les urgences lez ür-JANS
the emergency room
“Les urgences” = the hospital's emergency department (always plural). In France you walk straight into the ER for something serious, no appointment. The wait can be long: you're seen by severity, not arrival order (“le tri”, triage).
le SAMU lö sa-MÜ
the ambulance service (15)
“Le SAMU” is reached on 15 — serious medical emergencies in France. 112 is the general European number (works across the EU), 18 is the fire brigade, 17 the police. A doctor answers SAMU and decides what to send.
la douleur la du-LÖR
the pain
For pain you say “j'ai mal” (it hurts) + the place: “j'ai mal à la tête / au ventre / au dos” (head / belly / back). The doctor often asks you to rate it “de 0 à 10” (from 0 to 10). “Aiguë” = sharp, “sourde” = dull.
l'allergie la-ler-JI
the allergy
“Être allergique à...” = to be allergic to... In the ER they always ask about allergies before giving you any medication. Handy to know in French: “la pénicilline” (penicillin), “les arachides” (peanuts), “les fruits de mer” (seafood).
la carte Vitale la cart vi-TAL
the health insurance card
“La carte Vitale” is the green card of people insured in France — it handles reimbursement automatically. As a tourist you don't have one: you show your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC / “carte européenne”) or pay and ask for a receipt (“une facture”) to claim it back.
ScenaLingua
