the elbow
le doigt	the finger
l’épaule	the shoulder
le genou	the knee
la gorge	the throat
la jambe	the leg
la main	the hand
le nez	the nose
l’œil	the eye
l’oreille	the ear
l’orteil	the toe
le pied	the foot
le poignet	the wrist
la poitrine	the chest
la taille	the waist
la tête	the head
le ventre	the belly

The French word l'œil (the eye) has an irregular plural form: les yeux(the eyes).

examples
Catherine, tu as le nez rouge. Tu as froid ? Catherine, your nose is red. Are you cold?
Si vous connaissez la réponse, levez la main. If you know the answer, raise your hand.
Nous sommes entrés dans l'eau jusqu'aux genoux. We went into the water up to our knees.

Organs in French

French	English
le cerveau	the brain
le cœur	the heart
l’estomac	the stomach
le foie	the liver
l'intestin	the intestine
la langue	the tongue
le muscle	the muscle
l'os	the bone
le poumon	the lung
le rein	the kidney

The French word os (bone) is spelled the same in the singular and plural, but l'os(the bone) and les os(the bones) sound very different! The final -s is pronounced /s/ in the singular, and is completely silent in the plural!

examples
Inspirez profondément. Remplissez vos poumons, puis expirez lentement. Breathe in deeply. Fill your lungs, then exhale slowly.
Le cœur pompe le sang dans le système circulatoire. The heart pumps blood through the circulatory system.

French Idiomatic Expressions Including Body Parts

There are a number of French idiomatic expressions that include body parts. Idiomatic expressions have a cultural meaning that is different from the literal translation. Take a look at the idioms below!

French	Literal Translation	Meaning
avoir l'estomac dans les talons	to have your stomach in your heels	to be really hungry
avoir les chevilles qui enflent	to have ankles that are swelling	to be full of oneself
avoir un poil dans la main	to have a hair in your hand	to be lazy
dormir sur ses deux oreilles	to sleep on both ears	to sleep well
mettre les pieds dans le plat	to put your feet on the plate	to be blunt or to say something inappropriate

How to Say You Are Sick, Hurt, or Injured in French

Here are some essential verb phrases and common expressions you can use to talk about being sick, hurt, or injured in French.

How to Say a Body Part Hurts in French

To say that a body part hurts in French, the verb phrase avoir mal(to hurt or to have pain) is used with the preposition à(in) followed by a body part. Take a look at these examples!

French	English
J'ai mal à la tête.	My head hurts.
Tu as mal à l'oreille.	Your ear hurts.
Jeanne a mal au genou.	Jeanne's knee hurts.
Nous avons mal aux pieds.	Our feet hurt.

Note that the French preposition à contracts with definite articles le(the, masculine singular) and les(the, plural) to form au(in the, masculine singular) and aux(in the, plural).

How to Say a Body Part Is Injured in French

There are three pronominal verbs in French that can be used with body parts to talk about injuries. Take a look at the table and examples below!

French	English
se blesser à	to injure
se casser	to break
se fouler	to sprain

Note that the verb se blesser is followed by the French preposition à, just like the expression avoir mal à, but the verbs se casser and se fouler are followed directly by a definite article and body part.

When these verbs are used in compound tenses like the passé composé(compound past), the past participle agrees differently depending on the verb.

With se blesser, the past participle agrees with the subject because the reflexive pronoun is a direct object.

With se casser and se fouler, the direct object (the body part) is placed after the verb, so the past participle does not agree with the subject.

examples
Elle s'est blessée à la cheville. She hurt her ankle.
Elle s'est cassé la cheville. She broke her ankle.
Elle s'est foulé la cheville. She sprained her ankle.

examples

Elle s'est blessée à la cheville.

She hurt her ankle.

Elle s'est cassé la cheville.

She broke her ankle.

Elle s'est foulé la cheville.

She sprained her ankle.

examples
Tina est tombée dans l'escalier et elle s'est blessée à la main. Tina fell down the stairs, and she injured her hand.
Tu t'es cassé la jambe en faisant du ski l'hiver dernier. You broke your leg skiing last winter.
Je me suis foulé la cheville en jouant au tennis. I sprained my ankle playing tennis.

Learn more about definite articles, prepositions, contractions, and past participles by reading these articles!

Definite Articles in French

French Prepositions

Contractions in French

French Past Participles

Other French Phrases to Talk About Being Sick, Hurt, or Injured

Here are a few other useful phrases to talk about being sick, hurt, or injured in French!

French	English
Aïe, ça fait mal !	Ouch, that hurts!
J'ai besoin d'aide.	I need help.
J'ai du mal à marcher.	I'm having trouble walking.
J'ai mal au cœur.	I feel nauseous.
J'ai mal au ventre.	I have a stomachache.
Je me suis fait mal.	I hurt myself.
Je ne me sens pas bien.	I don't feel well.
Je suis malade.	I am sick.