Asking safely about medicine instructions | Learn French in English

French lesson set in a contemporary Paris everyday setting: At home, two adults prepare questions for a pharmacist about a medicine label, food cautions, side effects, and warning signs..

EN → FR / Level: B1

About This Lesson

Use Asking safely about medicine instructions to practice French conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

Je ne comprends pas bien cette étiquette de médicament.

zhuh nuh kohm-PRAHN pah byan set ay-tee-KET duh may-dee-kah-MAHN I am not sure I understand this medicine label.
B

Appelle le pharmacien avant de prendre la prochaine dose.

ah-PELL luh far-ma-SYAN ah-VAHN duh PRAHN-druh lah proh-SHEN dohz Call the pharmacist before you take the next dose.
A

Je veux aussi demander si je devrais éviter certains aliments.

zhuh vuh oh-SEE duh-mahn-DAY see zhuh duh-VRAY ay-vee-TAY sair-TAN zah-lee-MAHN I also want to ask whether I should avoid certain foods.
B

Cela vaut la peine de vérifier, surtout si l'étiquette mentionne les repas.

suh-LAH voh lah PEN duh vay-ree-fee-YAY, syoo-TOO see lay-tee-KET mahn-SYON lay ruh-PAH That is worth checking, especially if the label mentions meals.
A

J'ai eu un léger mal de tête après l'avoir pris.

zhay yoo uhn lay-ZHAY mahl duh TET ah-PRAY lah-VWAR PREE I had a mild headache after taking it.
A

Donc, je devrais en parler.

dohnk zhuh duh-VRAY ahn par-LAY So I should bring that up.
B

Demande si cela pourrait être un effet secondaire et quels signes d'alerte surveiller.

duh-MAHND see suh-LAH poo-RAY EH-truh uhn ay-FAY say-gohn-DAIR ay kel seeny dah-LAIR-tay seur-vay-YAY Ask whether it could be a side effect and what warning signs to watch for.
A

Faire des suppositions me semble risqué, surtout avec un médicament.

fair day soo-poh-zee-SYON muh SAHM-bluh ree-SKAY, syoo-TOO ah-VEK uhn may-dee-kah-MAHN Guessing feels risky, especially with medicine.
B

Un professionnel peut expliquer les risques plus clairement.

uhn proh-fay-syoh-NEL puh ex-plee-KAY lay REESK ploo klair-MAHN A professional can explain the risks more clearly.
A

Je peux noter les questions avant d'appeler.

zhuh puh noh-TAY lay keh-STYON ah-VAHN dah-pluh-LAY I can write down the questions before calling.
B

Cela devrait rendre l'appel plus facile à suivre.

suh-LAH duh-VRAY RAHN-druh lah-PELL ploo fah-SEEL ah SWEE-vruh That should make the call easier to follow.

Word by Word

Je Je means “I” in the dialogue and identifies the speaker as the person who does not understand the label. It appears before the verb in Je ne comprends pas bien. Use Je before a verb when speaking about your own action, feeling, or opinion.
ne In Je ne comprends pas bien, ne starts the negative construction with pas, making the understanding negative. It works together with pas rather than carrying the full meaning alone. A reliable reuse pattern is ne + verb + pas.
comprends Comprends means “understand” in Je ne comprends pas bien cette étiquette de médicament. With Je, it describes the speaker’s current understanding of the label. It can be reused before the thing understood, as in comprendre quelque chose.
pas In Je ne comprends pas bien, pas completes the negation started by ne, so the speaker says they do not understand well. It follows the conjugated verb in this sentence. The reusable pattern is ne + verb + pas.
bien Bien means “well” here and shows the degree of understanding in Je ne comprends pas bien. The speaker understands the label insufficiently or not clearly enough. It can be placed after a verb to describe how well an action is done.
cette Cette means “this” and points to one specific label in cette étiquette de médicament. It comes directly before the noun it identifies. Use cette + a singular noun when referring to a particular thing.
étiquette Étiquette means “label”; here it is the medicine label whose instructions are unclear. It appears in the noun phrase cette étiquette de médicament. The expression étiquette de médicament is useful when discussing information printed on medicine packaging.
de De links nouns in étiquette de médicament, meaning that the label is for or about medicine; it also links the words in mal de tête. Its meaning depends on the noun phrase it joins, so it should not be translated separately in every context. A reliable reuse point is noun + de + noun for describing a relationship between two things.
médicament Médicament means “medicine” in étiquette de médicament. It identifies the product whose label and instructions are being discussed. This word is useful when asking a pharmacist about a particular medicine.
Appelle Appelle tells the listener to call in Appelle le pharmacien. It is a direct instruction to contact the pharmacist before taking the next dose. The reusable pattern is Appelle + the person or service to contact.
le Le means “the” before pharmacien in le pharmacien. It introduces the specific pharmacist whom the listener should call. Use le before a specific singular noun in a noun phrase.
pharmacien Pharmacien means “pharmacist,” the professional whom the listener is told to call. It appears as the object of Appelle in Appelle le pharmacien. This word is useful when asking a pharmacist about medicine instructions or risks.
avant Avant means “before” and places the call earlier than taking the next dose in avant de prendre la prochaine dose. It introduces the event that must happen first. A common pattern is avant de + an infinitive.
prendre Prendre means “take” in avant de prendre la prochaine dose. It describes taking the next dose of medicine. It follows de in the pattern avant de prendre and can be followed by the thing being taken.
la La means “the” in la prochaine dose and identifies the specific next dose. It also appears in the fixed expression vaut la peine. In this dialogue, it introduces a specific noun or forms part of that expression.
prochaine Prochaine means “next” and identifies the dose that will come after the current one in la prochaine dose. It gives the dose a clear place in the sequence. It can be used before a noun when referring to the next scheduled or expected item.
dose Dose means “dose,” the amount of medicine the person is about to take. It appears in la prochaine dose after the instruction to call the pharmacist. This word is useful when discussing how much medicine to take and when to take it.
veux Veux means “want” in Je veux aussi demander. It expresses the speaker’s intention to ask an additional question. It is followed here by the infinitive demander, giving the reusable pattern vouloir + an infinitive.
aussi Aussi means “also” and adds another intention in Je veux aussi demander. The speaker is adding a question about food to the earlier concern about the label. It can be placed before the infinitive or action being added, as it is here.
demander Demander means “ask” in Je veux aussi demander si je devrais éviter certains aliments. It introduces the question the speaker wants to put to the pharmacist. A reliable reuse pattern is demander si + a clause for asking whether something is the case.
si Si means “whether” in demander si je devrais éviter certains aliments. It introduces an indirect yes-or-no question about avoiding certain foods, rather than a condition in this sentence. The pattern demander si + a clause is useful when reporting or preparing a question.
devrais Devrais expresses what would be advisable for the speaker to do in si je devrais éviter certains aliments. Here it asks whether avoiding certain foods is the appropriate action. It is followed by the infinitive éviter in the reusable pattern je devrais + infinitive.
éviter Éviter means “avoid” in je devrais éviter certains aliments. It describes not eating particular foods because they may matter for the medicine. It can be followed directly by the thing to avoid, as in éviter certains aliments.
certains Certains means “certain” or “some particular” in certains aliments. It limits the advice to particular foods rather than all foods. It appears directly before aliments to identify that subset.
aliments Aliments means “foods” and is the object of éviter in éviter certains aliments. It refers to foods that might need to be avoided while taking the medicine. The phrase éviter certains aliments is a useful way to discuss food restrictions.
Cela Cela means “that” or “it” and refers to the question or checking under discussion in Cela vaut la peine de vérifier. It presents that matter as the subject of the evaluation. It can be used at the start of a sentence to refer back to an idea already mentioned.
vaut la peine In Cela vaut la peine de vérifier, the whole expression means that checking is worth the effort. Vaut contributes the idea “is worth,” while la peine contributes the effort or trouble involved; de vérifier names the action considered worthwhile. This expression is useful for recommending an action as worthwhile.
vérifier Vérifier means “check” or “verify” in vaut la peine de vérifier. The speaker recommends confirming the medicine information instead of relying on assumptions. It follows de in vaut la peine de vérifier and can be used for checking instructions or facts.
surtout Surtout means “especially” and gives extra importance to the case where the label mentions meals. It highlights a particularly relevant reason to check the information. The dialogue uses the reusable pattern surtout si + a clause.
l'étiquette L'étiquette means “the label” in si l'étiquette mentionne les repas. The article l' is the shortened form used before the vowel sound at the beginning of étiquette. It refers back to the medicine label already being discussed.
J'ai J'ai means “I have” in the beginning of J'ai eu un léger mal de tête, which reports the speaker’s past experience. It is formed from Je and ai and introduces the experience described by eu. This construction is useful for reporting something that happened to the speaker.
eu Eu means “had” or “experienced” in J'ai eu un léger mal de tête. Together with J'ai, it reports that the speaker experienced a mild headache after taking the medicine. It is used here with an expression describing an experience or symptom.
un Un means “a” in un léger mal de tête and “a” in Un professionnel. It introduces one singular person, thing, or experience without identifying it as already known. Here it begins the noun phrases un léger mal de tête and Un professionnel.
léger Léger means “mild” in un léger mal de tête. It softens the description of the headache by indicating that it was not severe. It appears before mal de tête and can be used to describe a mild symptom.
mal de tête Mal de tête is the whole expression for “headache” in un léger mal de tête. Mal contributes the idea of pain or discomfort, while de tête links that discomfort to the head; together they name the symptom. It appears after J'ai eu to report experiencing a headache.
après Après means “after” and places the headache after taking the medicine in après l'avoir pris. It introduces the earlier event in the sequence. A useful pattern is après + an action or event.
l'avoir In après l'avoir pris, l'avoir introduces the completed action of taking it, with l' referring to the medicine. The meaning becomes “after having taken it” together with pris. This construction is useful for placing one completed action after another.
pris Pris means “taken” in l'avoir pris. Together with l'avoir, it says that the medicine had been taken before the headache occurred. It is the form used after avoir in this expression to describe the completed action.
Donc Donc means “so” or “therefore” and introduces the speaker’s conclusion in Donc, je devrais en parler. The conclusion follows from having experienced a headache. It is useful at the beginning of a sentence when linking a reason to a result.
en In en parler, en refers back to the symptom or matter just mentioned and means “about it.” It prevents repeating that topic after parler. The reusable pattern is en parler when discussing something already understood from the context.
parler Parler means “talk” in je devrais en parler, meaning that the speaker should talk about the symptom or matter. It appears after en, which supplies the topic being discussed. The expression en parler is useful when referring to a previously mentioned subject.
Demande Demande tells the listener to ask in Demande si cela pourrait être un effet secondaire. It gives practical advice about what to ask the pharmacist. It can be followed by si when introducing an indirect yes-or-no question.
pourrait Pourrait means “could” in si cela pourrait être un effet secondaire. It presents being a side effect as a possibility, not as a certain diagnosis. It is followed by the infinitive être in pourrait être.
être Être means “be” in pourrait être un effet secondaire. It completes the possibility expressed by pourrait and links cela with the description un effet secondaire. It follows pourrait in the reusable pattern pourrait être + a description.
effet secondaire Effet secondaire is the whole expression for “side effect” in être un effet secondaire. Effet contributes “effect,” while secondaire describes it as secondary; together they name an unwanted or additional effect of a medicine. This expression is useful when asking whether a symptom may be caused by a medicine.
et Et means “and” and joins the two things to ask about in si cela pourrait être un effet secondaire et quels signes d'alerte surveiller. It connects the possible side effect with the warning signs to monitor. It can join two coordinated questions or pieces of information.
quels Quels means “what” or “which” in quels signes d'alerte surveiller. It asks the listener to identify the particular warning signs that matter. It appears directly before the plural noun signes in this question.
signes Signes means “signs” in signes d'alerte. It refers to observable indications that may show a serious problem or a need for attention. The phrase signes d'alerte is useful when asking what symptoms to watch for.
d'alerte D'alerte describes signes in signes d'alerte and adds the idea of warning or alert. The apostrophe is the shortened form of de before the vowel at the start of alerte. The noun phrase signes d'alerte is used for warning signs that require attention.
surveiller Surveiller means “watch” or “monitor” in quels signes d'alerte surveiller. It asks which warning signs the person should keep observing. A useful pattern is surveiller + the symptom or sign being monitored.
Faire Faire means “making” or “doing” in Faire des suppositions me semble risqué. At the beginning of the sentence, it presents the action of making guesses as the topic being evaluated. It appears with des suppositions to describe the action as a whole.
des Des introduces the plural noun suppositions in des suppositions, referring to guesses or assumptions without specifying particular ones. It marks the plural object of Faire. It is useful before a plural noun when referring to some items in a general way.
suppositions Suppositions means “guesses” or “assumptions” in Faire des suppositions. Here it refers to deciding what the medicine means without confirming the information. The phrase faire des suppositions is useful when describing unsupported guesses.
me Me means “to me” in me semble risqué. It marks the person who has the impression that making guesses is risky. The reusable pattern is me semble + a description for saying how something appears to the speaker.
semble Semble means “seems” in Faire des suppositions me semble risqué. It presents risky as the speaker’s impression about making guesses. It appears with me before the description risqué in the pattern me semble + adjective.
risqué Risqué means “risky” in me semble risqué. It evaluates guessing about medicine as something that may have harmful consequences. It follows semble as the description of how the action appears to the speaker.
avec Avec means “with” in surtout avec un médicament. Here it places the risk in the context of dealing with a medicine. It is useful for introducing the person, thing, or context involved in an action or situation.
professionnel Professionnel means “professional” in Un professionnel peut expliquer les risques plus clairement. It refers to a qualified person who can provide a clearer explanation of the medicine’s risks. It appears after Un to form a general reference to such a person.
peut Peut means “can” in Un professionnel peut expliquer les risques plus clairement. It expresses the professional’s ability to explain the risks. It is followed by the infinitive expliquer in the reusable pattern peut + infinitive.
expliquer Expliquer means “explain” in peut expliquer les risques plus clairement. It describes the professional’s action of making the risks clear to the listener. It can be followed by the information being explained, as in expliquer les risques.
les Les means “the” before risques in les risques. It identifies the particular risks relevant to the medicine discussion. It introduces the specific plural noun phrase les risques.
risques Risques means “risks” in expliquer les risques plus clairement. It refers to the possible dangers or concerns connected with the medicine. The phrase expliquer les risques is useful when asking a professional for a clear safety explanation.
plus Plus means “more” in plus clairement. It increases the degree of clarity expected from the professional’s explanation. It appears before clairement in the reusable pattern plus + an adverb.
clairement Clairement means “clearly” in expliquer les risques plus clairement. Together with plus, it says that the professional can explain the risks with greater clarity. It describes how the action expliquer is carried out.
peux Peux means “can” in Je peux noter les questions. It expresses the speaker’s ability or possibility to write the questions down. It is followed by the infinitive noter in the reusable pattern je peux + infinitive.
noter Noter means “write down” or “note” in Je peux noter les questions. It describes recording the questions before the phone call so they are not forgotten. It can be followed directly by the information being written down, as in noter les questions.
questions Questions means “questions” in noter les questions. It refers to the points the speakers plan to ask the pharmacist about the label, food, side effects, and warning signs. The phrase noter les questions is useful when preparing for a conversation.
d'appeler D'appeler means “calling” in avant d'appeler. The d' is the shortened form of de before appeler, and the phrase places the writing of the questions before the call. A reliable pattern is avant de + an infinitive, with de becoming d' before a vowel.
devrait Devrait means “should” in Cela devrait rendre l'appel plus facile à suivre. It expresses an expected helpful result of writing down the questions. It is followed by the infinitive rendre in the pattern devrait + infinitive.
rendre Rendre means “make” in rendre l'appel plus facile à suivre. It describes causing the call to become easier to follow. The sentence shows the reusable structure rendre + object + description.
l'appel L'appel means “the call” in rendre l'appel plus facile à suivre. The article l' is the shortened form used before the vowel at the beginning of appel. It refers to the planned call to the pharmacist.
facile Facile means “easy” in plus facile à suivre. It describes the call as easier to follow when the questions have been written down. It appears in the pattern rendre l'appel plus facile à suivre.
à In facile à suivre, à introduces the infinitive that explains what is easy: following the call. It links the description facile with the action suivre. A useful pattern is adjective + à + infinitive.
suivre Suivre means “follow” in facile à suivre. Here it means keeping track of or understanding the phone call more easily. It follows à in the expression facile à suivre.

Grammar Points

en + infinitif

Il vaut la peine d'en parler.

eel voh lah PEN dahn par-LAY

It is worth bringing it up.

« en » remplace « de cela » et se place avant l'infinitif « parler ».

valoir la peine de + infinitif

Ça vaut la peine de vérifier l'étiquette.

sah voh lah PEN duh vay-ree-fee-YAY lay-tee-KET

It is worth checking the label.

Cette expression signifie qu'une action mérite le temps ou l'effort.

French Vocabulary

aliment noun
ah-lee-MAHN food aliments
comprendre verb
kohm-PRAHN-druh to understand comprends
dose noun
dohz dose
étiquette noun
ay-tee-KET label
éviter verb
ay-vee-TAY to avoid
léger adj
lay-ZHAY mild
médicament noun
may-dee-kah-MAHN medicine
pharmacien noun
far-ma-SYAN pharmacist
prendre verb
PRAHN-druh to take
repas noun
ruh-PAH meals
vaut la peine phrase
voh lah PEN is worth it
vérifier verb
vay-ree-fee-YAY to check

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

So I should bring that up.

Show AnswerDonc, je devrais en parler.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

food

Show Answeraliments

dose

Show Answerdose

to take

Show Answerprendre

pharmacist

Show Answerpharmacien