Body Parts and Definite Articles
In English, we use possessive adjectives ("my", "your", "her") for body parts. In French, when it's obvious whose body part is involved, you use a definite article (le, la, l', les) instead.
| The girl raises her leg and bends her knee. | La fille lève la jambe et plie le genou. |
| I am going to raise my leg, then I will pivot slowly. | Je vais lever la jambe, puis je pivoterai lentement. |
Clarifying with Reflexive Pronouns
French often pairs the definite article with a reflexive pronoun (me, te, se) to clarify whose body part is being affected. Instead of "I stretch my legs," you literally say "I stretch to myself the legs."
| In the morning, I get up and I stretch my legs. | Le matin, je me lève et je m'étire les jambes. |
| Now, I must twist my wrist. | Maintenant, je dois me tordre le poignet. |
| It is the athlete who twists his ankle! | C'est l'athlète qui se tord la cheville ! |
Aches and Pains
This rule also applies when talking about pain using avoir mal à (to have pain in). Remember that the preposition à combines with le and les:
- à + la = à la
- à + l' = à l'
- à + le = au
- à + les = aux
| The acrobat fell yesterday, and she has pain in her hip. | L'acrobate est tombée hier, et elle a mal à la hanche. |
| The juggler has pain in his hip and his wrist. | Le jongleur a mal à la hanche et au poignet. |
| Where do you usually have pain? In your toes or your calves? | Où as-tu mal d'habitude ? Aux orteils ou aux mollets ? |
Your questions are stored by us to improve Elon.io