je peux aller à l'infirmerie ?
The English phrase "can I go to the nurse?" is expressed in French as je peux aller à l'infirmerie ?
This phrase is a request typically made by a student to leave a classroom to visit the school's medical office. In a French school context, you ask to go to l'infirmerie (the infirmary) rather than asking for l'infirmière (the nurse) directly.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase je peux aller à l'infirmerie ? literally translates to "I can go to the infirmary?"
Which one should you use?
There are several ways to phrase this depending on your level of politeness. For example, Je peux aller chez l'infirmière ? is an informal way to ask to go to the nurse, whereas Est-ce que je peux aller voir l'infirmière ? is an informal way to ask if you can go see the nurse.
How does it change in a sentence?
In French, you can make a request more formal and polite by using inversion. Replacing Je peux with Puis-je as seen in Puis-je aller à l'infirmerie ? makes the request more formal and polite when addressing a teacher.
Did you know?
- The verb aller in your phrase comes from the Early Medieval Latin alāre, which has a much more mysterious and uncertain origin than many other common French verbs.
- The word infirmerie shares a root with the word infirm, describing a place for those who are weak or ill.
- In some French contexts, asking to go chez l'infirmière implies going to the person's professional space, as chez is used for people's homes or offices.
Examples in context
- Excusez-moi, Madame/Monsieur. Puis-je aller chez l'infirmière ?Excuse me, Miss/Mr. May I go to the nurse?
- Hé, tu crois que je peux aller voir l'infirmière ?Hey, do you think I can go see the nurse?
- Excuse-moi, Mathieu. Je ne me sens pas bien. Je peux aller voir l'infirmière ?Excuse me, Mathieu. I'm not feeling well. Can I go see the nurse?
- Monsieur, je peux aller à l'infirmerie ?Sir, can I go to the nurse?
- Je ne me sens pas bien, je peux aller à l'infirmerie ?I don't feel well, can I go to the nurse?
- Est-ce que je peux aller à l'infirmerie ?Can I go to the nurse?
Example conversation
Chloé is feeling unwell during a lesson with her teacher, Lucas.
- ChloéMonsieur Lucas, je peux aller à l'infirmerie ?Mr. Lucas, can I go to the nurse?
- LucasQu'est-ce qui ne va pas, Chloé ?What is wrong, Chloé?
- ChloéJ'ai très mal à la tête.I have a very bad headache.
- LucasOui, tu peux y aller.Yes, you can go.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries aller, je, à, CC BY-SA 4.0.
