Dialogue
French vet dialogue: booking a visit for an unwell pet
Phone a French vet: describe your pet's symptoms, give its age and weight, and book an appointment. A complete dialogue with practice mode and the key vocabulary.
- A2
- 14 lines
- Practice mode
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In short
At la clinique vétérinaire, say the animal, its age and the symptoms: Mon chien a quatre ans, il ne mange plus depuis hier et il vomit. The receptionist may ask Il boit ?, Il a de la fièvre ? and offer un rendez-vous or une urgence.
Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn

- Accueil
Clinique vétérinaire des Tilleuls, bonjour.
English
Les Tilleuls vet clinic, hello.
- You
Bonjour, j'appelle pour mon chat. Il est malade.
Say you're calling about your cat, who's ill.
English
Hello, I'm calling about my cat. He's ill.
- Accueil
Qu'est-ce qu'il a ?
English
What's wrong with him?
- You
Il ne mange plus depuis deux jours et il dort tout le temps.
Say he hasn't eaten for two days and sleeps all the time.
English
He hasn't eaten for two days and he sleeps all the time.
- Accueil
Il boit normalement ? Il a vomi ?
English
Is he drinking normally? Has he vomited?
- You
Il boit un peu. Il a vomi une fois ce matin.
Say he drinks a little and vomited once this morning.
English
He's drinking a little. He vomited once this morning.
- Accueil
Il a quel âge, et il pèse combien ?
English
How old is he, and how much does he weigh?
- You
Il a neuf ans et il pèse environ cinq kilos.
Say he's nine and weighs about five kilos.
English
He's nine and weighs about five kilos.
- Accueil
Il est déjà venu chez nous ?
English
Has he been here before?
- You
Non, c'est la première fois. Nous venons d'arriver dans le quartier.
Say it's the first time; you've just moved.
English
No, it's the first time. We've just moved to the area.
- Accueil
D'accord. Je vous propose cet après-midi, seize heures trente, avec le docteur Martin.
English
OK. I can offer you this afternoon at 4.30 with Dr Martin.
- You
Parfait. J'apporte son carnet de vaccination ?
Accept and ask if you should bring his vaccination record.
English
Perfect. Shall I bring his vaccination record?
- Accueil
Oui, s'il vous plaît, et venez avec une caisse de transport.
English
Yes, please, and come with a carrier.
- You
Très bien. Merci, à tout à l'heure.
Thank her and say see you later.
English
Very well. Thanks, see you later.
How do you describe a sick pet’s symptoms in French?
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Il ne mange plus. | He's stopped eating. |
| Il vomit. | He's vomiting. |
| Il boite. | He's limping. |
| Il se gratte beaucoup. | He's scratching a lot. |
| Il a la diarrhée. | He has diarrhoea. |
| Elle est abattue. | She's listless. |
French vets keep a carnet de santé or carnet de vaccination for each animal, and cats and dogs must be identified by a microchip (une puce électronique). For night or weekend emergencies, call les urgences vétérinaires or the number given on the clinic's answering machine.