French Vocabulary – Avoir Mal – Body Parts
Use the verb avoir mal to express physical pain. If you just want to say that something hurts without specifically naming a body part, you can simply conjugate avoir in the present tense and say:
| J’ai mal. | I’m in pain. |
| Tu as mal. | You are in pain. |
| Il a mal. | He is in pain. |
| Nous avons mal. | We are in pain. |
| Vous avez mal. | You are in pain. |
| Ils ont mal. | They are in pain. |
When you want to say what hurts, use avoir mal à, and follow it with the body part in question.
All body parts are either masculine or feminine, and they are either singular or plural. You’ve learned about definite articles. Sometimes contractions need to be formed when using à before definite articles.
| à | la | no contraction |
| à | l’ | no contraction |
| à | le | AU |
| à | les | AUX |
| subject + | present tense avoir + mal | à laauauxà l’ | body part |
| Tu | as mal | au | bras |
| Tu as mal au bras. | Your arm hurts. |
ATTENTION: This construction is very different to the way we say the same thing in English. In French, the conjugated verb is always avoir. Rather than beginning your sentence with a possessive pronoun (your), you need to begin with a subject pronoun (tu).
| J’ai mal à la tête. | My head hurts. |
| Nous avons mal au ventre. | We have a stomachache. |
| Tu as mal à l’oeil. | Your eye hurts. |
| Nathan a mal à la bouche. | Nathan’s mouth hurts. |
| Elle a mal au mollet. | Her calf hurts. |
| Vous avez le nez qui coule. | You have a runny nose. |
| Manon et Enzo ont mal aux oreilles. | Manon and Enzo’s ears hurt. |
| J’ai mal au cou. | My neck hurts. |
| Clara et Lina ont mal aux jambes. | Clara and Lina’s legs hurt. |
| Vous avez mal aux yeux? | Do your eyes hurt? |
| Antoine et Samuel ont mal aux mollets. | Antoine and Samuel’s calves hurt. |
| Tu as mal au dos? | Does your back hurt? |
| Il a mal à la jambe. | His leg hurts. |
| J’ai mal aux cuisses. | My thighs hurt. |
| On a mal aux dents. | Our teeth hurt. |
| Il a mal aux pieds. | His feet hurt. |
| Elle a mal au pied. | Her foot hurts. |
| Il a mal au bras. | His arm hurts. |
| Nous avons mal aux coudes. | Our elbows hurt. |
| J’ai mal aux genoux. | My knees hurt. |
| Tu as mal à la cuisse? | Does your thigh hurt? |
| Tu as mal aux mains? | Do your hands hurt? |
| On a mal aux épaules. | Our shoulders hurt. |
| Chloé a mal au genou. | Chloe’s knee hurts. |
| Vous avez mal à la main? | Does your hand hurt? |
| Arthur et Élodie ont mal aux pouces. | Arthur and Élodie’s thumbs hurt. |
| J’ai mal au coude. | My elbow hurts. |
| Sébastien a mal au pouce. | Sébastien’s thumb hurts. |
| Nous avons mal aux bras. | Our arms hurt. |
| Camille et Océane ont mal aux doigts. | Camille and Océane’s fingers hurt. |
| Tu as mal à l’épaule? | Does your shoulder hurt? |
French Vocabulary – Avoir Mal – Body Parts
| le corps | body |
| les cheveux | hair |
| la tête | head |
| avoir mal à la tête | to have a headache |
| le visage | face |
| l’oeil | eye |
| les yeux | eyes |
| avoir mal aux yeux | to have sore eyes |
| avoir les yeux qui piquent | to have stingy eyes |
| avoir les yeux qui brûlent | to have burning eyes |
| avoir les yeux gonflés | to have swollen eyes |
| le nez | nose |
| avoir le nez qui coule | to have a runny nose |
| la joue | cheek |
| la bouche | mouth |
| les lèvres | lips |
| les dents | teeth |
| avoir mal aux dents | to have sore teeth |
| les oreilles | ears |
| avoir mal à l’oreille | to have an earache |
| le cou | neck |
| la gorge | throat |
| avoir mal à la gorge | to have a sore throat |
| la poitrine | chest |
| le coeur | heart |
| avoir mal au coeur | to be feeling sick |
| l’estomac | stomach |
| avoir mal à l’estomac | to have a stomachache |
| le ventre | tummy |
| avoir mal au ventre | to have a tummyache |
| le bras | arm |
| l’épaule | shoulder |
| le coude | elbow |
| le poignet | wrist |
| la main | hand |
| le doigt | finger |
| l’ongle | fingernail |
| le pouce | thumb |
| le dos | back |
| la jambe | leg |
| le genou | knee |
| la cheville | ankle |
| le pied | foot |
| l’orteil | toe |
