Talking About the Weather｜Everyday French Conversation

In everyday conversation, the weather is a very common topic and often serves as an icebreaker.

In French, there are several ways to talk about the weather. It is important to distinguish between fixed expressions with “Il fait …” and verb-based expressions such as “Il pleut / Il neige.”

Here, I will explain how to use French weather expressions and highlight the key grammar points.

Dialogue

A

Bonjour ! Quel temps fait-il aujourd’hui ?
(Hello! What’s the weather like today?)

B

Il fait beau et chaud.
(It’s nice and warm.)

A

Super ! Et demain, il va pleuvoir ?
(Great! And tomorrow, will it rain?)

B

Oui, d’après la météo, il va pleuvoir l’après-midi.
(Yes, according to the weather forecast, it will rain in the afternoon.)

A

Ah, merci pour l’information !
(Oh, thanks for the information!)

Grammar and Expression Points

1. Asking About the Weather

The standard phrase to ask about the weather is:

Literally translated, it means “What weather is it making?”, a uniquely French phrasing. The subject must always be the impersonal “il ” (third person singular).

Adding time expressions makes the question more specific:

2. Describing Weather with “Il fait …”

To describe general weather conditions, French uses the structure “Il fait + adjective”:

Here, the subject “il ” does not refer to a person but to the weather.

The verb faire normally means “to do/make,” but in this construction it is a fixed expression meaning “the weather is ….”

3. Weather Phenomena Expressed with Verbs

To describe specific weather phenomena, French uses dedicated verbs:

As with other weather expressions, the subject is impersonal “il”. The verbs pleuvoir (to rain) and neiger (to snow) are used only in the third person singular form.

4. Talking About Future Weather

To discuss weather forecasts, French often uses the near future construction “aller + infinitive”:

This structure expresses events that are expected to happen soon, and it is frequently used in weather forecasts.

5. Expressions with “la météo” (Weather Forecast)

The word la météo (short for météorologie) commonly appears in weather-related conversations:

The phrase “d’après …” means “according to …,” and is very useful when talking about information sources.

Summary

泉（Izumi）

Author

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