French · A1 (Beginner)
Emergencies in French: Words & Phrases
Quick answer: The most useful French words for emergencies are Au secours! (Help!), la police (the police) and le médecin (the doctor). The full French emergencies phrase list with example sentences is below.
The essential French vocabulary for emergencies, with example sentences and English translations. This is A1 (Beginner) material — exactly the kind of practical language you need when you're learning French to live, work, or settle abroad.
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Key emergencies vocabulary
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Au secours! | Help! |
| la police | the police |
| le médecin | the doctor |
| la pharmacie | the pharmacy |
| malade | sick / ill |
| les urgences | the emergency room |
| le voleur | the thief |
| blessé(e) | injured |
| appeler | to call |
| le pompier | the firefighter |
Example sentences
Au secours! J'ai besoin d'un médecin!
Help! I need a doctor!
Appelez la police, s'il vous plaît!
Call the police, please!
J'ai besoin d'un médecin immédiatement.
I need a doctor immediately.
Où est la pharmacie la plus proche?
Where is the nearest pharmacy?
Je suis malade. Aidez-moi!
I am sick. Help me!
Il faut aller aux urgences.
We need to go to A&E.
How to actually learn these
Reading a vocabulary list is not the same as being able to use the words when it counts. Research on adult language acquisition consistently shows that vocabulary retained through contextual use — hearing a word, producing it under mild pressure, and being corrected when you get it wrong — transfers to real speech far more effectively than passive list review. The fastest way to make vocabulary like this stick is to practise it in the actual conversations where it comes up: not drills, but a real back-and-forth where you have to retrieve the word and say it aloud. Language Lab turns vocabulary like this into voiced, real-life scenarios with Sonia, a live AI language tutor who holds real conversations, corrects you in context, and remembers the specific words you keep getting wrong across sessions. The vocabulary stops being something you read and becomes something you say — automatically, under pressure, when you actually need it.
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