Here are 20 common weather phrases in French:
| La météo | IPA* | The weather |
|---|---|---|
| Le beau temps | Good weather | |
| Il fait beau | [il fɛ bo] | It’s sunny |
| Il fait chaud | [il fɛ ʃo] | It’s hot |
| Il fait très chaud | [il fɛ tʀɛ ʃo] | It’s very hot |
| Il fait bon | [il fɛ bɔ̃] | The weather is nice |
| Il fait doux | [il fɛ du] | It’s mild |
| Il fait frais | [il fɛ fʀɛ] | It’s cool |
| Il y a du soleil | [il i ja dy sɔlɛj] | It’s sunny |
| C’est ensoleillé | [sɛ ɑ̃sɔleje] | It’s sunny |
| Le mauvais temps | Bad weather | |
| Il fait mauvais | [il fɛ mɔvɛ] | The weather is bad |
| Il fait froid | [il fɛ fʀwa] | It’s cold |
| Il fait très froid | [il fɛ tʀɛ fʀwa] | It’s very cold |
| Il pleut | [il plø] | It’s raining |
| Il neige | [il nɛʒ] | It’s snowing |
| Il y a du vent | [il i ja dy vɑ̃] | It’s windy |
| Il y a des nuages | [il i ja de nɥaʒ] | It’s cloudy |
| Il y a de l’orage | [il i ja də zɔʀaʒ] | It’s stormy |
| Il y a du brouillard | [il i ja dy bʀujaʀ] | It’s foggy |
| Il y a de la brume | [il i ja də la bʀym] | It’s misty |
| C’est nuageux | [sɛ nɥaʒø] | It’s cloudy |
| C’est orageux | [sɛ ɔʀaʒø] | It’s stormy |
| C’est pluvieux | [sɛ plyvjø] | It’s rainy |
It is also frequent to hear French speakers saying “y’a” in an informal situation, instead of “il y a”, like for example:
- Y’a du brouillard. It’s foggy.
- Y’a beaucoup plu. It rained a lot.
Talking about temperature
Here are several ways to talk about temperature in French:
- La température est d’environ 15°. The temperature is about 15°.
- Il fait environ 15°. It is around 15°.
- Il fait entre 15° et 18°. The temperature is between 15° and 18°.
Questions to ask about the weather
Alongside these weather phrases here are some common questions you can ask about the weather:
- Quel temps il fait aujourd’hui chez toi ? What’s the weather like today where you are?
Il pleut ici. It rains here.
- Quel temps il a fait pendant tes vacances ? What was the weather like during your holidays?
Il a fait beau et chaud presque tous les jours. It was sunny and warm almost everyday.
You can also ask:
- Comment est la météo ? What is the weather like?
- Est-ce qu’il fait beau ? Is the weather nice?
- Quel temps il fait là-bas ? What is the weather like over there?
To finish, here are two other weather expressions that I like to use:
- Ça caille (informal). It’s freezing.
- On est trempé.e. We’re soaked/drenched.
Seasons
To finish, here is a table with the seasons in French, how to pronounce them and their respective prepositions:
| Les saisons | IPA* | Seasons |
|---|---|---|
| Le printemps | [lə pʀɛ̃tɑ̃] | Spring |
| Au printemps | [o pʀɛ̃tɑ̃] | In spring |
| L’été | [l’ete] | Summer |
| En été | [ɑ̃ nete] | In summer |
| L’automne | [l’ɔtɔn] | Autumn |
| En automne | [ɑ̃ nɔtɔn] | In autumn |
| L’hiver | [l’ivɛʀ] | Winter |
| En hiver | [ɑ̃ nivɛʀ] | In winter |
We make the liaison between “en” and “été”, “automne” and “hiver” (shown in bold).
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