How to talk about the Weather in France

The Brits are famous for being preoccupied with the weather. Every time I ring my Mum in the UK, a weather update is obligatory! But can the same be said for the French? And if so, do we talk about the weather in French?

Parlez de la Météo

As we live in the beautiful Charente countryside, most of our friends are involved in farming. The weather is therefore an important subject, but the conversations centers more around next week’s coming weather, to prioritise the workload for the current week. 

Being in the heart of Cognac country, frost (le gel) is a concern as well as hail (la grêle) and rain (la pluie) – all of which can tamper with the famous Cognac vines, depending on the time of year.

Quel temps il fait?

Here are some basic phrases to help you in your conversations. 

Il fait beau / mauvais / chaud / froid.

When talking about the temperature, these phrases might be useful:

Il fait bon, il fait doux, il fait frais, il fait froid.

Une cannicule is a heatwave which, in Charente, seems to be becoming more frequent each year.

Il y a des nuages, du soleil, de la pluie, de la neige, un orage, une tempête, du brouillard, de la grêle.

Il pleut, il neige.

More colloquial phrases to use with people you know well are: It’s hot = ça tape ! It’s cold = ça caille ! It’s bad weather = Il fait môche.

Funny idioms

It doesn’t rain like ‘Cats and dogs’ in French, it rains ropes : Il pleut des cordes!  And, it’s not ‘Brass Monkey Weather’, it’s  « Il fait un froid de canard ! » 

A rather vulgar phrase which doesn’t require translation is, « Il pleut comme vâche qui pisse ! »

A strong wind, which in English we might use the term ‘Blowing a Hoolie/Gale,’ in French it’s a wind to blow the horns off the bulls! « Un vent à décornér les bœufs ! »

Talking about the weather is a great way to engage with your neighbours or to practice small talk.

Bonne continuation!

Lead photo credit : Flickr - Boats at Night in Annecy