médicament
/me.di.ka.mɑ̃/
The English phrase "medication" is translated into French as médicament.
The term médicament is a common and widely understood way to refer to medication in French. In technical or formal contexts, you may also encounter the term produit médicamenteux, which translates to "medicinal product".
Meaning: one or all the medicines regularly taken by a patient (noun)
Which one should you use?
While English speakers often treat "medication" as an uncountable noun when referring to a treatment regimen, French uses the countable noun médicament to refer to the specific drugs or doses being taken.
How does it change in a sentence?
The singular masculine form is le médicament. To form the plural, simply add an 's' to the end of the word: médicaments.
How do you pronounce it?
/me.di.ka.mɑ̃/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using the word médicine, as this is not a French word. Use médicament instead.
Did you know?
- The French government strictly regulates the advertising of médicaments to the public, making pharmaceutical commercials almost nonexistent on French television.
- While an English speaker might say they are 'on medication', a French speaker often says they are sous traitement, literally meaning 'under treatment'.
- In a French pharmacy, you may hear the term préparation magistrale, which refers to a médicament custom-mixed by the pharmacist for a specific patient.
Examples in context
- Ce sont mes médicaments.This is my medication.This sentence is useful for identifying ownership of the médicament.Tatoeba #10704902 by AutoBot, translation #10704899 by AutoBot
- Où sont tes médicaments ?Where's your medication?This sentence is useful for asking about the location of the médicament.Tatoeba #8080136 by Aiji, translation #2254686 by CK
- As-tu pris ton médicament ?Did you take your medication?This sentence is useful for asking if someone has taken their médicament.Tatoeba #7667311 by felix63, translation #6562302 by Hybrid
- 41 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Lucas are preparing for a trip.
- EmmaAs-tu emporté ton médicament ?Did you pack your medication?
- LucasOui, il est dans mon sac.Yes, it is in my bag.
- EmmaC'est bien, n'oublie pas le médicament.That's good, don't forget the medication.
- LucasJe m'en occupe, Emma.I'm taking care of it, Emma.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry médicament, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
