Emergency French Phrases (Medical, Police, Help)

Bookmark this page before you need it. If you are already in the middle of an emergency in France, skip straight to the section you need: the numbers to dial are below, and every phrase is written so you can point at it or read it aloud even if your French is nonexistent.

Most trips to France never touch any of this. But if something does go wrong, a language barrier is the last thing you want slowing you down. These are the exact words French emergency services, pharmacists, and police officers expect to hear, kept short and simple on purpose.

What Number Do You Call In A French Emergency?

France runs four emergency numbers, and dialing the right one gets you help faster. 112 works EU-wide and connects to all services from any phone, even without a SIM card or signal bars, making it the safest default if you are unsure (European Commission, 2024).

The other three numbers are France-specific and go straight to the relevant service, which can save a step:

• 15 — SAMU, the medical emergency service, for anything health-related
• 17 — Police / Gendarmerie, for crime, theft, or immediate danger
• 18 — Sapeurs-pompiers (fire and rescue), for fires and many medical rescues too
• 112 — general EU emergency number, works from any phone, any operator

All four are free to call, and operators can often find English or English-speaking backup within a minute or two (Service-Public.fr, 2024). If you're calling from a landline in a hotel, dial 0 first if instructed by the front desk; from any mobile, just dial the number directly, no area code needed.

For a broader look at staying safe day-to-day, not just in a crisis, see our guide on avoiding pickpockets and petty theft in Paris.

Calling for Help in French

Saying "help" clearly and loudly is often the fastest way to get bystanders moving, and one word does most of the work: "Au secours!" (TV5MONDE, 2023). It's the closest French equivalent to shouting "help" in English, and French speakers respond to it instinctively.

If you need to explain more, keep the sentence short and factual. Don't worry about grammar. Nobody is grading you.

• Au secours ! — Help!
• Appelez une ambulance, s'il vous plaît. — Call an ambulance, please.
• Appelez la police, s'il vous plaît. — Call the police, please.
• J'ai besoin d'un médecin. — I need a doctor.
• Je ne parle pas bien français. Parlez-vous anglais ? — I don't speak French well. Do you speak English?

That last line matters more than people expect. Many French emergency dispatchers and city police, especially in Paris and major tourist regions, have at least basic English (Paris Police Prefecture, 2023), and asking directly in French signals that you've tried, which tends to make people more patient and helpful.

France has four emergency numbers, and knowing them before you need them can save minutes that matter. Dial 112 to reach any emergency service from any phone, anywhere in the EU, even without a SIM card or a network signal, and the call routes automatically to the right service. Dial 15 for SAMU, the medical emergency service, whenever the situation is health related. Dial 17 for police or gendarmerie if you are reporting a crime or facing immediate danger. Dial 18 for sapeurs-pompiers, the fire and rescue service, who also respond to many medical emergencies alongside SAMU. All four numbers are free to call from any phone, mobile or landline, and operators can usually bring in an English speaker within a minute or two if your French runs out partway through the call. Open with "J'ai besoin d'aide, c'est une urgence," which tells the operator immediately what kind of call this is before you explain anything else.

What Do You Say To Describe A Medical Emergency?

Medical staff need location of pain, severity, and any allergies within the first exchange, and pointing at a phrase works just as well as saying it (Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris, 2023). Keep sentences short: name the body part, add "mal" (pain), and mention allergies immediately if relevant.

Useful building blocks for describing what's wrong:

• J'ai mal ici. — It hurts here. (point to the spot)
• J'ai mal au ventre / à la tête / à la poitrine. — I have stomach / head / chest pain.
• Je suis allergique à... — I am allergic to...
• Je prends ce médicament. — I take this medication. (show the box or a photo of it)
• Je suis enceinte. — I am pregnant.
• Il/Elle a perdu connaissance. — He/She has lost consciousness.
• Il/Elle a du mal à respirer. — He/She is having trouble breathing.
• C'est grave ? — Is it serious?

On a trip through the Loire Valley, a friend's family found that showing the pharmacist a photo of a prescription bottle, rather than trying to pronounce the medication name, avoided several rounds of confusion. French pharmacists are trained to recognize international drug names and packaging on sight, so a photo often works faster than speech.

Medical costs and what your travel insurance actually covers are a separate question from the language barrier. Our guide to travel insurance and health care for visitors to France covers what to have ready before you travel, including EHIC/GHIC rules and private policy documents.

Reporting a Theft or Loss to French Police

To file a police report, you need a "dépôt de plainte" for a crime like theft, or a "déclaration de perte" for something simply lost, and the distinction affects your insurance claim (Service-Public.fr, 2024). Insurers usually require the plainte version for stolen items, not just a lost-property declaration.

Key phrases for the police station or on the phone with 17:

• On m'a volé mon sac / mon portefeuille / mon téléphone. — Someone stole my bag / wallet / phone.
• J'ai perdu mon passeport. — I lost my passport.
• Je voudrais déposer une plainte. — I would like to file a police report.
• Où est le commissariat le plus proche ? — Where is the nearest police station?
• J'ai besoin d'une copie du rapport pour mon assurance. — I need a copy of the report for my insurance.

Most visitors assume any police interaction requires fluent French, but in practice, station officers in tourist-heavy areas process foreign-visitor reports constantly and usually have a English-language form or an English-speaking colleague on hand (Paris Police Prefecture, 2023). The phrase that unlocks this fastest is simply asking "Parlez-vous anglais ?" right at the front desk before you start explaining.

For a fuller picture of where theft actually happens in France and how to avoid it in the first place, see pickpockets and safety in Paris.

What Should You Say At A French Pharmacy?

French pharmacies, marked by an illuminated green cross, are often the fastest first stop for minor ailments, and pharmacists are legally trained to recommend treatment for common issues without a doctor (Ordre National des Pharmaciens, 2023). For anything beyond a headache or upset stomach, they'll tell you to see a doctor or go to urgences (the ER).

Phrases that get you what you need quickly:

• J'ai besoin de quelque chose contre... — I need something for... (mal de tête/headache, mal de gorge/sore throat, nausée/nausea)
• Avez-vous ceci en équivalent ? — Do you have an equivalent of this? (show a photo of your home medication)
• C'est pour un enfant de [X] ans. — This is for a child aged [X].
• Combien de fois par jour ? — How many times a day? (for dosage)
• Dois-je voir un médecin ? — Should I see a doctor?

Pharmacists in France (identifiable by a green cross sign) also know which nearby doctors, dentists, and hospitals are taking walk-ins, and many keep a rotating list for after-hours emergencies, so asking "Quelle est la pharmacie de garde ce soir ?" (which pharmacy is on duty tonight) is useful if you need one outside normal hours.

How Do You Contact Your Embassy In France?

If you lose your passport, get arrested, or need consular help after a serious incident, contacting your embassy is the right next step, and nearly all embassies in Paris have 24-hour emergency lines for citizens abroad (U.S. Department of State, 2024). Save your embassy's number in your phone before you travel, not after you need it.

Phrases for reaching or explaining your situation to embassy staff:

• J'ai besoin de contacter mon ambassade. — I need to contact my embassy.
• J'ai perdu mon passeport. — I have lost my passport.
• Je suis citoyen(ne) [pays]. — I am a citizen of [country].
• Puis-je avoir un document de voyage temporaire ? — Can I get a temporary travel document?

Most embassies staff their emergency lines in English by default for their own citizens, so this section matters more for explaining your situation to French police or hospital staff on the way there than for the embassy call itself. Save the number as a physical note too. A dead phone battery shouldn't be the reason you can't reach help.

Frequently Asked Questions

Keep This Page Handy

The core numbers to remember are 112 for any emergency, 15 for medical, 17 for police, and 18 for fire and rescue. Beyond that, a handful of short phrases (asking for help, describing pain, requesting an English speaker) cover almost every situation you're likely to face.

None of this requires fluent French. It requires knowing exactly what to say in the first ten seconds of a stressful moment, which is exactly what this page is for. For the everyday phrases that make the rest of your trip smoother, not just the emergencies, see our essential French phrases for tourists and our take on whether the French really expect you to speak French. And if you're still building your pre-trip language basics, start with learning French before your trip.