Top French COVID-related phrases

COVID phrases for France holiday min LEaF Translations

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

ENGLISHFRENCH
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.

ENGLISHFRENCH
AsymptomaticAsymptomatique
Ban (travel, social gatherings etc.)Interdiction (voyage, rassemblement social, etc.)
Contact tracingTraçage des cas contacts
DistancingDistanciation
Elbow tapRobinet à coude
FurloughChômage partiel
Government guidelinesDirectives gouvernementales
Home testing kitsKits de dépistage à domicile
IncubationIncubation
Job lossesPertes d’emploi
KeyworkersTravailleurs essentiels
Lockdown (1.0, 2.0, 3.0)(Premier, deuxième, troisième) confinement
MasksMasques
Nightingale hospitalsHôpitaux supplémentaires
OutbreakÉpidémie
PandemicPandémie
QuarantineQuatorzaine (14 days quarantine)
R ratele R0 (taux de transmission du virus de la Covid-19)
Self-isolationIsolement
Track and traceContact tracing (the English term is used in French for the system rather than the action)
Underlying conditionsConditions sous-jacentes
Vaccination centresCentre de vaccination
Working from homeTélétravail
XenophobiaXénophobie
YogaYoga
ZoomZoom

Head back to the COVID Language Hub for more free COVID-language resources in different languages.