We always have a friend, relative, or acquaintance sick and it would be great to show them our sympathy by wishing them a speedy recovery or sending them a get well soon card or message.
So, how do we say get well soon in French?
In this post, you will learn all the ways to say it, like take care, get better, rest well, and more. You will also discover the words for checking on a sick person and encouraging him/her. Let’s dive in!
1. The French translation of Get well soon
The basic French word for soon is bientôt, and Get well is translated as bon rétablissement. However, when you want to say get well soon in French, you don't really say "bon rétablissement bientôt".⛔
You just say Bon rétablissement, and this is the most commonly used expression.
There are sereval ways of saying prompt recovery in French and it's important to take into consideration the type of relationship you have with the person feeling unwell.
Considering that they are formal or informal, the use of the pronoun you will be different. You might use toi, te, vous, or none of them. To learn more about how to use the pronoun you, click here.
Below are the other French expressions to wish someone to get better soon.
🔹Rétablis-toi vite /rétablissez-vous vite
In this context we use the reflexive verb se rétablir which means to recover, followed with the pronoun toi or vous;
🔹Prompt rétablissement
Used alone, you don't need to bother about the pronoun. But when you use the verb souhaiter (to wish), you should care for it. You should then say : Je te souhaite un prompt rétablissement or Je vous souhaite un prompt rétablissement.
🔹Guéris vite / Guérissez vite
In this imperative construction, you will omit the pronouns.
2. How to say take care in French?
Another way to show your kindness is by telling the sick person to take care of himself/herself. For that, you can use the expressions
🔹Prends soin de toi or Prenez soin de vous
🔹Prends bien soin de toi or prenez bien soin de vous
This is an emphasized variant of "prends soin de toi" which means take good care of yourself.
You can also say Soigne-toi bien or Soignez-vous bien which can be literally translated as heal yourself well.
3. French Words for checking on a sick person
A few days after you have wished get well soon to your friends, colleagues, or relatives, you might want to check on them. In French it is called prendre des nouvelles de quelqu'un.
Here are some expressions to handle it the French way :
Je voulais prendre de tes nouvelles /de vos nouvelles => I wanted to check on you
Comment te sens-tu aujourd'hui? / Comment vous sentez-vous aujourd'hui? => How do you feel today?
Tu vas mieux? / Vous allez mieux? => Are you feeling better?
Tu te sens en meilleure forme?/Vous vous sentez en meilleure forme? => Are you feeling better?
Note that we use a lot the verbs aller (to go) and se sentir (to feel) in this context.
4. French expressions to encourage a sick person
Sick people often need your encouragement to feel better. It helps them recover fast. Here is how you could give a little bit of hope and motivation to them so that they are able to face their sickness (vaincre leur maladie as we say in French).
Du courage, tu iras mieux d'ici peu => Hold on tight, you will get well soon
Sois fort (e), tu seras bientôt sur pied => Be strong, you will be up on your feet soon
Nous espérons que tu te remettras bientôt/ Nous espérons que tu seras bientôt sur pied => We hope that you will be up on your feet soon
Repose-toi bien => Rest well.
Depending on your relationship, you can turn these expressions to a formal situation by using vous.
Conclusion
Wishing "get well soon" to your close friends or relatives is a way to show that you are caring for them. That's why it is important for you to know the related vocabulary.