French - Lesson 137 of 159: Emergencies

1. Reading + Listening Practice

Hear core phrases, repeat aloud.

Reste calme.

Stay calm.

Meaning: Stay calm.

When to use: Use when someone is panicking and you need them to relax a little so you can help or call for assistance.

Tip: Don’t say 'Restez calme' only if addressing one close friend informally; use 'Restez calme' for formal/plural.

Reste calme, j'appelle les secours.

Stay calm, I'll call emergency services.

Reste calme, respire lentement.

Stay calm, breathe slowly.

Sors tout de suite.

Get out now.

Meaning: Get out now.

When to use: Say this when people must leave a dangerous place immediately (fire, gas leak, unstable structure).

Il y a de la fumée — sors tout de suite !

There's smoke — get out now!

Sors tout de suite de la voiture.

Get out of the car right now.

Ne touche pas à ça.

Don't touch it.

Meaning: Don't touch it.

When to use: Use this to warn someone not to touch an object that could be dangerous (broken glass, a wire, a hot surface).

Ne touche pas à ça — c'est très chaud.

Don't touch that — it's very hot.

Ne touche pas à ça, c'est peut-être cassé.

Don't touch that, it might be broken.

Il y a eu un accident.

There was an accident.

Meaning: There was an accident.

When to use: Report that an accident happened when you call someone for help or inform responders on the scene.

Il y a eu un accident sur la route.

There was an accident on the road.

Il y a eu un accident devant le magasin.

There was an accident in front of the shop.

Je n'arrive pas à bouger mon ___.

I can't move my ___.

Meaning: I can't move my ___.

When to use: Use this to tell a responder that a specific body part won't move after an injury. Add the body part: 'bras', 'jambe', etc.

Tip: Remember to change 'mon' to 'ma' when the body part is feminine (e.g., 'ma jambe').

Je n'arrive pas à bouger mon bras.

I can't move my arm.

Après la chute, je n'arrive pas à bouger ma jambe.

After the fall, I can't move my leg.

J'ai besoin d'une ambulance.

I need an ambulance.

Meaning: I need an ambulance.

When to use: Say this when someone needs urgent medical transport right away.

C'est grave — j'ai besoin d'une ambulance.

It's serious — I need an ambulance.

J'ai besoin d'une ambulance pour la victime.

I need an ambulance for the victim.

J'ai mal ici.

It hurts here.

Meaning: It hurts here.

When to use: Point to a place on your body and say this to show where you feel pain.

J'ai mal ici, au dos.

It hurts here, in my back.

J'ai mal ici — c'est mon épaule.

It hurts here — it's my shoulder.

Je saigne.

I'm bleeding.

Meaning: I'm bleeding.

When to use: Use to tell someone that you have an active wound that is bleeding and may need urgent care.

Je saigne beaucoup, aidez-moi.

I'm bleeding a lot, help me.

Je saigne de la tête.

I'm bleeding from my head.

Mon ___ a disparu.

My ___ is missing.

Meaning: My ___ is missing.

When to use: Use to report a missing person or an essential item; replace ___ with the noun (sac, enfant, passeport).

Mon sac a disparu après l'accident.

My bag went missing after the accident.

Mon portefeuille a disparu quand il y a eu la panne.

My wallet is missing when the outage happened.

French - Emergencies

1. Reading + Listening Practice

2. Conversational Listening Practice

3. Guided Practice

Which French phrase means 'Call for an ambulance' or 'I need an ambulance'?

You see someone near broken glass about to pick it up. What do you say?

Which phrase reports that "something bad already happened"?

A friend hurts themselves and points at their chest. Which short phrase fits to show the pain location?

The house is filling with smoke. You shout to everyone: Get out now.

Someone has a deep cut and tells you about the injury: I'm bleeding.

A child moves toward an exposed electrical wire and you warn them: Don't touch it.

Match the core phrases

Match the extra phrases

4. Speaking Practice