The main parts of the body in French are la tête (head), le visage (face), les yeux (eyes, singular un œil), le nez (nose), la bouche (mouth), le bras (arm), la main (hand), la jambe (leg) and le pied (foot). To say what hurts, use avoir mal à: J’ai mal à la tête, J’ai mal au ventre.
Parts of the body in French
In the pronunciation column, capitals mark the syllable to lean on slightly (French stress is light and falls on the last syllable). (n) marks a nasal vowel: air goes through the nose and the n itself is not pronounced. “zh” is the s in “measure”, “uh” is the short vowel in “the”, and “ü” is “ee” said with rounded lips.
Head and face
| French | English | Say it like |
|---|---|---|
| la tête | head | tet |
| les cheveux (m.) | hair | shuh-VUH |
| le visage | face | vee-ZAZH |
| le front | forehead | fro(n) |
| l’œil (m.) (les yeux) | eye | luhy / lay-ZYUH |
| le sourcil | eyebrow | soor-SEE |
| le nez | nose | nay |
| la bouche | mouth | boosh |
| la lèvre | lip | LEV-ruh |
| la dent | tooth | dah(n) |
| la langue | tongue | lah(n)g |
| l’oreille (f.) | ear | lo-RAY |
| la joue | cheek | zhoo |
Body and limbs
| French | English | Say it like |
|---|---|---|
| le cou | neck | koo |
| la gorge | throat | gorzh |
| l’épaule (f.) | shoulder | lay-POHL |
| le bras | arm | brah |
| le coude | elbow | kood |
| la main | hand | ma(n) |
| le doigt | finger | dwa |
| l’orteil (m.) | toe | lor-TAY |
| l’ongle (m.) | nail | LO(N)-gluh |
| la poitrine | chest | pwa-TREEN |
| le dos | back | doh |
| le ventre | stomach, tummy | VAH(N)-truh |
| la jambe | leg | zhah(m)b |
| le genou (les genoux) | knee | zhuh-NOO |
| la cheville | ankle | shuh-VEE-y |
| le pied | foot | pyay |
| la peau | skin | poh |
| le cœur | heart | kurr |
A toe is un orteil, or un doigt de pied in everyday speech. Body words are shared across the French-speaking world; informal words vary, such as la bedaine (tummy) in Quebec.
Irregular plurals and traps
- Œil becomes yeux. un œil, deux yeux. The plural starts with a liaison: les yeux (lay-ZYUH), des yeux bleus.
- Genou takes x. un genou, des genoux, one of seven -ou nouns that do.
- Cheveux is plural. les cheveux is a head of hair; un cheveu is a single hair. J’ai les cheveux courts, never “le cheveu court”.
- Nouns ending in s, x or z do not change. le bras, les bras; le nez, les nez; le dos, les dos.
- Animals have pattes. A person has des jambes; an animal has des pattes.
Pronunciation for English speakers
- Silent endings: le doigt (dwa), le pied (pyay), le nez (nay), le bras (brah), le dos (doh).
- cou must stay “koo”: said with a French u, it turns into a rude word. A good reason to practise the ou / u contrast early.
- cheveux or chevaux? Hair (shuh-VUH) and horses (shuh-VOH) differ only in their last vowel.
- œil is one syllable, ending in a y sound: “uhy”.
- Nasals: la main, la dent, la jambe, le ventre: do not pronounce the n or m.
Saying what hurts
- Avoir mal à + the body part. J’ai mal à la tête, J’ai mal à l’oreille.
- À contracts with le and les. à + le = au: J’ai mal au ventre, au dos. à + les = aux: J’ai mal aux dents, aux pieds.
- Use the article, not the possessive. Je me brosse les dents. Levez la main. Je me suis cassé la jambe, not “ma jambe”.
- Avoir mal au cœur means feeling sick. In France, J’ai mal au cœur means “I feel sick”, not heartache.
Qu’est-ce qui ne va pas ? – J’ai mal à la gorge.What’s wrong? – I’ve got a sore throat.
J’ai mal aux jambes après le match.My legs hurt after the match.
Je me suis cassé le bras au ski.I broke my arm skiing.
Describing people
Physical descriptions use avoir with the definite article, and être for build:
J’ai les yeux bleus et les cheveux bruns.I’ve got blue eyes and brown hair.
Ma sœur a les cheveux longs et bouclés.My sister has long, curly hair.
Il a les yeux marron.He’s got brown eyes.
Elle est grande et mince.She’s tall and slim.
Note marron, which never changes: des yeux marron. Red hair is les cheveux roux, and blond hair les cheveux blonds.
Idioms and expressions
| French | Literally | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| coûter les yeux de la tête | to cost the eyes from your head | to cost an arm and a leg |
| casser les pieds à quelqu’un | to break someone’s feet | to get on someone’s nerves |
| donner un coup de main | to give a blow of the hand | to lend a hand |
| mettre les pieds dans le plat | to put your feet in the dish | to put your foot in it |
| se lever du pied gauche | to get up on your left foot | to get out of bed on the wrong side |
| avoir un poil dans la main | to have a hair in your hand | to be bone idle |
| avoir le bras long | to have a long arm | to have influence |
| Mon œil ! | my eye! | yeah, right! |
Typical mistakes of English-speaking learners
- “Les œils”: the plural is les yeux.
- “Ma tête me fait mal” as the only structure: correct, but J’ai mal à la tête is what pupils need first.
- “J’ai mal à le ventre”: it contracts to au ventre.
- “J’ai bleus yeux”: the adjective follows, with the article: J’ai les yeux bleus.
- “Le cheveu” for hair: it is les cheveux.
- Possessives with body parts: “Je brosse mes dents” instead of Je me brosse les dents.
- Pronouncing silent consonants: “doigt” with a g or t.
In class: the body as a word of the day
The body is the one theme every pupil carries with them: every word can be pointed at.
- Show the picture and the English word: “knee”.
- Ask Comment dit-on “knee” en français ? Pupils guess with a partner or on a mini whiteboard.
- Reveal le genou with its pronunciation. The class repeats it and touches their knee.
- Show the example sentence: J’ai mal au genou parce que je suis tombé.
- Give the reuse task: each pupil says what hurts with a different body part, and chooses à la, au, à l’ or aux.
- Recall yesterday’s word: Touchez-vous le nez !
That is exactly what a daily routine does: a word that pupils see, say and act out, every lesson.
Games
Jacques a dit is the French Simon says: Jacques a dit : touchez-vous la tête ! The traditional song Jean Petit qui danse adds a body part in each verse, and there is a French version of Head, shoulders, knees and toes: Tête, épaules, genoux et pieds. For A2, a doctor role-play: Qu’est-ce qui ne va pas ? – J’ai mal… – Il faut te reposer. For riddles: J’ai cinq doigts, mais je ne suis pas un pied. Qui suis-je ? (la main).
- A1The word with its article; point and repeat: la tête, les yeux
- A2Describe people and say what hurts: J’ai les yeux verts. J’ai mal à la gorge.
- B1Past accidents and health advice: Samedi, je me suis tordu la cheville en jouant au foot.
- B2Health and idioms: Pour être en forme, il faut que tu dormes bien. Ça coûte les yeux de la tête !
At KS2, songs and Jacques a dit are enough. At KS3, insist on au / aux and on les yeux. At GCSE, the body returns through health, sport and descriptions.
The “Le mot” module does it for you
A picture and the word in the pupils’ language: the class works out how to say it, then the word is revealed with its pronunciation and an example sentence to reuse. No preparation needed: try everything free for 15 days of use.
Frequently asked questions
What are the parts of the body in French?
La tête (head), le visage (face), les yeux (eyes), le nez (nose), la bouche (mouth), le bras (arm), la main (hand), la jambe (leg), le pied (foot), le dos (back).
How do you say "my head hurts" in French?
J’ai mal à la tête. With a masculine body part, à le becomes au: J’ai mal au ventre; with a plural, aux: J’ai mal aux pieds.
What is the plural of œil?
Les yeux, pronounced “lay-ZYUH” with a liaison. It is the most irregular plural in French.
Is hair singular or plural in French?
Plural: les cheveux. Un cheveu is one single hair.
What does "j'ai mal au cœur" mean?
In France, it means “I feel sick” (nauseous), not that your heart hurts.