français · A1 · vocabulary · 4 minutes
Weather and temperature
Understand a forecast and describe the conditions outside.
Understand the choice
French distributes weather across several patterns. Il fait chaud and il fait du vent use faire, il y a des nuages presents what is visible, and il pleut describes precipitation.
Core rule: Use impersonal il fait for general temperature and conditions; il y a for visible weather nouns, and specific verbs such as pleuvoir.
Notice it in context
Il fait chaud, mais demain il fera froid.
It is hot, but tomorrow it will be cold.
Il fait gives today’s condition; il fera is the simple future used in the forecast.
Il y a des nuages et il pleut.
There are clouds and it is raining.
Il y a presents clouds; il pleut is an impersonal weather verb.
La température est de vingt degrés.
The temperature is twenty degrees.
Être de + number + degrés states a measured temperature.
What to remember
- For a person’s sensation, say j’ai chaud or j’ai froid, not je suis chaud or froid.
- Ensoleillé means sunny and nuageux means cloudy; both agree with a noun when used adjectivally.
Common trap: Je suis chaud can mean physically warm in a marked sense and is not the neutral way to say “I feel hot.” Use j’ai chaud.