Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| douleur | /du.lœʁ/ | feminine |
| mal | /mal/ | masculine |
For physical discomfort, mal is the standard choice for everyday use. To describe specific types of pain like a headache or stomachache, use the phrase mal de followed by the body part. For formal or medical descriptions of intense pain, use douleur. If you are referring to emotional sorrow, grief or trouble, the word peine is used, often in the phrase faire de la peine to mean to grieve or to render someone uneasy in mind.
Which one should you use?
mal is the common, everyday word used for general physical discomfort or aches. In contrast, douleur is more formal and is typically used in medical contexts or to describe more intense, profound pain. While both can refer to physical suffering, peine is specifically reserved for emotional pain.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To express that one is in pain, French uses the verb avoir (to have) with mal, rather than être (to be). When specifying the location of the pain, use the construction avoir mal à followed by the definite article and the body part, such as avoir mal à la tête.
How do you pronounce it?
/du.lœʁ/
Did you know?
- In French, the word mal can be used as a noun to describe 'evil' or 'wrongdoing'. This is seen in the phrase le mal et le bien, meaning 'evil and good'.
- In legal contexts, la peine refers to a judicial sentence or punishment. This reflects the historical idea that a legal penalty is a form of imposed pain.
- In many French-speaking regions, if you say you 'as du mal' to do something, it means you are struggling with a task rather than feeling physical suffering.
Examples in context
- Où as-tu mal ?Where do you have pain?This example shows how to ask where someone has pain using mal.Tatoeba #1328947 by sacredceltic, translation #403283 by CK
- Je n'ai pas mal.I'm not in pain.This example shows how to state that one is not in pain using mal.Tatoeba #11071148 by Aiji, translation #2549507 by CK
- N'as-tu plus mal ?Are you no longer in pain?This example shows how to ask if someone's pain has ceased using mal.Tatoeba #1986575 by sacredceltic, translation #1714241 by gleki
- Il ressent une douleur intense.He is experiencing intense pain.
- La douleur émotionnelle est difficile à supporter.Emotional pain is hard to bear.
- Les patients ressentent des souffrances inimaginables.The patients experience unimaginable suffering.
- J'ai vécu une grande souffrance après la perte de mon emploi.I went through great pain after losing my job.
- J'ai mal à la tête.I have a headache.
- Ça me fait mal.It hurts.
- Tu as un petit bobo sur ton genou.You have a small boo-boo on your knee.
- Mon doigt me fait bobo.My finger hurts.
- Elle a mal au dos.She has back pain.
- Il a mal aux dents.He has a toothache.
- souffrir émotionnellementTo suffer emotionally
- une grande source de douleurA great source of pain
- J'ai très mal au brasI have a very bad pain in my arm
- Oui, j'ai malYes, I am in pain
- 331 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Hugo are at a doctor's appointment.
- EmmaEst-ce que tu ressens une douleur ?Do you feel a pain?
- HugoOui, j'ai une douleur au ventre.Yes, I have a pain in my stomach.
- EmmaEst-ce qu'elle est intense ?Is it intense?
- HugoOui, la douleur est assez forte.Yes, the pain is quite strong.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “pain” translations and entries douleur, mal, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
