Updated January 19, 2026 with newly added audio — Lesson written by French teacher David Issokson for students who want to learn French online, with native audio by Marie Assel Cambier, a voice artist from France.
How to talk about the weather in French (with native audio)
Talking about the weather in French is simple once you understand the patterns. Instead of memorizing random phrases, French relies on just three core structures that cover almost every situation.
In this lesson, you’ll learn the most common weather expressions, how to avoid classic mistakes like il fait pleut, and hear clear, native audio at the right moments to help everything stick. Listen now:
👉 Quel temps fait-il ? — How’s the weather?
👉 Il fait beau — It’s nice out
👉 Il fait froid — It’s cold
👉 Il fait du soleil — It’s sunny
👉 Il pleut — It’s raining
👉 Il neige — It’s snowing
French weather terms — the 3 patterns you MUST know
1. Il fait + adjective (describing conditions)
Use this pattern to describe how the weather feels.
👉 Il fait beau — It’s nice out
👉 Il fait chaud — It’s hot
👉 Il fait froid — It’s cold
👉 Il fait frais — It’s cool / chilly
👉 Il fait humide — It’s humid
👉 Il fait nuageux — It’s cloudy
👉 Il fait mauvais — The weather is bad
Examples:
➔ Il fait beau aujourd’hui. It’s nice out today.
➔ Il fait froid ce soir. It’s cold out this evening.
➔ Il fait très chaud. It’s very hot out.
💡 These are the easiest weather forms and most students get them right.
2. Il fait du + noun (weather elements)
Use this pattern for nouns (sun, wind, fog, etc.)
👉 Il fait du soleil — It’s sunny
👉 Il fait du vent — It’s windy
👉 Il fait du brouillard — It’s foggy
Examples:
Il fait du soleil aujourd’hui. It’s sunny out today.
Il fait du brouillard ce soir. It’s foggy out tonight.
⚠️ It’s a common mistake for students to omit the “du.” For example:
❌ Il fait soleil — It’s sunny out
✅ Il fait du soleil — It’s sunny out
3. Il + verb (weather actions)
Some weather expressions use a verb by themselves.
👉 Il pleut — It’s raining
👉 Il pleut à verse — It’s pouring
👉 Il neige — It’s snowing
👉 Il grêle — It’s hailing
👉 Il gèle — It’s freezing
⚠️ This is where learners often get confused — you must use the verbs here. For example:
❌ Il fait pleut — It’s raining
✅ Il pleut — It’s raining
Temperature (numbers + weather)
To talk about temperature, use:
Il fait + number + degrés
Examples:
- Il fait vingt degrés. — It’s 20 degrees out.
- Il fait moins cinq degrés. — It’s minus 5 degrees out.
📌 French uses Celsius, not Fahrenheit.
Common weather nouns (reference)
These words often appear in forecasts and news.
- La pluie — rain
- La neige — snow
- Le soleil — sun
- Le nuage — cloud
- Le brouillard — fog
- L’éclair — lightning
- Le tonnerre — thunder
Extreme weather (reference)
- La canicule — heatwave
- L’ouragan — hurricane
- La tornade — tornado
- Le cyclone — cyclone
- L’inondation — flood
French weather idioms and slang
French uses colorful expressions like:
- Il fait un temps de chien — the weather is terrible
- Il fait un froid de canard — it’s freezing
- Il pleut à seaux — it’s raining buckets
- Il fait un soleil de plomb — it’s scorching hot
- Ça caille — it’s freezing
👉 See also: Un temps de chien – complete lesson »
Summary (lock it in)
✔ French weather follows 3 simple patterns
✔ Il fait + adjective
✔ Il fait du + noun
✔ Il + verb
✔ If you choose the right pattern, you won’t make mistakes
You must know the numbers to talk about the weather in French.
👉 See also: French numbers 1-100 (with audio) »
Need more help?
If you’d like more guided listening practice, I also recommend À Moi Paris, an online French course I’ve personally reviewed and used with students. The lessons focus on real spoken French with clear, natural audio recorded at multiple speeds.
👉 Learn more about À Moi Paris »
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French Weather Terms — Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
How do you talk about the weather in French?
French weather expressions follow three simple patterns: il fait + adjective, il fait du + noun, and il + verb. Once you know which pattern to use, most weather phrases become easy.
What does “Quel temps fait-il ?” mean?
Quel temps fait-il ? means “How’s the weather?” It is the most common way to ask about the weather in French.
When do you use “il fait” for the weather?
Use il fait with adjectives to describe how the weather feels, such as il fait beau or il fait froid.
Why do you say “il fait du soleil” and not “il fait soleil”?
Because soleil is a noun. French requires du in this structure, so the correct form is il fait du soleil.
Why can’t you say “il fait pleut”?
Because pleuvoir is a verb. Weather actions use il + verb, so you must say il pleut.
How do you talk about temperature in French?
Use il fait + number + degrés, for example il fait vingt degrés or il fait moins cinq degrés. French uses Celsius, not Fahrenheit.
Who wrote this lesson and who provided the audio?
This lesson was written by French teacher David Issokson, and the native French audio was provided by Marie Assel Cambier, a professional voice artist from France.
Bonjour Michelle – Thanks for catching this! -David
Why are you adding a “t” on “quel temps fait-il”? It’s not “fait t-il”. Because of liaison, there is no reason to add a “t” after “fait.”