Mal Au Coeur?

Question

Why is it «mal au coeur» instead of «je me sens nauséeuse»? Doesn't «mal au coeur» mean heartache?

Accepted Answer

Hi Krishna, 
The expression -
avoir mal au cœur 
means, to feel sick, le chagrin (d'amour) is heartache.
Hope this helps!

Answer

Does "Je me sens nauséeux" work too? Would that be correct also?

Answer

Hi Maluchukwu, 
No, but you could say -
J'ai la nausée

Answer

The funny thing is that when we say "I feel nauseous" in English, it doesn't mean that we feel sick. It actually means that we make OTHER people feel sick !

The correct expression in English when we want to say "I feel sick is "I feel nauseated". This might help to explain why "Je me sens nauséeux/euse" is not correct in French.

"J'ai la nausée" makes much more sense : "I have nausea"