EverydayFrench – Ep. 5 : Je suis malade
In this episode, we talk about being sick in France — how to handle sick leave, going to the doctor, getting a prescription. All the vocabulary you need when you’re not feeling well.
Transcript
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Hello everyone and welcome to the fifth episode of Everyday French, a podcast to help you listen to natural French.
As you may have already noticed, I'm a little bit sick — I've got a stuffy nose so my voice is a bit different for this episode, but that's okay, because it gives me a good reason today to talk to you about the common cold, the cold we often catch in winter.
Let's go!
So like I just said, I'm a little sick — you can hear it, I've got a stuffy nose! A few days ago I had a sore throat. But now it's starting to get better, I'm blowing my nose less, and above all, what's great is that I'm managing to sleep, because I really hate sleeping when I have a stuffy nose. I can't breathe through my nose anymore and I find that feeling super uncomfortable. Which means I spend the night sleeping really badly, waking up, having to breathe through my mouth. It's really something I can't stand.
It's also the first time I've had a cold that lasts such a short time — I started getting sick four days ago. And that's it, actually, today I feel like I'm already doing a lot better. I've never had it like this. Normally for me a cold lasts at least a week — a whole week where I really can't… I can barely rest, because I'm… I'm tired all the time, headache, stuffy nose. So I'm really happy that my cold is already gone. Does that mean my immune system is stronger, more efficient than before? Is it because I exercise more? Is it because I'm trying to eat a bit healthier? Or maybe it's really just that I caught a really tiny virus and my white blood cells and red blood cells managed to get rid of it really quickly. I have no idea! I'm not a doctor so I can't really say.
Anyway, that's it — I've gotten sick for the first time this winter, even though winter hasn't really started yet. Generally, I always get sick once, once a winter. So I hope this will be the only time this year, because I really don't want to be sick again, maybe next year.
So what about you? Do you get sick in winter? Are you someone who generally gets really sick — maybe you catch the flu, strep throat? Or are you like me, lucky, you only catch little colds, you just catch a bit of a chill, and there you go… it lasts a week and then… then you recover.
Feel free to tell me about it in the comments.
And I'll see you next week for the next episode.
See you soon
Key Vocabulary
- un arrêt maladie (n. m.) — official document allowing you to be absent from work for health reasons — sick note / sick leave
Ex. : Le médecin m'a donné un arrêt maladie de trois jours. - un médecin généraliste (n. m.) — family doctor, first point of contact for all health issues — GP / family doctor
Ex. : Mon médecin généraliste me suit depuis dix ans. - une ordonnance (n. f.) — document signed by a doctor allowing you to get medicine at a pharmacy — prescription
Ex. : Tu dois avoir une ordonnance pour acheter ces médicaments. - avoir de la fièvre (expr.) — to have a body temperature above 38°C / 100.4°F — to have a fever
Ex. : Il a de la fièvre depuis hier soir — il faut voir un médecin. - se remettre (v.) — to recover, to regain health after an illness — to recover / to get better
Ex. : Je me suis bien remise de ma grippe, je me sens beaucoup mieux.
Expression of the Day
🗣️ ne pas être dans son assiette — to not feel well — physically or emotionally. Very common in informal language.
Example : Je ne sais pas ce que j’ai, je ne suis vraiment pas dans mon assiette aujourd’hui.
📌 Literally “not in one’s plate” — French idiom meaning you feel off or under the weather.