Seasons
At times, you may want to discuss what you do in the seasons.
l't (summer)
l'automne (fall, autumn)
l'hiver (winter)
le printemps (spring)
To inquire and receive information about the season, use the following: Quelle saison est-ce?
(What's the season?) C'est (It's )
The preposition en is used to express in with all the seasons, except with printemps, when the
contraction au ( + le) is used:
en t (in the summer)
en automne (in the fall)
en hiver (in the winter)
au printemps (in the spring)
Weather - Le Temps
Learn to talk about the weather in French. Click on the links to hear that word or phrase
pronounced in French.
How's the weather?
Quel temps fait-il ?
It is...
Il fait...
hot
chaud
cold
froid
cool
frais
nice out
beau
bad weather
mauvais
humid
humide
heavy
lourd
windy
du vent
sunny
du soleil
foggy
du brouillard
cloudy
nuageux
stormy
orageux
It's...
Il...
raining
pleut
pouring
pleut verse
snowing
neige
Freezing
gle
Weather
As you watch television, listen to the radio, or read the newspaper, you may see la mto (the
forecast). Consult Table 1 for common weather expressions.
TABLE 1
Weather Conditions
French Translation
English Phrase
Quel temps fait-il?
What's the weather?
Il fait beau.
It's beautiful.
Il fait chaud.
It's hot.
Il fait du soleil.
It's sunny.
Il fait mauvais.
It's nasty (bad).
Il fait froid.
It's cold.
Il fait frais.
It's cool.
Il fait du vent.
It's windy.
Il fait des clairs.
It's lightning.
Il fait du tonnerre.
It's thundering.
Il fait du brouillard. Il y a du brouillard.
It's foggy.
Il fait humide. Il y a de l'humidit.
It's humid.
Il y a des nuages. Le ciel est nuageux.
It's cloudy.
Le ciel est couvert.
It's overcast.
Il pleut.
It's raining.
Il pleut ` verse.
It's pouring.
Il neige.
It's snowing.
Il y a des rafales.
There are gusts of wind.
Il y a de la grle.
There's hail.
Il y a des giboules.
There are sudden showers.
The following additional terms in Table 2 will help you interpret forecasts as you hear or see
them.
TABLE 2
Terms Used in Forecasts
French Forecast
English Translation
averses
showers (heavy rain)
bruines
drizzle
brumeux
hazy, foggy
ciel clair
clear sky
faible
weak
fort
strong
fracheur
chilly
French Forecast
English Translation
modr
moderate
orages
storms/rain
tempte
storm/snow
verglas
sleet
Keep in mind that the Centigrade (Celsius) thermometer is used in French-speaking countries.
To convert Fahrenheit to Centigrade, subract 32 from the Fahrenheit temperature and
multiply the remaining number by 5/9;. This will give you the temperature in degrees
Centigrade.
To convert Centigrade to Fahrenheit, multiply the Centigurade temperature by 9/5; and
add 32. This will give you the temperature in degrees Fahrenheit.
Use the thermometer in Figure 1 as a quick weather reference guide. To ask and receive answers
about the temperature, use the phrases in Table 3 .
Figure 1
Centigrade and Fahrenheit.
TABLE 3
Phrases Regarding Temperature
English Phrase
French
What's the temperature?
Quelle est la temprature? or Quelle temprature fait-il?
It's 5 below.
Il fait moins cinq.
It's zero.
Il fait zro.
It's 70 degrees.
Il fait soixante-dix.
