{"id":89,"date":"2026-09-30T17:07:10","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T16:07:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leweb2ks.dev\/vitrine-vocadial\/en\/resources\/body-parts-in-french\/"},"modified":"2026-09-30T17:07:10","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T16:07:10","slug":"body-parts-in-french","status":"publish","type":"vd_ressource","link":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/resources\/body-parts-in-french\/","title":{"rendered":"Parts of the body in French: vocabulary, avoir mal and a classroom routine"},"content":{"rendered":"

Parts of the body in French<\/h2>\n\n

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 “\u00fc” is “ee” said with rounded lips.<\/p>\n\n

Head and face<\/h3>\n\n
French<\/th>English<\/th>Say it like<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
la t\u00eate<\/td>head<\/td>tet<\/td><\/tr>
les cheveux (m.)<\/td>hair<\/td>shuh-VUH<\/td><\/tr>
le visage<\/td>face<\/td>vee-ZAZH<\/td><\/tr>
le front<\/td>forehead<\/td>fro(n)<\/td><\/tr>
l’\u0153il (m.) (les yeux)<\/td>eye<\/td>luhy \/ lay-ZYUH<\/td><\/tr>
le sourcil<\/td>eyebrow<\/td>soor-SEE<\/td><\/tr>
le nez<\/td>nose<\/td>nay<\/td><\/tr>
la bouche<\/td>mouth<\/td>boosh<\/td><\/tr>
la l\u00e8vre<\/td>lip<\/td>LEV-ruh<\/td><\/tr>
la dent<\/td>tooth<\/td>dah(n)<\/td><\/tr>
la langue<\/td>tongue<\/td>lah(n)g<\/td><\/tr>
l’oreille (f.)<\/td>ear<\/td>lo-RAY<\/td><\/tr>
la joue<\/td>cheek<\/td>zhoo<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n

Body and limbs<\/h3>\n\n
French<\/th>English<\/th>Say it like<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
le cou<\/td>neck<\/td>koo<\/td><\/tr>
la gorge<\/td>throat<\/td>gorzh<\/td><\/tr>
l’\u00e9paule (f.)<\/td>shoulder<\/td>lay-POHL<\/td><\/tr>
le bras<\/td>arm<\/td>brah<\/td><\/tr>
le coude<\/td>elbow<\/td>kood<\/td><\/tr>
la main<\/td>hand<\/td>ma(n)<\/td><\/tr>
le doigt<\/td>finger<\/td>dwa<\/td><\/tr>
l’orteil (m.)<\/td>toe<\/td>lor-TAY<\/td><\/tr>
l’ongle (m.)<\/td>nail<\/td>LO(N)-gluh<\/td><\/tr>
la poitrine<\/td>chest<\/td>pwa-TREEN<\/td><\/tr>
le dos<\/td>back<\/td>doh<\/td><\/tr>
le ventre<\/td>stomach, tummy<\/td>VAH(N)-truh<\/td><\/tr>
la jambe<\/td>leg<\/td>zhah(m)b<\/td><\/tr>
le genou (les genoux)<\/td>knee<\/td>zhuh-NOO<\/td><\/tr>
la cheville<\/td>ankle<\/td>shuh-VEE-y<\/td><\/tr>
le pied<\/td>foot<\/td>pyay<\/td><\/tr>
la peau<\/td>skin<\/td>poh<\/td><\/tr>
le c\u0153ur<\/td>heart<\/td>kurr<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n

A toe is un orteil<\/span>, or un doigt de pied<\/span> in everyday speech. Body words are shared across the French-speaking world; informal words vary, such as la bedaine<\/span> (tummy) in Quebec.<\/p>\n\n

Irregular plurals and traps<\/h2>\n\n
  1. \u0152il becomes yeux.<\/strong> un \u0153il<\/span>, deux yeux<\/span>. The plural starts with a liaison: les yeux<\/span> (lay-ZYUH), des yeux bleus<\/span>.<\/li>
  2. Genou takes x.<\/strong> un genou<\/span>, des genoux<\/span>, one of seven -ou nouns that do.<\/li>
  3. Cheveux is plural.<\/strong> les cheveux<\/span> is a head of hair; un cheveu<\/span> is a single hair. J’ai les cheveux courts<\/span>, never “le cheveu court”.<\/li>
  4. Nouns ending in s, x or z do not change.<\/strong> le bras<\/span>, les bras<\/span>; le nez<\/span>, les nez<\/span>; le dos<\/span>, les dos<\/span>.<\/li>
  5. Animals have pattes.<\/strong> A person has des jambes<\/span>; an animal has des pattes<\/span>.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n

    Pronunciation for English speakers<\/h2>\n\n
    • Silent endings:<\/strong> le doigt<\/span> (dwa), le pied<\/span> (pyay), le nez<\/span> (nay), le bras<\/span> (brah), le dos<\/span> (doh).<\/li>
    • cou must stay “koo”:<\/strong> said with a French u, it turns into a rude word. A good reason to practise the ou<\/span> \/ u<\/span> contrast early.<\/li>
    • cheveux or chevaux?<\/strong> Hair (shuh-VUH) and horses (shuh-VOH) differ only in their last vowel.<\/li>
    • \u0153il<\/strong> is one syllable, ending in a y sound: “uhy”.<\/li>
    • Nasals:<\/strong> la main<\/span>, la dent<\/span>, la jambe<\/span>, le ventre<\/span>: do not pronounce the n or m.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n

      Saying what hurts<\/h2>\n\n
      1. Avoir mal \u00e0 + the body part.<\/strong> J’ai mal \u00e0 la t\u00eate<\/span>, J’ai mal \u00e0 l’oreille<\/span>.<\/li>
      2. \u00c0 contracts with le and les.<\/strong> \u00e0<\/span> + le<\/span> = au<\/span>: J’ai mal au ventre<\/span>, au dos<\/span>. \u00e0<\/span> + les<\/span> = aux<\/span>: J’ai mal aux dents<\/span>, aux pieds<\/span>.<\/li>
      3. Use the article, not the possessive.<\/strong> Je me brosse les dents.<\/span> Levez la main.<\/span> Je me suis cass\u00e9 la jambe<\/span>, not “ma jambe”.<\/li>
      4. Avoir mal au c\u0153ur means feeling sick.<\/strong> In France, J’ai mal au c\u0153ur<\/span> means “I feel sick”, not heartache.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n

        Qu’est-ce qui ne va pas ? \u2013 J’ai mal \u00e0 la gorge.<\/span>What’s wrong? \u2013 I’ve got a sore throat.<\/small><\/p>\n\n

        J’ai mal aux jambes apr\u00e8s le match.<\/span>My legs hurt after the match.<\/small><\/p>\n\n

        Je me suis cass\u00e9 le bras au ski.<\/span>I broke my arm skiing.<\/small><\/p>\n\n

        Describing people<\/h3>\n\n

        Physical descriptions use avoir<\/span> with the definite article, and \u00eatre<\/span> for build:<\/p>\n\n

        J’ai les yeux bleus et les cheveux bruns.<\/span>I’ve got blue eyes and brown hair.<\/small><\/p>\n\n

        Ma s\u0153ur a les cheveux longs et boucl\u00e9s.<\/span>My sister has long, curly hair.<\/small><\/p>\n\n

        Il a les yeux marron.<\/span>He’s got brown eyes.<\/small><\/p>\n\n

        Elle est grande et mince.<\/span>She’s tall and slim.<\/small><\/p>\n\n

        Note marron<\/span>, which never changes: des yeux marron<\/span>. Red hair is les cheveux roux<\/span>, and blond hair les cheveux blonds<\/span>.<\/p>\n\n

        Idioms and expressions<\/h2>\n\n
        French<\/th>Literally<\/th>Meaning<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
        co\u00fbter les yeux de la t\u00eate<\/td>to cost the eyes from your head<\/td>to cost an arm and a leg<\/td><\/tr>
        casser les pieds \u00e0 quelqu’un<\/td>to break someone’s feet<\/td>to get on someone’s nerves<\/td><\/tr>
        donner un coup de main<\/td>to give a blow of the hand<\/td>to lend a hand<\/td><\/tr>
        mettre les pieds dans le plat<\/td>to put your feet in the dish<\/td>to put your foot in it<\/td><\/tr>
        se lever du pied gauche<\/td>to get up on your left foot<\/td>to get out of bed on the wrong side<\/td><\/tr>
        avoir un poil dans la main<\/td>to have a hair in your hand<\/td>to be bone idle<\/td><\/tr>
        avoir le bras long<\/td>to have a long arm<\/td>to have influence<\/td><\/tr>
        Mon \u0153il !<\/td>my eye!<\/td>yeah, right!<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n

        Typical mistakes of English-speaking learners<\/h2>\n\n
        • “Les \u0153ils”:<\/strong> the plural is les yeux<\/span>.<\/li>
        • “Ma t\u00eate me fait mal”<\/strong> as the only structure: correct, but J’ai mal \u00e0 la t\u00eate<\/span> is what pupils need first.<\/li>
        • “J’ai mal \u00e0 le ventre”:<\/strong> it contracts to au ventre<\/span>.<\/li>
        • “J’ai bleus yeux”:<\/strong> the adjective follows, with the article: J’ai les yeux bleus<\/span>.<\/li>
        • “Le cheveu” for hair:<\/strong> it is les cheveux<\/span>.<\/li>
        • Possessives with body parts:<\/strong> “Je brosse mes dents” instead of Je me brosse les dents<\/span>.<\/li>
        • Pronouncing silent consonants:<\/strong> “doigt” with a g or t.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n

          In class: the body as a word of the day<\/h2>\n\n

          The body is the one theme every pupil carries with them: every word can be pointed at.<\/p>\n\n

          1. Show the picture and the English word: “knee”.<\/li>
          2. Ask Comment dit-on “knee” en fran\u00e7ais ?<\/span> Pupils guess with a partner or on a mini whiteboard.<\/li>
          3. Reveal le genou<\/span> with its pronunciation. The class repeats it and touches their knee.<\/li>
          4. Show the example sentence: J’ai mal au genou parce que je suis tomb\u00e9.<\/span><\/li>
          5. Give the reuse task: each pupil says what hurts with a different body part, and chooses \u00e0 la<\/span>, au<\/span>, \u00e0 l’<\/span> or aux<\/span>.<\/li>
          6. Recall yesterday’s word: Touchez-vous le nez !<\/span><\/li><\/ol>\n\n

            That is exactly what a daily routine does: a word that pupils see, say and act out, every lesson.<\/p>\n\n

            Games<\/h3>\n\n

            Jacques a dit<\/span> is the French Simon says: Jacques a dit : touchez-vous la t\u00eate !<\/span> The traditional song Jean Petit qui danse<\/span> adds a body part in each verse, and there is a French version of Head, shoulders, knees and toes: T\u00eate, \u00e9paules, genoux et pieds<\/span>. For A2, a doctor role-play: Qu’est-ce qui ne va pas ?<\/span> \u2013 J’ai mal\u2026<\/span> \u2013 Il faut te reposer.<\/span> For riddles: J’ai cinq doigts, mais je ne suis pas un pied. Qui suis-je ?<\/span> (la main<\/span>).<\/p>\n\n

            • A1<\/b>The word with its article; point and repeat: la t\u00eate<\/span>, les yeux<\/span><\/li>
            • A2<\/b>Describe people and say what hurts: J’ai les yeux verts.<\/span> J’ai mal \u00e0 la gorge.<\/span><\/li>
            • B1<\/b>Past accidents and health advice: Samedi, je me suis tordu la cheville en jouant au foot.<\/span><\/li>
            • B2<\/b>Health and idioms: Pour \u00eatre en forme, il faut que tu dormes bien.<\/span> \u00c7a co\u00fbte les yeux de la t\u00eate !<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\n\n

              At KS2, songs and Jacques a dit<\/span> are enough. At KS3, insist on au<\/span> \/ aux<\/span> and on les yeux<\/span>. At GCSE, the body returns through health, sport and descriptions.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

              Parts of the body in French with the article and pronunciation, irregular plurals, how to say what hurts and a daily routine.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"menu_order":30,"template":"","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"Body Parts in French: List, Avoir Mal, Idioms | VocaDial","_seopress_titles_desc":"Parts of the body in French with the article and pronunciation, \u0153il and yeux, j'ai mal \u00e0, describing people, idioms and a daily word routine for class.","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_seopress_news_disabled":"","_seopress_video_disabled":"","_seopress_video":[],"_seopress_pro_schemas_manual":[],"_seopress_pro_rich_snippets_disable_all":"","_seopress_pro_rich_snippets_disable":[],"_seopress_pro_schemas":[],"_vd_topic":"corps","_vd_target":"fr","_vd_module":"palabra","_vd_level":"A1","_vd_minutes":"7","_vd_card_word":"la t\u00eate\u2026","_vd_answer":"The main parts of the body in French are la t\u00eate<\/span> (head), le visage<\/span> (face), les yeux<\/span> (eyes, singular un \u0153il<\/span>), le nez<\/span> (nose), la bouche<\/span> (mouth), le bras<\/span> (arm), la main<\/span> (hand), la jambe<\/span> (leg) and le pied<\/span> (foot). To say what hurts, use avoir mal \u00e0<\/span>: J'ai mal \u00e0 la t\u00eate<\/span>, J'ai mal au ventre<\/span>.","_vd_faq":"[{\"q\":\"What are the parts of the body in French?\",\"a\":\"La t\u00eate<\\\/span> (head), le visage<\\\/span> (face), les yeux<\\\/span> (eyes), le nez<\\\/span> (nose), la bouche<\\\/span> (mouth), le bras<\\\/span> (arm), la main<\\\/span> (hand), la jambe<\\\/span> (leg), le pied<\\\/span> (foot), le dos<\\\/span> (back).\"},{\"q\":\"How do you say \\\"my head hurts\\\" in French?\",\"a\":\"J'ai mal \u00e0 la t\u00eate<\\\/span>. With a masculine body part, \u00e0 le<\\\/span> becomes au<\\\/span>: J'ai mal au ventre<\\\/span>; with a plural, aux<\\\/span>: J'ai mal aux pieds<\\\/span>.\"},{\"q\":\"What is the plural of \u0153il?\",\"a\":\"Les yeux<\\\/span>, pronounced \\\"lay-ZYUH\\\" with a liaison. It is the most irregular plural in French.\"},{\"q\":\"Is hair singular or plural in French?\",\"a\":\"Plural: les cheveux<\\\/span>. Un cheveu<\\\/span> is one single hair.\"},{\"q\":\"What does \\\"j'ai mal au c\u0153ur\\\" mean?\",\"a\":\"In France, it means \\\"I feel sick\\\" (nauseous), not that your heart hurts.\"}]","_vd_key":"corps-fr","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-89","vd_ressource","type-vd_ressource","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vd_ressource\/89","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vd_ressource"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/vd_ressource"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vd_ressource\/89\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=89"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}