Seven French expressions revolving around health

Instead of saying cheers, when French people clink their glasses, they wish each other good health by saying santé ! (the translation of health). 

Being healthy is considered important and France is one of the healthiest European countries. Women born in 2024 have a life expectancy of 85.3 years while men have a life expectancy of 79.4 years according to government data from the beginning of July. 

Below, we go through seven expressions to do with health and the medical sphere, giving you context on when to use them. Allons-y !

Être en bonne forme 

This is the literal translation of “being in good shape”, but être en bonne forme has a different usage. 

Rather than just the physical health that being in good shape refers to, être en bonne forme also refers to people who are able to go out their day with energy and enthusiasm. 

If your partner who is usually a late riser gets up early to go for a walk, you can say to them ‘tu es en bonne forme ce matin !’ 

The ‘bonne’ can be dropped to just say ‘tu es en forme’. 

Se cogner 

Se cogner means to bump into something. If you hit your head (or another part of your body) against something, you would say ‘je me suis cogné la tête’. 

Cogner also means to knock or to hit, but if you use it in the context ‘je me suis cogné’, it will always be clear what you mean. 

Read more: Five things they don’t tell you about health and wellness in France 

Avoir mal à 

On the topic of hitting your head, a difference between French and English is how to describe the state of your head hurting. 

In English, you would say ‘my head hurts’ but in French, you would say ‘j’ai mal à la tête’. This directly translates to ‘I have hurt to the head’. 

This applies to other parts of your body too: ‘j’ai mal au pied (foot), j’ai mal au coude (elbow), j’ai mal aux yeux (eyes), etc. 

Torticolis 

A torticolis is a word without a direct translation in English but the closest equivalent would be a stiff neck or a crick in your neck. 

It is when you have muscle spasms in your neck that give you limited head movement. Generally, a torticolis will go away of its own accord after a few days. 

The term can only apply to a neck injury. 

Read more: Mistakes that English-speakers make in French that make natives laugh

Un bleu 

Bleu means blue. Used as a noun, it refers to a bruise: j’ai un bleu sur mon bras (I have a bruise on my arm). 

The medical terms for this are ecchymoses and hématomes cutanés but these will only be used by medical professionals. 

Faire attention à sa ligne 

If you have gone to an apéro in a French household, you may have heard someone decline finger food by saying ‘non merci, je fais attention à ma ligne’. 

This translates to ‘no thank you, I am watching my figure’, although ligne technically means line, in this context in the sense of silhouette. 

Journée détox 

This expression is more commonly used by the younger generation and has become popular in the last few years. 

A journée détox, shortened from a journée détoxification, refers to a health day. After a day of heavy drinking or anything else deemed unhealthy such as eating a lot, people say that they are taking a journée détox. 

This would mostly consist of rest and relaxation, eating healthily and drinking things like smoothies in an effort to repair and reinvigorate your body. 

Read more: Seven ways to complain like a French person

If you are hungover and your friend asks you ‘tu veux boire un coup ?’ (do you want to go for a drink?), you can answer ‘désolé, c’est journée détox aujourd’hui’ (sorry, it is detox day today).