chirurgie
/ʃi.ʁyʁ.ʒi/feminine
In French, 'surgery' is expressed as chirurgie or opération.
Meaning: procedure involving major incisions (noun)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| chirurgie | /ʃi.ʁyʁ.ʒi/ | feminine |
| opération | /ɔ.pe.ʁa.sjɔ̃/ | feminine |
The term refers to a medical procedure involving major incisions. To express the action of 'having surgery' or 'undergoing surgery', French speakers typically use the reflexive construction se faire opérer.
Which one should you use?
Use opération to refer to a specific surgical procedure or operation performed on a patient.
How does it change in a sentence?
Both chirurgie and opération are feminine nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has three syllables: /ʃi.ʁyʁ.ʒi/.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use chirurgie to mean a specific surgical operation, whereas opération is the standard term for the event itself.
Did you know?
- The French word for surgeon, chirurgien, shares a linguistic root with 'chiromancy', the art of reading palms, because both stem from the Greek word for 'hand'.
- French speakers often use the phrase sous le couteau meaning 'under the knife' to describe undergoing an opération in a vivid, colloquial way.
- In French, the word opération is used not only for medical surgery but also for mathematical calculations and police raids.
Examples in context
- L'opération a eu lieu hier.The surgery was yesterday.This sentence is useful for noting when the opération took place.Tatoeba #6936995 by Aiji, translation #3818348 by CK
- J'ai besoin d'une opération.I need surgery.This sentence is useful for expressing a need for an opération.Tatoeba #4681637 by sacredceltic, translation #2246017 by CK
- L'opération s'est bien passée.The surgery went well.This sentence is useful for describing the outcome of the opération.Tatoeba #11613981 by Aiji, translation #3396548 by CK
- Le médecin m'a annoncé que je devrais subir une intervention chirurgicale.The doctor informed me that I would need to undergo a surgical intervention.
- J'ai entendu dire que Lucie allait bientôt se faire une opé.I heard that Lucie will soon have surgery.
- 42 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hugo and Chloé are talking about a family member's health.
- HugoMon oncle a besoin d'une chirurgie du cœur.My uncle needs heart surgery.
- ChloéC'est grave ? Est-ce que c'est urgent ?Is it serious? Is it urgent?
- HugoOui, la chirurgie est prévue pour lundi.Yes, the surgery is scheduled for Monday.
- ChloéJ'espère que tout se passera bien.I hope everything goes well.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “surgery” translations and entries chirurgie, opération, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
