blessé
/blɛ.se/
The English word injured is translated into French as blessé.
blessé is an adjective used to describe someone suffering from an injury. If you want to say that you or someone else 'got injured' or 'hurt oneself', French uses the reflexive verb se blesser. For minor injuries such as scratches, small wounds or bruises, the informal term bobo is used.
Meaning: suffering from an injury (adj)
Which one should you use?
While blessé is used as an adjective to mean 'injured', it is also the past participle of the verb blesser, which means 'to wound' or 'to injure'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective must agree in gender and number with the person who is injured. You use blessée for a female subject, blessés for a masculine plural group and blessées for a group of only females.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /blɛ.se/ and consists of 2 syllables.
Did you know?
- The French word blesser is a linguistic relative of the English word 'bless'. While they now have opposite meanings, they both stem from roots relating to a 'blow' or 'strike'.
- When a child has a bobo, parents often perform a bisou magique or 'magic kiss' to make the injury disappear. This is a culturally ubiquitous gesture in French-speaking homes.
- While blessé refers to physical injury, it is also used to describe someone who is 'hurt' or 'offended' emotionally. A person can be blessé by a cruel remark just as they are by a physical wound.
Examples in context
- Je me suis blessé.I've injured myself.This sentence is useful for saying you have injured yourself using blessé.Tatoeba #7276418 by felix63, translation #6440481 by CK
- Je me suis blessée.I injured myself.This sentence shows how to say you injured yourself using blessé.Tatoeba #2231295 by Amastan, translation #5858726 by CK
- Tom est-il blessé ?Is Tom injured?This sentence is useful for asking if Tom is injured using blessé.Tatoeba #5801002 by Aiji, translation #2244611 by CK
- Je me suis blessé au genou hier.I injured my knee yesterday.
- J'ai des bobos partout à cause de ma chute.I have injuries all over because of my fall.
- J'ai une entorse à la cheville.I have a sprained ankle.
- 228 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hugo and Chloé are talking about a soccer game.
- HugoPourquoi le joueur ne joue plus ?Why isn't the player playing anymore?
- ChloéIl est blessé à la cheville.He is injured at the ankle.
- HugoC'est grave pour lui ?Is it serious for him?
- ChloéOui, il restera blessé longtemps.Yes, he will remain injured for a long time.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry blessé, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
