faire mal
/fɛʁ mal/
The French way to say to hurt is faire mal.
This verb is used to describe the act of causing physical pain or injury. While faire mal focuses on the cause of the pain, you can also use the related adjective blessé to describe someone who is wounded or injured.
Meaning: to cause physical pain and/or injury (verb)
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To express that someone is hurting themselves, use the reflexive form se faire mal. If you are using the phrase to mean hurting a person, you must use the preposition à followed by an indirect object, as in faire mal à [quelqu'un].
How do you pronounce it?
/fɛʁ mal/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often confuse faire mal (to cause pain) with avoir mal (to feel pain/to have an ache). Use avoir mal when describing the sensation you are feeling, such as 'J'ai mal au bras' for 'I have a pain in my arm'.
Did you know?
- The phrase faire mal is used in the expression faire mal aux yeux, which can describe both a bright light and something that is visually ugly.
- The word mal is a close relative of the English word 'malady' and the prefix 'mal-' used in words like 'malfunction'.
- To describe a specific body part that hurts, you must use the definite article, such as 'J'ai mal au ventre' for 'I have a stomach ache'. You do not use possessive adjectives like 'mon' or 'ma'.
Examples in context
- Ça va faire mal.This is going to hurt.This sentence is useful for saying that something is going to hurt using faire mal.Tatoeba #6285827 by Aiji, translation #2892225 by CK
- Ça a dû faire mal.That must've hurt.This sentence is useful for saying that something must've hurt using faire mal.Tatoeba #5801856 by Toynop, translation #4499441 by CK
- Tu vas te faire mal.You will hurt yourself.This sentence is useful for saying that you will hurt yourself using faire mal.Tatoeba #331221 by Lumpawurump, translation #22289 by CK
- Je souffre d'un mal de tête.I have a headache.
- Il souffre d'une blessure au genou.He has a knee injury.
- Elle souffre de tristesse.She is suffering from sadness.
- J'éprouve de la douleur dans ma jambe.I am experiencing pain in my leg.
- Le patient éprouve de la douleur au ventre.The patient is experiencing abdominal pain.
- J'ai mal au dos.I have back pain.
- Je sens la douleur dans mes muscles.I feel the pain in my muscles.
- Tu sens la douleur dans ton bras droit ?Do you feel the pain in your right arm?
- 21 more sentences on Tatoeba
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry faire mal, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries faire, mal, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
