While doctors in major Paris hospitals often speak English, receptionists, neighborhood pharmacists, and booking apps do not. Knowing the exact French terminology is essential to avoid being turned away at the desk.
The Health System
| Purpose | French Term | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Free Sexual Health Clinic | CeGIDD | Centre Gratuit d'Information, de Dépistage et de Diagnostic. |
| Emergency Room | Urgences | Where you go for emergency PEP. |
| Private Lab | Laboratoire d'Analyses | Where you go to get blood drawn if you use the GP route. |
| General Practitioner | Médecin Traitant / Généraliste | Can prescribe PrEP. |
| Prescription | Ordonnance | You need this to get labs done or pick up meds. |
| State Health Card | Carte Vitale | Essential for getting care reimbursed. |
| Top-up Insurance | Mutuelle | Private insurance that covers what the state doesn't. |
| Third-Party Payment | Tiers Payant | When the pharmacy bills the state/insurance directly so you pay €0 out of pocket. |
Sexual Health and Testing
Do not use English slang when asking for a test. Use the clinical French term so the doctor knows exactly which swab to order.
| Purpose | French Term |
|---|---|
| Chlamydia | Chlamydia / Chlamydiose |
| Gonorrhea | Gonorrhée / Chaude-pisse |
| Syphilis | Syphilis |
| HIV test | Dépistage VIH |
| Blood test | Prise de sang |
| Urine test | Analyse d'urine |
| Throat swab (essential to ask for explicitly) | Prélèvement pharyngé |
| Rectal swab (essential to ask for explicitly) | Prélèvement rectal |
| Undetectable (U=U) | Indétectable |
HIV, PrEP, and PEP
| Purpose | French Term |
|---|---|
| PEP (Emergency HIV prevention within 72 hours). | TPE (Traitement Post-Exposition) |
| PrEP (Daily/On-demand HIV prevention). | PrEP (Prophylaxie Pré-Exposition) |
| Injecting drugs for chemsex. | Slam |
Key Phrases
| Purpose | French Term |
|---|---|
| Do you speak English? | Parlez-vous anglais ? |
| Full STI screen — throat, rectal, and urethral swabs | Je veux un dépistage complet des IST — prélèvement pharyngé, rectal et urétral, plus une prise de sang. |
| Anonymous HIV test | Je veux un dépistage VIH anonyme. |
| I'm on PrEP — need my three-month monitoring | Je suis sous PrEP et j'ai besoin de mon contrôle trimestriel. |
| I want to start PrEP | Je veux commencer la PrEP. |
| HIV exposure — I need PEP (TPE) — within 72 hours | J'ai eu une exposition au VIH à risque et j'ai besoin d'un TPE. Ça fait moins de 72 heures. |
| I have an EHIC card | J'ai une carte européenne d'assurance maladie (CEAM). |
| I need help | J'ai besoin d'aide ! |
| Call an ambulance | Appelez une ambulance ! |
Emergency Numbers
| Number | Service |
|---|---|
| 112 | Emergency (ambulance, fire, police) |
| 15 | SAMU — medical emergency direct line |
| 17 | Police |
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