urgence
/yʁ.ʒɑ̃s/feminine
The French word for emergency is urgence.
The noun urgence refers to a situation requiring urgent assistance. In a medical context, if you are referring specifically to the hospital emergency room, you should use the plural form les urgences.
Meaning: situation requiring urgent assistance (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The word urgence is a feminine noun. If you wish to use the related adjective to describe a situation as being an urgence, you use the feminine form urgente.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 2 syllables and is pronounced /yʁ.ʒɑ̃s/.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Because urgence is feminine, be careful not to use the masculine article un. Instead, use the feminine article une for une urgence.
Did you know?
- In France, the emergency number 112 is the universal European number, but locals often use 15 for medical emergencies, 17 for police and 18 for fire services.
- When people talk about a sortie de secours, they are referring to an emergency exit, using the word 'secours' (help/relief) instead of urgence.
- When calling for help, you might shout 'Au secours!' rather than 'Urgence!'
Examples in context
- On a une urgence.We have an emergency.This sentence is useful for stating that an emergency exists.Tatoeba #12629236 by lbdx, translation #2547496 by CK
- Il y a une urgence.There's an emergency.This sentence is useful for stating that there is an emergency.Tatoeba #2173346 by sacredceltic, translation #2171987 by nanioitte
- Est-ce une urgence ?Is it an emergency?This sentence is useful for asking if a situation is an emergency.Tatoeba #6067085 by Aiji, translation #5578767 by CK
- Les services d'urgence sont nécessaires dans cet hôpital.Emergency services are required in this hospital.
- Nous sommes confrontés à une situation critique.We are facing a critical situation.
- Veuillez appeler les secours, nous sommes en détresse !Please call emergency services, we are in distress!
- J'ai un problème grave, j'ai besoin d'aide !I have a serious problem, I need help!
- Fais vite, ça urge !Hurry up, it's urgent!
- 82 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Nathan are at a hospital reception desk.
- EmmaJe viens pour une urgence.I am coming for an emergency.
- NathanAsseyez-vous, on arrive tout de suite.Sit down, we will be with you right away.
- EmmaC'est une urgence médicale pour mon fils.It is a medical emergency for my son.
- NathanJe vais appeler le médecin immédiatement.I am going to call the doctor immediately.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “emergency” translations and entries urgence, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
