hôpital
/o.pi.tal/masculine
The English word 'hospital' is translated into French as hôpital.
The term refers to a large medical facility.
Meaning: large medical facility (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
Because hôpital begins with a silent 'h' and a vowel sound, the definite article 'le' elides to 'l’' (l'hôpital).
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /o.pi.tal/ and consists of 3 syllables.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly pronounce the 'h' in hôpital, but it should be silent in French.
Did you know?
- In historical French contexts, a Hôtel-Dieu was the traditional name for the main hospital in a town, meaning 'Hostel of God'.
- The French word hôpital is a linguistic doublet of hôtel. Both words share the same Latin root meaning a place for guests.
- While hôpital refers to the building, French speakers often use the word les urgences to refer to the emergency room or the act of going to the ER.
Examples in context
- Va à l'hôpital !Go to the hospital.Tatoeba #4282125 by mariezou, translation #20096 by yifen238
- Où est l'hôpital ?Where is the hospital?Tatoeba #3627804 by fleur74, translation #2063647 by CC
- Je vais à l'hôpital.I'm going to the hospital.Tatoeba #5452339 by alexisslay, translation #2544761 by CK
- J'ai besoin d'aller à l'hôpital pour une consultation médicale.I need to go to the hospital for a medical consultation.
- Mon grand-père est à l'hôpital pour une opération chirurgicale.My grandfather is in the hospital for a surgical operation.
- 478 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel and Emma are walking in the city.
- GabrielL'hôpital est tout près d'ici.The hospital is very close to here.
- EmmaAh bon ? Quel grand bâtiment !Really? What a large building!
- GabrielOui, il est très impressionnant.Yes, it is very impressive.
- EmmaIl semble très moderne, cet hôpital.This hospital looks very modern.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hospital” translations and entries hôpital, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hôpital, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
