avec les prescription

You’ll mostly see this in formal or semi-formal settings. Think of it as the 'professional' version of 'following the rules.' You can use it when talking about your health regimen on an app like Doctolib. You can use it in a legal context to say you are respecting the statute of limitations. It’s a very 'adult' phrase. If you’re texting a friend about a DIY project and you’re following the YouTube tutorial to the letter, you might use it jokingly to sound more serious. Usually, the verb être (to be) or procéder (to proceed) comes before it. For example, Je procède avec les prescriptions de mon médecin. It’s smooth, it’s precise, and it makes you sound like you have your life together.

Imagine you’re a travel vlogger in Paris. You’re filming a segment on how to get your health pass. You might tell your followers, "I followed everything avec les prescriptions of the local authorities." Or picture a Zoom meeting where a project manager is being particularly strict. They might say, "We must build this software avec les prescriptions techniques provided by the client." Even in music, a conductor might insist the orchestra plays avec les prescriptions of the original score. It’s about fidelity to the source. It’s the difference between 'winging it' and 'executing it.'

Use it when the stakes are high. Health is the #1 spot. If your doctor tells you to take a pill every 8 hours with a croissant, and you do exactly that, you are acting avec les prescriptions. Legal matters are #2. If you are a lawyer or dealing with a contract, you want everything to be avec les prescriptions to avoid a lawsuit. It’s also great for technical fields—engineering, coding, or high-end cooking. If you’re following a Michelin-star recipe on TikTok, you’re definitely working avec les prescriptions of the chef.

Don’t use this for social rules or casual advice. If your friend tells you to wear a blue shirt because it brings out your eyes, don’t say you’re doing it avec les prescriptions. That’s way too heavy! It would sound like your friend is a doctor prescribing you fashion. Also, avoid it for simple directions. "Turn left at the bakery" isn't a prescription; it's just a direction. Using it there makes you sound like a robot or someone who takes a croissant way too seriously. Keep it for the big stuff: health, law, and technical standards.

(Unless your doctor literally prescribed you bread for a medical reason, which sounds like a dream diet.)

(Watch your verbs! Use suivre (to follow) or être conforme aux instead of just a literal 'with' if you want to sound more natural.)

(Don't forget the 's'! 'Les' is plural, so the noun must be plural too. It's a small letter but a big giveaway that you're still learning.)

If you want to mix it up, try selon les règles (according to the rules). It's more common and a bit more casual. Or go for conformément aux instructions if you want to sound like a high-powered CEO. À la lettre (to the letter) is another great one for when you’re being extra precise. If you're talking about a doctor's orders specifically, people often just say suivre son traitement (following one's treatment). Use these to avoid sounding like a broken record in your French conversations.

You might hear selon les prescriptions more often than avec. It means the exact same thing but flows a bit better in formal writing. There’s also sous prescription, which means you can only get something (like medicine) if a doctor ordered it. In a legal sense, you might hear la prescription est acquise, which means the time limit has run out and you can't be prosecuted anymore. That's a great 'get out of jail free' card in French law discussions!

Is it always medical? Not at all! While health is common, it’s used in law and engineering constantly. Can I use it for a recipe? Technically yes, if you want to sound like a chemistry professor in the kitchen. Is it formal? Yes, it's definitely on the 'polite and professional' side. Should I use 'ordonnance' instead? If you mean the physical piece of paper, yes. If you mean the *orders* on that paper, use prescriptions.