If you should need a doctor, hospital or ambulance in France, these useful words and phrases might help you.
If you need to call an ambulance try to make sure you can give location details and an update of the situation as best you can.
Calling an ambulance in France
15 – The national emergency number for medical aid in France. It will get you the SAMU service, with an ambulance (Service d’Aide Médical d’Urgence – Medical Emergency Aid Service).
18 – The general emergency number (like 999 in the UK or 911 US) which will get you connected to the most appropriate service.
112 – This is the standard European emergency number, you can call this number from anywhere in the European Union countries from your mobile, landline or payphone. 112 Emergency centres can use an interpretation service covering several languages. The European Commission website advises that if you are unable to tell the 112 operator where you are they will be able to locate you – within a few seconds for fixed calls and up to 30 minutes outside working hours for mobile calls so to help you to advise your location please see our useful words and phrases section.
Useful French vocabulary – words and terms for a medical emergency
| Emergency | Une urgence |
| Help me | Aidez moi |
| Help | Au secours |
| My location is | Ma localité est |
| Child | Enfant |
| Elderly person | Personne âgée |
| Baby | Bébé |
| Accident | Un accident |
| I have had an accident | J’ai eu un accident |
| Doctor | Un médecin |
| Where can I find a doctor’s surgery? | Où est-ce qu’on peut trouver un cabinet médical ? |
| Need a doctor | Besoin un médécin |
| Need an ambulance | Besoin une ambulance |
| Prescription | Ordonnance |
| Medicine | Médicament(s) |
| Heart attack | Crise cardiaque |
| Unconscious | Perdre connaissance |
| Very sick | Très malade |
| Chemists | Une pharmacie |
| Ill, sick | Malade |
| I am in labour | Je suis en train d’accoucher |
| I’m very sore here / it hurts here | J’ai très mal ici |
| Injured | Blessé(e) |
| Bleeding | Hémorragie |
