Les parties du corps

Comment parler du corps humain en français

Photo by Ale Romo on Unsplash

The French language has a strange way to talk about the body!

Consider the following examples

• Je me suis fait mal au dos
  I hurt myself in the back

• J’ai mal à la tête
  I have pain in the head (meaning: I have a headache)

• J’ai eu une opération au genou droit
  I had surgery on the left knee

But, the following is also possible 

• Mon dos va mieux, ma jambe me fait moins mal

  My back is better, my leg doesn't hurt as much

• Je me suis rétabli de ma blessure au dos. 

  I have recovered from my back injury (my injury to the back)

---

Comment ça fonctionne

I have a feeling that if we try to explain the workings of this in detail, you’ll be thinking about it during a conversation and fail to come up with the right answer.

French speakers don’t know these rules. We simply use them because they sound right. The goal is for you to do the same, through enough exposure to these expressions in different contexts.

We can nonetheless look at different examples to try to understand.

When the verb is reflexive — so the person is doing the action on their own body (to them) — we use a definite article (le, la, les)

• Je me suis lavé les cheveux

  I washed my hair

• Il s’est cassé la jambe

  He broke his leg

• Ils se sont brossé les dents

  They brushed their teeth

• Je lui ai serré la main

  I shook his hand

• Je l’ai embrassée sur la joue

  I kissed her on the cheek

• Elle lui a serré la main

  She shook his hand

• Tu m’as lavé les cheveux

  You washed my hair

If you start with mon/ma – then you don’t need another article

• Ma main me fait mal

  My hand hurts

• Mon dos va mieux

  My back is better

Exercise

Add the missing words or words. Refer to the English translation.

1. Paul broke his leg.

   Paul s’est cassé ____  jambe.

2. She kissed him on his forehead.

   Elle l’a embrassé sur ____ front.

3. I took him by the arm.

   Je l’ai pris par ____ bras.

4. My left eye hurts.

   J’ai mal à ____ gauche.

5. I have a headache.

   J’ai mal ____.

6. My stomach hurts.

   J’ai mal ____ ventre.

7. She sprained her ankle.

   Elle s’est foulé ____ cheville.

8. I have bad knees (I have problems…)

   J'ai des problèmes ____ genoux

9. My teeth hurt.

   J'ai mal ____ dents.

10. My back hurts.

    J'ai mal ____ dos.

Answers

1. Paul s’est cassé la jambe.

2. Elle l’a embrassé sur le front.

3. Je l’ai pris par le bras.

4. J’ai mal à l’œil gauche.

5. J’ai mal à la tête.

6. J’ai mal au ventre.

7. Elle s’est foulé la cheville.

8. J'ai des problèmes aux genoux.

9. J'ai mal aux dents.

10. J'ai mal au dos.