Talking about the weather in French

The weather is the main topic of most conversations. Knowing the basic words and how to formulate a few sentences about the weather usually 'breaks the ice' at the beginning of conversation. Here you can find extensive vocabulary which you can use in everyday life.

The vocabulary of the weather forecast in French

First you need to know that the word 'weather' is translated with le temps, and that 'weather forecast' we translate as le bulletin météo, la prevision météorologique or simply la météo. French vocabulary used to describe the weather conditions, 'les conditions météo is really rich, and in the table bellow you will find some examples.

These nouns you can find in simple expressions such as:

Examples:

• Un brouillard épais. = A thick fog.
• La neige fond au soleil. = The snow melts in the sun.
• Il y a du vent, du tonnerre et des éclairs; c'est un orage. = There is a wind, thunder and lightning; It is a storm.

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How to describe the weather in French

To describe the weather in French you will mostly use expressions made of verb 'faire', which means 'it takes', you use it for basic weather expressions.

• il + the 3rd person singular of the verb 'faire' + adjective
• il y a + preposition + article + noun
• c'est + adjective
• Il + verb

In the table below you can find the most common verbs and adjectives used in these constructions to describe the weather.

Examples:

• Il va grêler. = It's going to hail.
• Il fait beau/mauvais. = It's a beautiful / ugly day.
• ll fait 20 degrés. = It's 20 degrees.
• Il y a beaucoup de vent. = It's very windy.
• C'est brumeux. = It's foggy.

What is the weather like in French?

To ask What is the weather like?, the francophones usually say Quel temps fait-il?, and you answer with Il fait, but if you want to talk about the temperature you say 'La temperature est de vingt cinq degrés.

• quel temps + 3rd person of verb faire + il
• the 3rd person of verb aller + t +il+ verbe
• the 3rd person of verb faire + il + adjective

Examples:

• Quel temps fait-il aujourd'hui? = What is the weather like today?
• Va-t-il neiger? = Is it going to snow?
• Fait-il nuageux? = Is it cloudy?

When you master all these expressions you will be able to understand weather forecast in French. In addition to this I suggest you to try few exercises that we have prepared for you.