Pharmacy & Health

1. Avez-vous un médicament contre les maux de tête ?

   Do you have headache medicine?

   Usage

   Ask for headache medicine at a French pharmacy (pharmacie)

   Grammar Note

   "Avez-vous...?" = "Do you have...?" (formal). "Contre" = against/for, used to describe what the medicine treats

2. J'ai besoin d'un médicament pour l'estomac

   I need stomach medicine

   Usage

   Use when you need stomach medicine

   Grammar Note

   "J'ai besoin de..." = "I need...". French pharmacists (pharmaciens) actively advise customers

3. J'ai besoin d'un antidiarrhéique

   I need anti-diarrhea medicine

   Usage

   Ask for anti-diarrhea medicine

   Grammar Note

   "Antidiarrhéique" is the technical term. "Médicament contre la diarrhée" is more colloquial

4. J'ai de la fièvre

   I have a fever

   Usage

   Tell the pharmacist you have a fever

   Grammar Note

   "Avoir de la fièvre" is idiomatic for having a fever. "J'ai 38 degrés" (I have 38°C) is also very clear

5. J'ai une allergie

   I have an allergy

   Usage

   Inform the pharmacist about your allergy

   Grammar Note

   "Je suis allergique à..." = "I am allergic to...". French pharmacists routinely ask "Avez-vous des allergies?"

6. J'ai besoin de pansements

   I need bandages/plasters

   Usage

   Ask for bandages or plasters at a pharmacy

   Grammar Note

   "Pansement adhésif" specifies an adhesive bandage. "Pansement" alone is understood but pharmacists may ask for clarification

7. J'ai besoin d'un répulsif anti-moustiques

   I need insect repellent

   Usage

   Ask for insect repellent at a pharmacy

   Grammar Note

   "Anti-moustiques" is the clearest term. "Produit contre les insectes" (product against insects) also works

8. J'ai besoin d'une crème solaire

   I need sunscreen

   Usage

   Ask for sunscreen at a pharmacy

   Grammar Note

   "Crème solaire" = sun cream. "Écran solaire" (sun screen) is also common. SPF is "indice de protection"

9. Comment dois-je prendre ce médicament ?

   How do I take this medicine?

   Usage

   Ask the pharmacist how to take the medicine

   Grammar Note

   "Prendre un médicament" = take medicine. French uses "prendre" (take), not "boire" (drink), for taking medicine

10. Ai-je besoin d'une ordonnance ?

    Do I need a prescription?

    Usage

    Check if a prescription is needed

    Grammar Note

    France distinguishes "médicaments sur ordonnance" (prescription drugs) from "médicaments sans ordonnance" (OTC)

11. l'ordonnance

    Prescription

    Usage

    Point to this to show you have a prescription, or to ask whether one is needed

    Grammar Note

    Feminine noun elided to "l'"; over-the-counter medicine is "sans ordonnance"

12. la pharmacie

    Pharmacy

    Usage

    Point to this when asking where a pharmacy is; French pharmacies are marked by a green neon cross

13. le thermomètre

    Thermometer

    Usage

    Point to this to buy a thermometer at a pharmacy

14. le bandage

    Bandage

    Usage

    Point to this for a roll of bandage; an adhesive plaster is "le pansement"

15. le désinfectant

    Disinfectant

    Usage

    Point to this to buy antiseptic for a wound

16. le masque

    Face mask

    Usage

    Point to this to buy a face mask; the same word also means a costume mask, so "le masque chirurgical" is unambiguous

17. les serviettes hygiéniques

    Sanitary pads

    Usage

    Point to this to buy sanitary pads; tampons are "les tampons"

    Grammar Note

    Feminine plural; without "hygiéniques", "serviette" just means a towel or napkin

18. le préservatif

    Condom

    Usage

    Point to this to buy condoms at a pharmacy

    Grammar Note

    Masculine noun; a false friend of English "preservative", which in French is "le conservateur"

19. le collyre

    Eye drops

    Usage

    The word printed on the box; in everyday speech people say "les gouttes pour les yeux"

20. le patch anti-douleur

    Pain-relief patch

    Usage

    Point to this to buy an adhesive pain-relief patch for a shoulder or back

21. le médicament contre la fièvre

    Fever medicine

    Usage

    Point to this to ask for something to bring a fever down; the technical term is "l'antipyrétique"

22. Un laxatif, s'il vous plaît

    A laxative, please

    Usage

    Ask for a laxative at the pharmacy

    Grammar Note

    A noun plus "s'il vous plaît" is the standard way to ask for something. "Laxatif" is masculine. Add "Je suis constipé(e)" to explain the symptom

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