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French vocabulary · Beginner

How do you say "pain" in French?

la douleur

Noun Feminine

In French, "pain" is la douleur.

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Pronunciation

Give douleur a French shape, since "ou" is a plain "oo"; the r is growled lightly at the back of the throat rather than rolled.

Grammar notes

la douleur is feminine. Its plural is douleurs.

Example sentence

Elle ressentit une douleur aiguë dans le dos.

She felt a sharp pain in her back.

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How to remember la douleur

Imagine someone in Paris pointing at a pain and calling it douleur; replay that scene each time you forget.

Related words

Browse all French words in the glossary.

Questions about la douleur

How do you pronounce la douleur?

Give douleur a French shape, since "ou" is a plain "oo"; the r is growled lightly at the back of the throat rather than rolled.

Is la douleur masculine or feminine?

la douleur is feminine. la douleur is feminine. Its plural is douleurs.

How is la douleur used in French?

la douleur is used the same way as the equivalent English noun. For example: Elle ressentit une douleur aiguë dans le dos. (She felt a sharp pain in her back.).

Where can I practice French words for free?

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"Pain" in other languages

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