Top French COVID-related phrases

Are you going to France or another French-speaking country in the near future?

Just as in English, there are lots of new French phrases and words relating to COVID-19 that won’t be covered by your guidebook.

To make your life easier, we have put together some of these key phrases. We hope that they will help you feel safer during your visit to France. 

Check out the phrases below and then download the free printable to take with you on your holiday.

Useful COVID-related phrases in French

ENGLISH	FRENCH
Where can I buy a mask please?	Où puis-je acheter un masque s’il vous plaît ?
Where would I find the hand sanitiser please?	Où se trouve le désinfectant pour les mains s’il vous plaît ?
How many people are allowed in this shop?	Combien de personnes peuvent visiter le magasin en même temps ?
Yes, I have received my COVID vaccination.	Oui, j’ai été vacciné·e contre le coronavirus.
Where is the nearest testing centre?	Où se trouve le centre de dépistage le plus proche ?
Which tourist attractions are currently open to the public?	Quelles attractions touristiques sont ouvertes au public en ce moment ?
What are the social distancing rules here?	Quelles sont les règles de distanciation physique en vigueur ici ?
Does your hotel/restaurant/bar have cleanliness standards in place? (e.g. are high touch areas such as the lobby/elevator/rooms/corridors/door handles/kitchens/tables/cutlery etc. cleaned more frequently?)	Votre hôtel/restaurant/bar a-t-il mis en place des mesures d’hygiène particulières ? (Par exemple, les zones d’exposition à risque élevé comme le hall, l’ascenseur, les chambres, les couloirs, les poignées de porte, les cuisines, les tables, les couverts, etc. sont-elles nettoyées plus souvent ?)
Do my children need to wear masks?	Est-ce que mes enfants doivent porter un masque ?
I have forgotten my mask. What should I do?	J’ai oublié mon masque. Que dois-je faire ?

French glossary of COVID-related terms

COVID-19 has changed almost everything in our lives and language is no exception. Words and phrases like lockdown, self-isolation and R-rate are now in common use in the English language. The same is true of other languages too. To illustrate the point and to provide you with a handy guide to some terms you come across during your travels, we have compiled a glossary of an A-Z of COVID terms.

ENGLISH	FRENCH
Asymptomatic	Asymptomatique
Ban (travel, social gatherings etc.)	Interdiction (voyage, rassemblement social, etc.)
Contact tracing	Traçage des cas contacts
Distancing	Distanciation
Elbow tap	Robinet à coude
Furlough	Chômage partiel
Government guidelines	Directives gouvernementales
Home testing kits	Kits de dépistage à domicile
Incubation	Incubation
Job losses	Pertes d’emploi
Keyworkers	Travailleurs essentiels
Lockdown (1.0, 2.0, 3.0)	(Premier, deuxième, troisième) confinement
Masks	Masques
Nightingale hospitals	Hôpitaux supplémentaires
Outbreak	Épidémie
Pandemic	Pandémie
Quarantine	Quatorzaine (14 days quarantine)
R rate	le R0 (taux de transmission du virus de la Covid-19)
Self-isolation	Isolement
Track and trace	Contact tracing (the English term is used in French for the system rather than the action)
Underlying conditions	Conditions sous-jacentes
Vaccination centres	Centre de vaccination
Working from home	Télétravail
Xenophobia	Xénophobie
Yoga	Yoga
Zoom	Zoom