médicament
/me.di.ka.mɑ̃/masculine
The English word medicine is translated into French as médicament.
médicament refers to a substance which promotes healing.
Meaning: substance which promotes healing (noun)
Which one should you use?
It is important to distinguish between médicament and médecine. The word médicament refers to the physical substance taken to treat an illness, while médecine refers to the science or practice of medicine.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of médicament is médicaments.
How do you pronounce it?
/me.di.ka.mɑ̃/ (4 syllables)
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use médecine to mean a pill or liquid medicine. In French, médecine refers to the profession or field, not the substance itself.
Did you know?
- France has a unique 'pharmacie' culture where the green neon cross indicates a pharmacy is open, often serving as the first point of medical contact before a doctor.
- A 'pharmacie de garde' is a specific term for a pharmacy that stays open during nights and holidays to ensure citizens always have access to a médicament.
- While médicament is the general term, the French often use the word remède when referring to a cure or a traditional home remedy.
Examples in context
- Prends un médicament !Take medicine.This sentence is useful for practicing a command to take médicament.Tatoeba #4578488 by sacredceltic, translation #324240 by shekitten
- J'ai pris les médicaments.I took the medicine.This sentence is useful for describing the action of taking the médicament.Tatoeba #761136 by pandark, translation #759375 by vgigregg
- Ce médicament vous aidera.This medicine will help you.This sentence is useful for stating that a specific médicament will help someone.Tatoeba #10705575 by AutoBot, translation #413825 by CK
- J'ai besoin de prendre mon médicament.I need to take my medicine.
- Je vais à la pharmacie pour acheter des médocs.I'm going to the pharmacy to buy some meds.
- La médecine préventive joue un rôle essentiel dans la santé publique.Preventive medicine plays a key role in public health.
- As-tu des cachets pour soulager ma douleur ?Do you have any tablets to relieve my pain?
- 197 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chloé is asking Lucas if he has taken his treatment.
- ChloéAs-tu pris ton médicament ?Did you take your medicine?
- LucasNon, je l'ai oublié.No, I forgot it.
- ChloéC'est important pour ta santé.It is important for your health.
- LucasJe vais prendre ce médicament maintenant.I will take this medicine now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “medicine” translations and entries médicament, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
