j'ai mal à la tête
In French, "my head hurts" is said as j'ai mal à la tête.
The phrase is used to express that you have a headache.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase j'ai mal à la tête literally translates to "I have pain at the head".
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid saying ma tête fait mal (which follows the English structure "my head does pain"). Instead, use the idiomatic j'ai mal à la tête.
Did you know?
- French once used the word chef to mean 'head' in the anatomical sense. Today, chef is used for a leader or a professional cook, but it shares the same root as the English word 'chief'.
- The word tête comes from the Latin word for 'pot' or 'brick'. This implies that the head was metaphorically viewed as a hard ceramic vessel.
- The phrase avoir la tête dans les nuages literally means 'to have the head in the clouds'. It is used to describe someone who is daydreaming or absent-minded.
Examples in context
- J'ai mal à la tête.My head hurts.This sentence is useful for stating that your head hurts.Tatoeba #129589 by Pharamp, translation #456425 by lukaszpp
- J'ai mal à la tête à cause du bruit.My head hurts because of the noise.
Example conversation
Léa and Lucas are at home in a quiet room.
- LéaLucas, tu as l'air fatigué.Lucas, you look tired.
- LucasOui, j'ai mal à la tête aujourd'hui.Yes, my head hurts today.
- LéaTu veux prendre un médicament ?Do you want to take some medicine?
- LucasNon, je vais me reposer un peu.No, I am going to rest a little.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries j'ai, la, mal, tête, à, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
