It's raining cats and dogs!
Phrases and vocabulary for talking about the weather
Ahh... the weather. Like it or loathe it, when you run out of everything else it will always be there... the universal conversation starter! Master the following phrases and vocabulary as your introduction to this most popular of subjects.
Pay attention to a couple of differences between French and English in the following phrases: "It's windy" translates to "There is some wind", and "it's foggy" does a similar thing with "There is some fog".
Also note that when it comes to weather, we don't say "il est..." (it is) but rather il fait... (it makes/does).
it's raining: il pleut
it's snowing: il neige
it's windy: il y a du vent
it's foggy: il y a du brouillard
it's hot: il fait chaud
it's cold: il fait froid
what a nice day!: qu'est-ce qu'il fait beau!
the weather is terrible: il fait un temps affreux
storm: l'orage
snow: la neige
hail: la grêle
It's raining... ropes?
In English we might say "It's raining cats and dogs!" to communicate the idea that the rain is somewhat heavy. French speakers have an equally bewildering saying: "It's raining ropes": il pleut des cordes.
If you think that that doesn't make any sense, take a moment to consider the cats and dogs!
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