Ways to say it
| French | IPA |
|---|---|
| avoir le vertige | |
| avoir la tête qui tourne | /a.vwaʁ la tɛt ki tuʁn/ |
| pris de vertige |
The term dizzy can be expressed in several ways depending on whether you are describing a physical sensation of spinning, a sudden onset of dizziness or a fear of heights.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase avoir la tête qui tourne literally translates to to have the head that turns.
Which one should you use?
While avoir le vertige can mean experiencing a sensation of whirling, it is most commonly used to express that one is afraid of heights or has vertigo. In contrast, avoir la tête qui tourne is used specifically to describe the sensation of a spinning head. The form pris de vertige is used when describing being struck by or seized by a sudden onset of dizziness.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form pris de vertige uses the past participle of the verb prendre to describe being struck by dizziness.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using être étourdi to mean you are experiencing dizziness. In a personality context, étourdi more often means being absent-minded or scatterbrained.
Did you know?
- While tête is the standard word for 'head', French still uses chef in some expressions, which comes from the Latin word for 'head' caput.
- The French word for 'head' tête comes from the Latin word testa, which meant 'pot', 'jug' or 'brick'.
- In French, if you say j'ai le vertige while standing on the ground, people will assume you have a phobia of heights rather than a current medical symptom.
Examples in context
- J'ai été pris de vertiges.I got dizzy.This sentence is useful for describing having been struck by dizziness.Tatoeba #5063612 by sacredceltic, translation #2245788 by CK
- J'ai soudain été pris de vertiges.I suddenly became dizzy.This sentence is useful for describing a sudden onset of dizziness.Tatoeba #2407354 by sacredceltic, translation #2406818 by CK
- Je me sentis un peu pris de vertige.I felt a little dizzy.This sentence is useful for describing feeling a little dizzy.Tatoeba #2416823 by sacredceltic, translation #2326208 by CK
- Je suis un peu étourdi(e) après avoir tourné en rond.I feel a little dizzy after spinning around in circles.
- J'ai soudainement eu le tournis en regardant en bas de la falaise.I suddenly got dizzy looking down from the cliff.
- 7 more sentences on Tatoeba
Sources
- Wiktionary, “dizzy” translations and entries avoir la tête qui tourne, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries avoir, avoir la tête qui tourne, la, le, qui, tête, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
