Healthy living and lifestyle (AQA GCSE French): Revision Notes
Healthy living and lifestyle vocabulary
This topic covers essential French vocabulary for discussing health, food, exercise, and lifestyle choices. Understanding these words will help you talk about daily routines, medical situations, and making healthy choices in French.
Mastering health and lifestyle vocabulary is essential for everyday conversations in French, especially when travelling, visiting doctors, or discussing personal habits with French speakers.
Essential vocabulary table
| French | English | French | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Body and health | Food and drink | ||
| le corps (m) | body | le café (m) | coffee |
| le cœur (m) | heart | l'eau (f) | water |
| la jambe (f) | leg | le lait (m) | milk |
| la bouche (f) | mouth | le pain (m) | bread |
| la peau (f) | skin | la viande (f) | meat |
| le sang (m) | blood | le légume (m) | vegetable |
| Medical terms | le fruit (m) | fruit | |
| le médecin (m/f) | doctor | le fromage (m) | cheese |
| l'hôpital (m) | hospital | le gâteau (m) | cake |
| le médicament (m) | medicine, drug | la glace (f) | ice cream |
| l'accident (m) | accident | le vin (m) | wine |
| la maladie (f) | illness | Activities | |
| malade | ill | courir | to run |
| sain/saine | healthy | nager | to swim |
| Lifestyle choices | marcher | to walk | |
| l'alcool (m) | alcohol | danser | to dance |
| le tabac (m) | tobacco | dormir | to sleep |
| la drogue (f) | drug | se coucher | to go to bed |
| l'exercice (m) | exercise | se détendre | to relax |
| le régime (m) | diet | Useful expressions | |
| fumer | to smoke | avoir mal à | to have pain in |
| boire | to drink | se sentir | to feel |
| manger | to eat | garder la forme | to stay fit |
Grammar and pronunciation tips
Gender patterns: Most body parts are masculine (le corps, le cœur, le pied), but some important ones are feminine (la jambe, la bouche, la main). Food items vary in gender, so always learn them with their articles.
Critical Rule: Never learn French nouns without their gender markers (le/la/l'). This is essential for correct French and will prevent many grammatical errors later.
Reflexive verbs: Many health-related activities use reflexive verbs like "se coucher" (to go to bed), "se détendre" (to relax), and "se sentir" (to feel). Remember to use the correct reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nous, vous, se).
Reflexive verbs are extremely common in health and lifestyle contexts because many activities are things we do to/for ourselves (sleeping, relaxing, feeling, etc.).
The expression "avoir mal à": This literally means "to have pain at" and is used to say where something hurts. The "à" combines with articles: avoir mal au dos (back), avoir mal à la tête (head).
Contraction Rule: Remember that "à + le = au" and "à + les = aux". So it's "avoir mal au dos" (not "à le dos") and "avoir mal aux pieds" (not "à les pieds").
Pronunciation tips:
- Silent final consonants: "corps" sounds like "core"
- The "gn" sound in "manger" is like "ny" in "canyon"
- "Eau" is pronounced like "oh"
Pronunciation Tip: French final consonants are often silent, which is why "corps" doesn't sound like the English word "corpse" but more like "core".
Example sentences
Worked Examples: Present Tense Usage
Basic present tense structures:
- Je mange des légumes chaque jour. (I eat vegetables every day.)
- Elle fait de l'exercice à la salle de sport. (She exercises at the gym.)
- Nous buvons beaucoup d'eau. (We drink lots of water.)
- Il va chez le médecin demain. (He's going to the doctor tomorrow.)
Notice the patterns:
- Regular -er verbs: manger → je mange
- Irregular verbs: boire → nous buvons, aller → il va
- Expressions with "faire": faire de l'exercice
Worked Examples: Past Tense Usage
Passé composé structures:
- J'ai couru pendant une heure hier. (I ran for an hour yesterday.)
- Elle a arrêté de fumer l'année dernière. (She stopped smoking last year.)
- Nous avons mangé au restaurant hier soir. (We ate at the restaurant last night.)
- Il s'est couché tôt parce qu'il était malade. (He went to bed early because he was ill.)
Notice the patterns:
- Most verbs use "avoir": j'ai couru, elle a arrêté
- Reflexive verbs use "être": il s'est couché
- Past participle agreements with être verbs
Translation practice
Translation Exercise: French to English
Practice sentences:
- Je dois éviter les fast-foods pour garder la forme.
- Mon frère s'est cassé la jambe en faisant du sport.
English to French: 3. The doctor recommended that I drink more water. 4. She feels better after taking the medicine.
Solutions:
- I must avoid fast food to stay fit.
- My brother broke his leg whilst playing sport.
- Le médecin a recommandé que je boive plus d'eau.
- Elle se sent mieux après avoir pris le médicament.
Key Points to Remember:
- Learn vocabulary with gender markers - this is crucial for correct French
- Practice reflexive verbs with health activities as they're commonly used in daily life
- The expression "avoir mal à" is essential for describing pain and discomfort
- Many medical and health terms are similar to English (médecin/medicine, hôpital/hospital)
- Focus on present and past tenses for describing current health states and past experiences
- Always remember article contractions with "à" (à + le = au, à + les = aux)