La météo (part 1)
This video is part of our course beginners 1
“Il fait” + adjective
In this section, we are using “il fait,” which means “it does” followed by an adjective. In this section, we shall be exploring common ways to talk about the weather.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Il fait beau | The weather is nice |
| Il fait chaud | The weather is hot |
| Il fait moche | The weather is miserable |
| Il fait soleil | The weather is sunny |
| Il fait nuageux | The weather is cloudy |
| Il fait froid | The weather is cold |
| Il fait humide | The weather is humid |
| Il fait bon | The weather is good/ pleasant |
| Il fait mauvais | The weather is bad |
| Il fait doux | The weather is mild |
Note
Some of the above sentences can be used with adverbs like “très.” The adverb will go after “fait.”
Il fait très beau The weather is really nice
Note
Some of the adjectives used above can also be used to describe other things than the weather. “Moche” means “ugly,” “bon” means “good” for tastes, smells and abilities, “mauvais” is the opposite of “bon,” “beau” means “beautiful,” “mauvais” means “bad” and “doux” means “sweet or soft.”
Note
You can say two of the above sentences in a row. In this case, the second sentence doesn’t need “il fait.” They can be linked with “et”.
Il fait beau et chaud The weather is nice and hot
Note
You can say two of the above sentences in a row, and link them with “mais” to show contrast. In that case, you will need to say “il fait” after “mais”.
Il fait soleil mais il fait froid The weather is sunny, but it is cold
Verbs
In this section, we are using verbs only. The verbs below can only be used to talk about the weather and can only be used with “il” the impersonal subject for the weather.
| Infinitive verb | Present tense |
|---|---|
| Neiger → To snow | Il neige → It’s snowing |
| Pleuvoir → To rain | Il pleut → It’s raining |
| Grêler → To hail | Il grêle → It’s hailing |
| Geler → To be freezing | Il gèle → It’s freezing |
Note
The French word for “snow” is “la neige,” the one for “rain” is “la pluie.” The French word for “hail” is “la grêle” and the one for “freeze” is “le gel.”
Note
As the above are verbs, “il” must be used even if you are using two sentences in a row.
Il pleut et il gèle It is raining, and it is freezing
“Il y a” + article + noun
In this section, we are using “il y a” which means “there is” or “there are” followed by an article and a noun. The article must be a partitive article. This can only be used in this section as described below.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Il y a du tonnerre | There is thunder |
| Il y a du brouillard | It is foggy/ There is fog |
| Il y a du vent | It is windy/ There is wind |
| Il y a des éclairs (m) | There is lightning |
| Il y a de l’orage (m) | It is stormy/ There is a storm |
Note
Partitive articles are “du”, “de la”, “de l’” and “des”. They mean “some” for uncountable nouns. You can find the lesson on partitive articles in this book. When “des” is followed by a vowel or “h” use a “z” link.
Note
You can say two of the above sentences in a row. In this case, the second sentence doesn’t need “il y a.” They can be linked with “et,” and you must keep the partitive article.
Il y a du tonnerre et des éclairs There are thunder and lightning
Note
You can use this section with “du soleil,” “de la pluie,” “des nuages” or “de la neige.” As “il y a” means “there is or there are,” your sentence will be more descriptive.
Il y a de la neige sur la montagne There is snow on the mountain
“Le temps” + a verb
In this section, we are using “le temps” which means “the weather” plus a verb. The verbs used here are pronominal and must be preceded by “se” or “s.” Some people do not commonly use this section.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Le temps s'éclaircit | It’s clearing up |
| Le temps se couvre | It’s clouding over |
| Le temps se rafraîchit | It’s getting chilly |
| Le temps s’améliore | It’s brightening up |
Note
The lesson on pronominal verbs is in the book: beginners’ level 2.
Note
Instead of using this section, you can use the top section “il fait + adjectives” with “maintenant” which is the French word for “now.”
Il fait beau maintenant The weather is nice now/ It’s brightening up
“Il fait un temps” + adjective
In this section, we are using “il fait un temps” followed by an adjective. Most of the time these sentences are used on their own without anything else about the weather.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Il fait un temps magnifique | It’s a beautiful day |
| Il fait un temps affreux | It’s an awful day |
| Il fait un temps pourri (I) | It’s a rotten day |
| Il fait un temps couvert | It’s overcast |
| Il fait un temps de saison | It’s a typical “season” day |
| Il fait un temps épouvantable | It’s a horrible day |
| Il fait un temps de chien (I) | It’s a dreadful day |
| Il fait un temps superbe | It’s a beautiful day |
Note
(I) means informal.
Note
The literal meaning of “il fait un temps de chien” is “it’s a dog day.”
Note
You don’t need to say anything else about the weather if you use one of the sentences above. They are self-explanatory except if you use “mais” to show contrast.
Il fait un temps magnifique It’s a beautiful day
Il fait un temps magnifique mais il y a du vent It’s a beautiful day, but it’s windy
Note
In French, when you say “il fait un temps de saison,” you don’t need to be precise about the season.
Mixing sections
When talking about the weather, you can of course mix sections together; “et” or “mais” must be used before the last thing you will say. It is more common to mix the three first sections together.
Il fait nuageux et froid, il pleut et il y a du vent
Negation
In French, the negation is expressed by “ne” and “pas.” “Ne” goes before the conjugated verb and “pas” after it. “Ne” becomes “n’” in front of a vowel or “h.” Other negative words can be used instead of “pas”.
Il fait + adjective
In a negative sentence, “il fait” turns into “il ne fait pas” followed by the adjective.
Il fait beau The weather is nice
Il ne fait pas beau The weather is not nice
Verbs
In a negative sentence, “ne” goes before the conjugated verb and “pas” after it.
Il neige It is snowing
Il ne neige pas It is not snowing
Il y a + article + noun
In a negative sentence, “il y a” turns into “il n’y a pas” followed by “de” or “d’” and the noun.
Il y a du vent It’s windy
Il n’y a pas de vent It’s not windy
Note
“Du,” “de la,” “de l’” or “des” turn into “de” or “d’” in a negative sentence. “D’” is used in front of a vowel or “h.”
Le temps + a verb
In a negative sentence, “ne” goes before “se” or “s’” and “pas” goes after the conjugated verb.
Le temps se couvre It is clouding over
Le temps ne se couvre pas It is not clouding over
Il fait un temps + adjective
In a negative sentence, “il fait un temps” turns into “il ne fait pas un temps” followed by the adjective.
Il fait un temps magnifique It is a beautiful day
Il ne fait pas un temps magnifique It is not a beautiful day
