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French hospital room vocabulary: explore the bedside and ward

Edited by Chris Lee · Updated · About the library

Explore twelve hospital-room fixtures and bedside objects in French, then identify what patients, visitors and staff mean in short exchanges.

In short

In a hospital room, le lit is the bed, la sonnette d’appel is the call button and la table de chevet is the bedside cabinet. Explore twelve visible objects, then use the exchanges to identify what each person means.

A calm hospital room with patient in bed, bedside water jug, call button, overbed table and visitor chair.
A visit gives the objects in la chambre a purpose. Illustration: Atelier

Around the patient’s bed

A tidy single hospital room viewed from the open doorway. A bed with a white pillow and a folded blanket stands in the centre. A small bedside cabinet on its le
Two tables, two locations
FrenchEnglish
sur la table de cheveton the bedside cabinet
sur la table de liton the overbed table
au pied du litat the foot of the bed
près de l’oreillernear the pillow

Une visite dans la chambre

Maya entre dans la chambre de son père. Elle voit le distributeur de gel près de la porte. Son père est assis dans le lit. « Tu peux me passer la carafe ? Elle est sur la table de chevet1. » Maya la prend à côté du verre.

Une infirmière arrive avec le repas. Elle pose le plateau sur la table de lit2. « Ton livre est sous la couverture », dit Maya à son père. Il cherche ensuite la sonnette d’appel3, près de son oreiller. Maya la lui montre, puis s’assied dans le fauteuil près de la fenêtre.

Read it in English

Maya enters her father’s room. She sees the hand-gel dispenser by the door. Her father is sitting in bed. “Can you pass me the water jug? It’s on the bedside cabinet.” Maya picks it up beside the glass.

A nurse arrives with the meal. She puts the tray on the overbed table. “Your book is under the blanket,” Maya says to her father. He then looks for the call button, near his pillow. Maya points it out, then sits in the armchair by the window.

Point to the object they mean
  1. Patient

    Je cherche le bouton pour appeler quelqu’un.

    I’m looking for the button to call someone.

  2. Visiteuse

    La petite commande près de votre oreiller ?

    The small control near your pillow?

  3. Patient

    Oui, merci. Et mon livre est sous la couverture.

    Yes, thank you. And my book is under the blanket.

  4. Infirmière

    Je pose votre plateau sur la table de lit.

    I’m putting your tray on the overbed table.

Question 1No account needed
The patient wants the button for calling someone. What is it?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

la sonnette d’appel. The handheld button beside the pillow is la sonnette d’appel.

Question 2No account needed
Where does the nurse put the meal tray?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

sur la table de lit. The meal tray goes on la table de lit, which extends over the bed.

Question 3No account needed
Which object supports the hanging fluid bag?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

le pied à perfusion. The wheeled metal support is le pied à perfusion; the bag is la poche de perfusion.

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