HomeFrench LessonsFrench StoriesReviews
Making things negative
How to negate French verbs using ne... pas.
My, your, his, her...
How to use possessive adjectives in French
Possession in nouns
How to say something belongs to somebody
The definite article
All the different ways of saying "the" in French
The partitive article
How to say "some" or "any" in French
Communication issues
Words and phrases for when your French deserts you!
Talking about the weather
The ultimate icebreaker
Telling the time
How to ask and give the time in French
Days of the week
Because not every day is Saturday
Talking about your family
Words and phrases for talking about your nearest and dearest
Conversation fillers
How to say "um... well... you know..." in French
Question words
Who? What? When? Where? Why? How much?
Time concepts
How to talk about whether something is early, late or on time.
Un, deux, trois... French numbers
How to count from zero to a million in French
French idioms and expressions
Weird things French speakers say

It's raining cats and dogs!

Phrases and vocabulary for talking about the weather in French

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, you don't say "il est..." ("it is...") but rather "il fait..." ("it makes / does")

Play
il pleut
it's raining
Play
il neige
it's snowing
Play
il y a du vent
it's windy
Play
il y a du brouillard
it's foggy
Play
il fait chaud
it's hot
Play
il fait froid
it's cold
Play
qu'est-ce qu'il fait beau!
what a nice day!
Play
il fait un temps affreux
the weather is terrible
Play
l'orage
storm
Play
la neige
snow
Play
la grêle
hail

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":

Play
il pleut des cordes
it's raining ropes (i.e., it's pouring with rain)

If you think that that doesn't make any sense, take a moment to consider the cats and dogs!

You might also like...

  • More weather vocabulary with examples and audio
  • 125 French weather terms with audio
  • More French vocabulary lessons — huge range with audio pronunciation
  • Children's stories in French

Free French Lessons

Making things negative
My, your, his, her ...
Possession in nouns
The definite article
Quantities "some/any"
Communication issues
Talking about the weather
Telling the time
Days of the week
Talking about your family
Conversation fillers
Question words
Time concepts
Un, deux, trois ... French numbers

The Best Way to Learn French

Getting started: Your goals, needs, and time-frame
Learning how French works: The grammar
Improving your reading and listening skills
Improving your writing and speaking skills
Do you need a tutor? 
Extra tools to snack on
The Intermediate Plateau

Children's stories in French

Petit Poulet
Chicken Little
L'Oiseau et la Baleine
The Bird and the Whale
Les Trois Petits Cochons
The Three Little Pigs
Boucles d'or et les Trois Ours
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Le Petit Chaperon Rouge
Little Red Riding Hood
Le Vilain Caneton
The Ugly Duckling

French course reviews

Best French course reviews
Rocket French review
Learn French in the car — French audio course reviews
Frantastique review
The French Experiment homeFree French lessonsFrench children's stories"Learn French" online course reviews
About usPrivacy PolicyAffiliate disclosureContact us
The Spanish ExperimentThe Italian ExperimentThe German ProjectNEW! The Fable Cottage
©2007 - 2024 TheFrenchExperiment.com