Questions & Answers about J'ai mal, je vais chez le médecin.
Why is it J'ai mal instead of "Je suis mal" for "I am in pain"?
In French, you express physical pain using the verb avoir (to have) plus the word mal (ache or pain). You literally say "I have pain". If you say Je suis mal, it usually means you feel bad emotionally or are in a bad situation. Why do we use chez here instead of a word like à (to) for going "to" the doctor?
The word chez means "at the place of" or "at the office of" a person. Because le médecin (the doctor) is a person, you use chez to say you are going to their clinic. You only use à for going to places or buildings, like a hospital (à l'hôpital). Since we are learning how to give reasons, how can I use parce que (because) with these two phrases?
You can connect them to show cause and effect: Je vais chez le médecin parce que j'ai mal (I am going to the doctor because I am in pain). Notice that we put the action first, followed by parce que and then the reason! Do I need to change le médecin to feminine if my doctor is a woman?
No, le médecin is traditionally always masculine, even if the doctor is a woman. While some people now say la médecin, using le médecin is still completely standard and correct for any doctor. Learn J'ai mal, je vais chez le médecin and more in French
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