Talking about the weather is one of the first things you learn in any language. In French, la météo (the weather) is a very common topic in daily conversations. Whether you are greeting someone or planning a trip, knowing how to talk about the weather in French is extremely useful.
Simple Examples to Get Started
Here are a few everyday sentences you might hear or say in French:
- Il fait beau aujourd’hui. — The weather is nice today.
- Il pleut. — It is raining.
- Il fait froid ce matin. — It is cold this morning.
- Quel temps fait-il ? — What is the weather like?
As you can see, French uses the expression il fait (literally “it makes”) very often to describe weather conditions. This is a key structure to remember!
Les éléments de la météo en français
Let’s explore the main components of weather vocabulary in French. We will look at three important areas: general weather expressions, temperature, and seasons.
General Weather Expressions
In French, many weather expressions follow a simple pattern. You often use il fait + an adjective, or a verb like il pleut (it rains) and il neige (it snows).
| French Expression | English Translation |
|---|---|
| Il fait beau | The weather is nice |
| Il fait mauvais | The weather is bad |
| Il fait chaud | It is hot |
| Il fait froid | It is cold |
| Il pleut | It is raining |
| Il neige | It is snowing |
| Il y a du vent | It is windy |
| Il y a du soleil | It is sunny |
Talking About Temperature
When French people talk about temperature, they use degrés (degrees) and the Celsius scale. Here are some useful examples:
- Il fait 20 degrés. — It is 20 degrees.
- La température est de 5 degrés. — The temperature is 5 degrees.
- Il fait moins 3 degrés. — It is minus 3 degrees.
Note that France and most French-speaking countries use the Celsius system, not Fahrenheit.
The Four Seasons in French
Weather also depends on the season. Here are the four seasons in French:
- Le printemps — Spring
- L’été — Summer
- L’automne — Autumn / Fall
- L’hiver — Winter
Example sentences:
- En été, il fait chaud. — In summer, it is hot.
- En hiver, il neige souvent. — In winter, it often snows.
- Au printemps, il pleut parfois. — In spring, it sometimes rains.
Why Talking About the Weather in French Matters
You might wonder: why is it so important to learn weather vocabulary in French? Here are a few good reasons:
- It is used every day. French people talk about the weather all the time — at work, with friends, or when meeting strangers.
- It helps you start conversations. Talking about the weather is a polite and easy way to begin a conversation in French.
- It builds your vocabulary. Learning weather words helps you understand the news, TV forecasts, and travel information in French.
- It teaches you key grammar structures. Expressions like il fait and il y a appear in many other contexts in French, so learning them now saves you time later.
Comparaison avec d’autres langues
It is always helpful to compare French with other languages you may already know. Here is a quick comparison between French, Spanish, and English:
| English | French | Spanish |
|---|---|---|
| It is hot | Il fait chaud | Hace calor |
| It is cold | Il fait froid | Hace frío |
| It is raining | Il pleut | Llueve |
| It is snowing | Il neige | Nieva |
| It is windy | Il y a du vent | Hace viento |
| What is the weather like? | Quel temps fait-il ? | ¿Qué tiempo hace? |
Interesting fact: French and Spanish both use a structure meaning “it makes” (il fait / hace) for weather. English, on the other hand, uses “it is.” This small difference is important to remember when you speak French!
Exemple complet
Here is a short and simple dialogue between two friends talking about the weather in French. Read it carefully and try to understand each sentence.
— Bonjour Marie ! Quel temps fait-il aujourd’hui ?
— Hello Marie! What is the weather like today?
— Il fait froid et il y a du vent. Prends ton manteau !
— It is cold and it is windy. Take your coat!
— Est-ce qu’il va pleuvoir ?
— Is it going to rain?
— Oui, probablement cet après-midi.
— Yes, probably this afternoon.
Points à retenir
- Use il fait + adjective for most weather descriptions: il fait beau, il fait froid, il fait chaud.
- Use il y a for weather with nouns: il y a du vent, il y a du soleil.
- Some weather verbs stand alone: il pleut, il neige.
- Ask about the weather with: Quel temps fait-il ?
- Learn the four seasons: le printemps, l’été, l’automne, l’hiver.
- France uses Celsius for temperature.
Sources
- Bescherelle — La Grammaire pour tous, Hatier, 2012.
- Council of Europe — Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), available at coe.int.
- TV5Monde — French language learning resources, available at apprendre.tv5monde.com.