How to Talk About the Weather in French

Elisabeth M. -

When you start learning a language, you start with the basics. Most language learning begins this way, whether through in-person classes or online platform. This is because it's a really great way to slowly build up your vocabulary in your target language, but a lot of learners get bored and try to skip certain steps. While this is generally okay, you shouldn't think of the early vocab as useless.

Early vocab is taught early on for a lot of reasons. It's usually simple and doesn't require complicated grammar knowledge. These topics, such as the weather, come up regularly but feel like small-talk. Don't fall into the trap of thinking this vocab isn't important, though, especially when it comes to talking about the weather.

Weather happens everywhere in the world. If you pay attention in your native language, you may just find yourself surprised by how often it's talked about, both in and out of small-talk situations. It's definitely worth learning and doing so early on has a lot of benefits.

Why You Shouldn’t Overlook Weather Vocab in French

You may have priorities when it comes to the French vocab that you need or want to learn as soon as possible. Maybe you're learning French for work. Maybe you're learning it for fun. In both cases, knowing how to talk about the weather will always come in handy.

One of the most important reasons to not overlook weather vocab in French is because weather can be dangerous. Most of the time, your conversations may follow the same, boring path. Those few times when a storm or dangerous weather pattern is rolling in, however, you will want to know what's going on. Some weather can come on unexpectedly and when reading or listening to the news in French, you need to confidently know what is being said.

Another reason to learn weather vocab is that it's easy practice. After all, the weather can be used for small-talk and when you're learning a new language, any moment you can practice speaking is important. Whether you're on the bus or doing some shopping, the weather makes for easy and simple conversation with strangers. This makes for a great opportunity to practice casual, everyday French on a topic that isn't very high stakes.

Talking About the Weather in French

Okay, so how do you talk about the weather in French? You have a couple of different options and it all depends on what you're trying to say and the weather itself. Some types of weather are expressed using il fait while others may use il y a or a specific verb. Here are the most common examples for using the phrases il fait and il y a:

Il fait... (It's...)

  • beau - nice
  • moche - bad (informal)
  • mauvais - bad
  • chaud - hot
  • frais - cool
  • froid - cold
  • humide - humid
  • nuageux - cloudy
  • orageux - stormy
  • # degrés - # degrees

Do note that in French, you will always need to use Celsius to talk about the temperature. If you're used to Fahrenheit, here's a Fahrenheit to Celsius converter you can use as you adjust to a different method of calculating temperature.

Il y a... (There is/are...)

  • des nuages - clouds/It's cloudy
  • du soleil - sun/It's sunny
  • du vent - wind/It's windy
  • du brouillard - fog/It's foggy

For types of weather that have their own verbs, use the impersonnal subject il and conjugate the verb according. Here is a list of the most common verbs in their infinitive and conjugated appropriately:

  • neiger > Il neige - It's snowing
  • pleuvoir > Il pleut - It's raining
  • geler > Il gèle - It's freezing
  • grêler > Il grêle - It's hailing

The Four Seasons in French

In addition to standard weather vocab, you'll probably want to learn the words for each season. The great news is, there are only four of these words and they aren't hard:

  • l'hiver (f) - winter
  • le printemps - spring
  • l'été (m) - summer
  • l'automne (m) - fall/autumn

The seasons are typically used with c'est but they can be used to express a time, such as "in winter". In this case, replace le/l' with en or au:

  • en hiver - in winter
  • au printemps - in spring
  • en été - in summer
  • en automne - in fall/autumn

Types of Extreme Weather in French

While describing the weather in general is good, you also want to know types of weather, especially extreme weather. If someone is talking about a hurricane or a blizzard, you don't want to be confused. Luckily you already know how to express types of weather: il y a plus a noun. Some types of weather may also use c'est plus a noun. If you get the two phrases mixed up, though, don't worry. The sentence will still make sense.

Il y a... (There is a...)

  • une tempête - storm
  • un ouragan (de catégorie 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) - (category 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) hurricane
  • une tornade - tornado
  • un blizzard/une tempête de neige - blizzard
  • un orage - storm
  • un cyclon - cyclone
  • un typhon - typhoon
  • un raz-de-marée - tidal wave
  • une inondation - flood
  • une marée haute - flood tide

C'est... (It's a...)

  • un déluge - downpour
  • une canicule - heat wave
  • une vague de froid - cold spell
  • un coup de foudre - lightning
  • le tonnerre - thunder

Weather Idioms in French

Learning a list of weather vocabulary is great and all, but let's admit it: It's not the most fun thing in the world. It's necessary, but there are more entertaining ways to pass your time than by reciting lists of words.

Learning the weather in French doesn't have to be boring. Just like in English, there are quite a few weather idioms in French that can help you memorize this new vocab, teach you more colloquial French, and change up your study routine.

When it comes to language learning, idioms in your target language are a great tool. In French, there are a lot of fun idioms that can be useful in everyday conversation, and they aren't limited to weather. Some are even similar to English idioms, making them all the more easy to memorize and use.

While weather idioms won't exactly ensure you have something for those small-talk moments, they will help you sound more fluent than you are. This is because you'll be using phrases that French people use and if someone uses an idiom when you're talking with them, you won't be left confused and struggling.

Practice Makes (Almost) Perfect

Let's be honest: You will never speak a language perfectly. Even in your native language, you probably haven't mastered every little grammar rule and you don't know every word that exists. The same is true for additional languages you learn, but don't let that demotivate you. Instead, think of it as a reassurance: Not even French people speak perfect French.

Learning a language is all about doing something new and expanding your communication abilities. As you learn new words, phrases, and grammar rules, you'll encounter things that are more or less frustrating. The important thing to remember is that no matter how easy or hard something feels in French, keep on practicing!

Practice is the only way to improve your French, so take your new vocab words and put it to work! Find someone to speak with, whether they're a stranger on the metro or a language exchange partner online, and put yourself out there. Even if the vocabulary seems easy, regular practice is the only way to ensure that you don't forget it and to increase your confidence.