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A2 phrase #2,000 가장 일반적인 6분 분량

faire mal

To hurt, to cause pain.

At the A1 level, you learn 'faire mal' as a basic phrase to say 'it hurts'. You mostly use 'Ça fait mal' (It hurts) or 'Tu me fais mal' (You are hurting me). You focus on the present tense of the verb 'faire'. You learn that 'mal' means 'bad' or 'pain' in this context. You might use it to tell a teacher or a parent that you are uncomfortable. It is a vital survival phrase for expressing immediate physical distress.
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At the A2 level, you begin to use 'faire mal' with specific body parts using the preposition 'à' (au, à la, aux). You learn the reflexive form 'se faire mal' to describe accidents (e.g., 'Je me suis fait mal'). You understand the difference between 'avoir mal' (having a pain) and 'faire mal' (something causing pain). You can use it in the past tense (passé composé) to describe what happened during an accident.
At the B1 level, you start using 'faire mal' in figurative and emotional contexts. You can describe how a situation or a person's words 'font mal'. You use it in more complex sentences with relative pronouns (e.g., 'C'est ce qui me fait le plus mal'). You also begin to recognize common idioms and can use the imparfait to describe ongoing or recurring pains in the past. Your vocabulary expands to include basic synonyms like 'blesser'.
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At the B2 level, you master the nuances of 'faire mal' in various registers. You can use it to describe social or economic impacts (e.g., 'Cette réforme va faire mal aux petites entreprises'). You are comfortable with the passive-like structures and the placement of multiple pronouns (e.g., 'Il ne s'en est pas fait mal'). You understand the subtle difference between 'faire mal' and 'faire du mal' (to do evil/harm).
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At the C1 level, you use 'faire mal' with stylistic flair. You might use it in literary or formal writing to describe existential or profound suffering. You understand its use in complex grammatical structures like the subjunctive ('Il est possible que cela lui fasse mal'). You can distinguish between physical sensation and the metaphorical 'mal' in philosophical discussions. You recognize the phrase in classical literature and high-level journalism.
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At the C2 level, you have a native-like grasp of 'faire mal'. You understand all its idiomatic variations, puns, and cultural references. You can use it ironically or with extreme precision in medical, legal, or poetic contexts. You are aware of the historical evolution of the phrase and can use it to express the finest shades of discomfort or agony. You can effortlessly switch between 'faire mal', 'navrer', 'mortifier', and other high-level synonyms.
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faire mal 30초 만에

  • Faire mal means 'to hurt' or 'to cause pain' in French, used for both physical and emotional contexts.
  • It is an irregular phrase using the verb 'faire' and usually requires the preposition 'à' before the object.
  • The reflexive form 'se faire mal' is used when you accidentally hurt yourself.
  • It is distinct from 'avoir mal', which describes the state of being in pain rather than the cause.

The French phrase faire mal is a fundamental expression used to describe the act of causing pain, whether physical or emotional. Unlike the English verb 'to hurt', which can be both intransitive ('My leg hurts') and transitive ('You hurt me'), faire mal specifically focuses on the action of inflicting or generating that pain. In its most basic sense, it combines the verb faire (to do/make) with the noun/adverb mal (evil/badly/pain). When you use this phrase, you are essentially saying that something 'makes pain' to someone or something.

Physical Sensation
Used when an object, a person, or a movement causes a bodily ache or injury. For example, shoes that are too tight 'font mal'.
Emotional Impact
Used when words, actions, or situations cause psychological distress or sadness. A breakup or a harsh critique 'fait mal'.
Reflexive Form
When the subject hurts themselves accidentally, the form changes to se faire mal.

'Fais attention avec ce couteau, tu vas te faire mal !' (Be careful with that knife, you're going to hurt yourself!)

'Ces chaussures me font mal aux pieds.' (These shoes are hurting my feet.)

'La vérité peut parfois faire mal.' (The truth can sometimes hurt.)

'Il ne voulait pas lui faire mal.' (He didn't want to hurt her.)

'Est-ce que ça te fait mal quand j'appuie ici ?' (Does it hurt when I press here?)

In a broader context, faire mal can also describe something that is aesthetically displeasing or logically jarring. For instance, a very bright color might 'faire mal aux yeux' (hurt the eyes), or a poorly written sentence might 'faire mal aux oreilles' (hurt the ears/sound terrible). This versatility makes it an essential phrase for A2 learners who are moving beyond simple descriptions to expressing sensations and reactions. Understanding the nuances between 'faire mal' and its synonyms like 'blesser' is key to reaching B1 proficiency. While 'blesser' implies a more serious injury or a specific wound, 'faire mal' is the general go-to for any level of discomfort. Whether you are at the doctor, talking to a friend about a difficult situation, or simply complaining about your heavy backpack, this phrase will be your primary tool for communication.

Using faire mal correctly involves mastering the conjugation of the irregular verb faire and understanding how it interacts with indirect objects. Because 'mal' functions here as a noun phrase component, it remains invariable, but 'faire' must change to match the subject (the thing or person causing the pain).

The 'À' Rule
If you are hurting someone or a specific body part, you must use 'à'. Example: 'Faire mal à Marie' or 'Faire mal au bras'.
Reflexive Usage
When you hurt yourself, use 'se faire mal'. The 'se' is a reflexive pronoun. 'Je me suis fait mal' (I hurt myself).
Word Order with Pronouns
Pronouns go before 'faire'. 'Ça me fait mal' (That hurts me).

In the past tense (Passé Composé), 'faire mal' uses the auxiliary avoir (e.g., 'Ça m'a fait mal'), while 'se faire mal' uses être (e.g., 'Je me suis fait mal'). Note that in 'se faire mal', the past participle 'fait' usually remains invariable because 'mal' acts as a direct object equivalent. This is a common point of confusion for advanced learners. Furthermore, when describing a chronic condition, you might use the imparfait: 'Ça me faisait mal tous les jours'. In the future, 'Ça va faire mal' (It's going to hurt) is a very common expression used both literally and figuratively, such as before a difficult exam or a physical challenge. Mastering these temporal shifts is crucial for natural-sounding French.

You will encounter faire mal in a wide variety of everyday scenarios. It is perhaps most common in medical contexts. A doctor will frequently ask, 'Où est-ce que ça fait mal ?' (Where does it hurt?) or 'Est-ce que ça fait mal quand je touche ici ?'. Patients respond with specific locations: 'Ça me fait mal au dos' (My back hurts/is causing me pain).

In sports and physical activities, coaches and athletes use it to describe the intensity of a workout. 'Il faut que ça fasse un peu mal' (It needs to hurt a little) is a common sentiment in high-performance training. Conversely, if an athlete is injured, they might say, 'Je me suis fait mal à la cheville' (I hurt my ankle).

In emotional or romantic contexts, the phrase is used to express heartbreak. Lyrics in French pop songs often feature lines like 'Tu me fais trop mal' (You're hurting me too much). It conveys a sense of vulnerability and direct impact. In professional settings, a manager might say a budget cut 'va faire mal à l'entreprise' (is going to hurt the company), indicating a negative impact on the organization's health or morale.

The most frequent error for English speakers is confusing faire mal with avoir mal. In English, we say 'My head hurts' (subject is the head) or 'I have a headache' (subject is 'I'). In French, 'avoir mal' is used when the person is the subject: 'J'ai mal à la tête'. 'Faire mal' is used when something else is the cause: 'Le bruit me fait mal à la tête'.

Another mistake is the incorrect use of prepositions. Students often say 'faire mal *sur* la jambe' instead of 'faire mal à la jambe'. The preposition 'à' is mandatory when specifying the location of the pain caused by an external force. Additionally, learners sometimes forget to conjugate 'faire' correctly in the plural: 'Ces chaussures me *fait* mal' is incorrect; it must be 'Ces chaussures me font mal'.

Finally, beware of the literal translation of 'It hurts'. While 'Ça fait mal' is correct for 'It hurts', you cannot say 'Ma jambe fait mal' to mean 'My leg hurts' in the sense of a general ache; you should say 'J'ai mal à la jambe' or 'Ma jambe me fait mal' (My leg is causing me pain).

While faire mal is the most common way to express causing pain, several synonyms offer more precision depending on the context. Blesser is used for more significant injuries or deep emotional wounds. While 'faire mal' might describe a pinch, 'blesser' describes a cut or a broken heart. Peiner is specifically used for emotional sadness or making someone feel sorry. Endolorir is a more formal verb meaning to make something sore or tender.

In medical terms, you might hear élancer (to throb with pain) or irradier (to radiate pain). If the pain is sharp and sudden, the verb piquer (to sting) might be more appropriate. For long-term suffering, souffrir is the preferred verb, though it describes the state of the person rather than the action of the cause. Understanding these distinctions allows a learner to move from basic A2 communication to more nuanced B2/C1 descriptions of physical and mental states.

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1

Ça fait mal !

It hurts!

Basic present tense.

2

Tu me fais mal.

You are hurting me.

Direct object pronoun 'me'.

3

Est-ce que ça fait mal ?

Does it hurt?

Question form with 'est-ce que'.

4

Le chien fait mal au chat.

The dog is hurting the cat.

Using 'à' with a noun.

5

Oh non, ça fait mal !

Oh no, that hurts!

Exclamative use.

6

Maman, ça fait mal ici.

Mom, it hurts here.

Adverb of place 'ici'.

7

Le soleil fait mal aux yeux.

The sun hurts the eyes.

Plural 'aux'.

8

Ça ne fait pas mal.

It doesn't hurt.

Negation 'ne...pas'.

1

Je me suis fait mal au bras.

I hurt my arm.

Reflexive passé composé.

2

Ces chaussures me font mal.

These shoes are hurting me.

Plural subject 'chaussures'.

3

Il s'est fait mal en tombant.

He hurt himself while falling.

Gérondif 'en tombant'.

4

Est-ce que tu t'es fait mal ?

Did you hurt yourself?

Reflexive question.

5

Le sac lourd me fait mal au dos.

The heavy bag hurts my back.

Preposition 'au'.

6

Ne te fais pas mal !

Don't hurt yourself!

Reflexive imperative.

7

La piqûre a fait un peu mal.

The injection hurt a little.

Passé composé with 'avoir'.

8

On s'est fait mal pendant le match.

We hurt ourselves during the match.

Subject pronoun 'on'.

1

Ses paroles m'ont fait vraiment mal.

His words really hurt me.

Figurative use.

2

Ça fait mal de voir ça.

It hurts to see that.

Infinitive construction 'de + verb'.

3

Je ne voulais pas te faire mal.

I didn't want to hurt you.

Negative infinitive.

4

La vérité fait souvent mal.

The truth often hurts.

General truth.

5

Ça me fait mal au cœur de partir.

It breaks my heart to leave.

Idiom 'faire mal au cœur'.

6

Elle s'est fait mal à l'épaule en jouant au tennis.

She hurt her shoulder playing tennis.

Reflexive with specific body part.

7

Est-ce que ça te fait encore mal ?

Does it still hurt you?

Adverb 'encore'.

8

Le froid me fait mal aux mains.

The cold hurts my hands.

External cause.

1

Cette défaite va faire mal au moral de l'équipe.

This defeat is going to hurt the team's morale.

Future tense with 'aller'.

2

Il s'est fait mal tout seul, sans aide.

He hurt himself all by himself, without help.

Emphasis 'tout seul'.

3

L'inflation fait mal au pouvoir d'achat.

Inflation is hurting purchasing power.

Economic context.

4

Ça fait mal là où on ne s'y attend pas.

It hurts where you least expect it.

Relative clause 'là où'.

5

Elle a peur de se faire mal à nouveau.

She is afraid of hurting herself again.

Prepositional phrase 'peur de'.

6

Le bruit strident nous faisait mal aux oreilles.

The shrill noise was hurting our ears.

Imparfait for description.

7

Ça ne fait pas de mal de demander.

It doesn't hurt to ask.

Idiomatic usage 'faire de mal'.

8

Ils se sont fait mal en essayant de déplacer le piano.

They hurt themselves trying to move the piano.

Plural reflexive.

1

L'indifférence peut faire plus mal que la haine.

Indifference can hurt more than hatred.

Comparative 'plus... que'.

2

Il est rare qu'une critique constructive fasse mal.

It is rare that constructive criticism hurts.

Subjunctive 'fasse'.

3

Cette trahison lui a fait un mal de chien.

This betrayal hurt him incredibly much.

Idiom 'un mal de chien'.

4

Le spectacle de la misère fait mal à voir.

The sight of misery is painful to see.

Structure 'faire mal à + infinitive'.

5

Se faire mal pour réussir est une philosophie discutable.

Hurting oneself to succeed is a debatable philosophy.

Gerund-like infinitive subject.

6

Le remords lui faisait mal, jour après jour.

Remorse was hurting him, day after day.

Abstract subject.

7

Elle craignait que son départ ne fasse mal à ses parents.

She feared that her departure would hurt her parents.

Subjunctive with 'ne' explétif.

8

L'absence de réponse fait parfois plus mal que le refus.

The absence of an answer sometimes hurts more than a refusal.

Abstract comparison.

1

L'ironie du sort voulut que sa réussite lui fasse mal.

As fate would have it, his success hurt him.

Passé simple and subjunctive.

2

Il s'ingéniait à lui faire mal par des allusions perfides.

He went out of his way to hurt her with treacherous allusions.

Literary verb 's'ingénier'.

3

Rien ne fait plus mal que le regret des opportunités manquées.

Nothing hurts more than the regret of missed opportunities.

Negative 'rien ne... plus'.

4

Le contraste entre les deux mondes faisait mal aux yeux des observateurs.

The contrast between the two worlds was painful for observers to behold.

Metaphorical 'aux yeux'.

5

Elle se faisait mal à l'âme en ressassant le passé.

She was hurting her soul by dwelling on the past.

Poetic usage 'à l'âme'.

6

Le silence qui suivit fit mal à l'assemblée.

The silence that followed was painful for the assembly.

Passé simple 'fit'.

7

Peut-on faire mal sans le vouloir vraiment ?

Can one hurt without truly intending to?

Rhetorical question.

8

La lumière crue de la vérité finit par faire mal.

The raw light of truth ends up hurting.

Metaphorical subject.

자주 쓰는 조합

faire mal aux yeux
faire mal au dos
faire mal au cœur
se faire très mal
faire mal exprès
faire un mal de chien
faire mal à la tête
faire mal partout
commencer à faire mal
finir par faire mal

자주 쓰는 구문

Ça fait mal ?

Tu me fais mal !

Je me suis fait mal.

Ça ne fait pas mal.

Où est-ce que ça fait mal ?

Ça fait mal à voir.

Faire plus de mal que de bien.

Se faire mal au sport.

Ça va faire mal.

Faire mal à l'ego.

자주 혼동되는 단어

faire mal vs avoir mal

Avoir mal is the state; faire mal is the cause.

faire mal vs mal faire

Mal faire means to do something poorly/wrongly.

faire mal vs être mal

Être mal means to feel sick or uneasy.

관용어 및 표현

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혼동하기 쉬운

faire mal vs blesser

faire mal vs nuire

faire mal vs endommager

faire mal vs peiner

faire mal vs souffrir

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어휘 가족

관련

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사용법

reflexive

Se faire mal is almost always accidental.

figurative

Can describe anything unpleasant to the senses.

자주 하는 실수
  • Using 'avoir mal' when you mean 'to cause pain'.
  • Forgetting the preposition 'à' before the body part.
  • Saying 'Je suis fait mal' instead of 'Je ME suis fait mal'.
  • Not conjugating 'faire' for plural subjects (e.g., 'Ils fait mal').
  • Confusing 'faire mal' with 'mal faire' (doing something wrong).

팁

Pronoun Placement

Always place the object pronoun before 'faire'. Example: 'Ça ME fait mal'.

Body Parts

Review your body parts vocabulary to use 'faire mal' effectively in medical situations.

The 'L' sound

Ensure the 'l' in 'mal' is a 'clear L', not a 'dark L' like in English 'ball'.

Accidents

Use 'se faire mal' for any accidental injury, no matter how small.

Politeness

When a doctor asks 'Ça fait mal ?', it's okay to be very specific about the level of pain.

Avoid Repetition

In stories, alternate 'faire mal' with 'blesser' or 'souffrir' to keep the text engaging.

Context Clues

If you hear 'mal' at the end of a sentence, check if 'faire' or 'avoir' was used.

Interjections

Combine 'faire mal' with 'Aïe' or 'Ouille' for a more natural French reaction.

Heartbreak

Remember 'faire mal au cœur' can mean both sadness and physical nausea.

Daily Practice

Try to describe one thing that 'fait mal' (like a hard workout) every day.

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어원

From Latin 'facere' (to do/make) and 'malum' (evil/bad/pain).

문화적 맥락

In youth slang, 'ça fait mal' can ironically mean something is very impressive or 'sick'.

French doctors often use 'faire mal' to locate symptoms.

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실제 사용 상황

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"Est-ce que tes nouvelles chaussures te font mal ?"

"Où est-ce que ça te fait mal exactement ?"

"Est-ce que tu t'es déjà fait mal en faisant du sport ?"

"Penses-tu que la vérité doit toujours être dite, même si elle fait mal ?"

"Qu'est-ce qui te fait le plus mal au cœur ?"

일기 주제

Décris une fois où tu t'es fait mal en voyage.

Est-ce qu'une critique t'a déjà fait mal ? Comment as-tu réagi ?

Écris sur un sport où on se fait souvent mal.

Pourquoi est-ce que voir la misère nous fait mal au cœur ?

Raconte une situation où tu as fait mal à quelqu'un sans le vouloir.

자주 묻는 질문

10 질문

It is better to say 'J'ai mal à la tête' or 'Ma tête me fait mal'. 'Ma tête fait mal' sounds like the head itself is performing an action of hurting something else.

No, it is very common in emotional contexts to describe psychological pain or heartbreak.

'Faire mal' is usually about pain/sensation. 'Faire du mal' is about doing something morally wrong or harmful to someone's well-being.

Use the reflexive: 'Je me suis fait mal au dos'.

No, in this specific construction, 'fait' remains invariable because 'mal' is considered the direct object.

In very specific slang contexts, 'ça fait mal' can mean something is impressively intense or stylish.

It is 'faire mal à [someone/something]' and 'faire mal de [do something]' (e.g., ça fait mal de voir ça).

Ça fera mal (Simple Future) or Ça va faire mal (Near Future).

Yes, 'Le chat s'est fait mal'.

It is neutral and can be used in any register.

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