Now that we’re heading straight into winter, at least in the northern hemisphere, it might be nice to talk about seasons in French, to remind us that there are four of them and that the longer and longer nights will soon change course and become shorter and shorter – even as the weather gets colder. For some of us, winter means hibernation – and for others, especially those who love to go hiking in the mountains – it means that there is little worry of running into bears while seeing beautiful majestic cliffs and canyons.
Seasons in France
In France, there are four seasons: winter, spring, summer, and fall, or autumn, as it is sometimes called, after the Latin autumnus. The French use the word automne, which has the same origins, as well as hiver, printemps, and été to designate the three other seasons. Seasons are masculine, but since three out of four begin with vowel sounds, you will often see them preceded by the preposition en. Otherwise, we use the preposition au before printemps, the preposition more often associated with masculine words.
There are corresponding weather patterns for each season, with the winter being cold and even snowy in parts of France, spring being less cold, but chilly and damp, summer being hot and sunny, and autumn being mild and very colorful, with leaves turning brilliant warm hues before their eventual shedding. Speaking about the weather is always a useful topic, whether (nice conjunction here – get it?) it is to determine which clothing to wear, or to avoid brawls, fist fights, or a glass of champagne thrown in one’s face at holiday gatherings because of some remark about politics, someone’s bossy personality, or how much money a donor gave to a hospital wing. I definitely do not need anything dehydrating on my face during the winter season.
Useful Words and Phrases for Each Season
If you’d like to ask about the weather, you can say “Quel temps fait-il ?” To ask about seasonal preferences, you can say “Quelle saison préférez-vous ?” The word faire is used quite a bit in expressions involving the weather. Generally, you would say “Il fait” to introduce an observation about the weather, such as “Il fait beau” (“It’s nice out”) or “Il fait moche” (“The weather is bad”). The word faire is also used for many seasonal activities in which you can participate. Here are some useful words and phrases for each season:
⛄️ Hiver (Winter)
| It’s cold. | Il fait froid. |
| It’s snowing. | Il neige. |
| There’s a snowstorm. | Il y a une tempête de neige. |
| There is black ice. | Il y a du verglas. |
| There’s frost. | Il y a du givre. |
| It’s grey. (This is really useful if you’re in Paris.) |
C’est gris. |
Activities for Winter
| to go skiing | faire du ski |
| to go snowmobiling | faire de la motoneige |
| to go ice skating | faire du patin à glace |
| to make a snowman | faire un bonhomme de neige |
| to go snowboarding | faire du surf des neiges, faire du snowboard, faire de la planche à neige (Canada) |
| to play (ice) hockey | jouer au hockey (sur glace) |
| to sit by the fireplace | se reposer près de la cheminée |
🌱 Printemps (Spring)
| It’s raining. | Il pleut. |
| It’s windy. | Il y a du vent. |
| It’s chilly. | Il fait frais. |
| It’s cloudy. | C’est nuageux. |
| It’s hailing. | Il grêle. |
| There’s a rainbow. | Il y a un arc-en-ciel. |
Activities for Spring
| to go cycling, biking | faire du vélo |
| to go horseback riding | monter à cheval |
| to garden | faire du jardinage |
| to go on a picnic | faire un pique-nique |
🏖 Été (Summer)
| It’s hot. | Il fait chaud. |
| It’s sunny. | Il y a du soleil. |
| It’s humid. | C’est humide. |
| It’s stormy. | C’est orageux. |
| There are thunder claps. | Il y a des coups de tonnerre. |
| I’m sweating. | Je transpire. |
| We’re going through a heat wave. | On est en période de canicule. |
| The heat is killing us. | On crève de chaud. |
Activities for Summer
| to go camping | faire du camping |
| to go to the seaside | aller au bord de la mer |
| to swim | nager |
| to go surfing | faire du surf |
| to go windsurfing | faire de la planche à voile |
| to go scuba diving | faire de la plongée sous-marine |
| to go on a cruise | partir en croisière |
| to go sailing | faire de la voile |
| to sunbathe, to tan | se bronzer |
| to take a nap | faire une sieste |
🍂 Automne (Fall / Autumn)
| It’s misty. | Il y a de la brume. |
| It’s foggy. | Il y a du brouillard. |
| The leaves are changing color. | Les feuilles changent de couleur. |
| The leaves are falling. | Les feuilles tombent. |
Activities for Fall
| to go hiking | faire une randonnée |
| to do handiwork (DIY) | faire du bricolage |
| to go for a walk | faire une promenade |
| to go grape-stomping | fouler le raisin aux pieds |
| to go on a hot-air balloon ride | faire une balade en montgolfière |
| to go rock-climbing | faire de l’escalade |
| to explore the Catacombs (underground ossuaries in Paris whose passages match the streets aboveground) |
explorer les Catacombes |
You can see that whatever the season, there are plenty of ways to describe the weather, as well as plenty of activities in which you can participate. Luckily, France has a varied geography, with weather patterns that differ from region to region, so if you are into winter sports, you can head up to the Alps, and if you are more of a beach person, you can head over to the Mediterranean Sea. Of course, it is not possible to do each and every activity year-round, such as grape-stomping, which is why it is nice to be able to experience France in all of its seasons.
Seasonal activities also provide good topics of conversation at holiday gatherings, along with travel plans, which can create a diversion from more stressful or contentious topics, and can even provide points of common interest (“Vous avez fait une ballade en montgolfière ? Mais moi aussi !”). One can, of course, be opinionated about the weather, attributing any great shifts to climate change, or changement climatique. In this case, it is a good idea to be armed with terms such as élévation du niveau de la mer, gaz à effet de serre, and feu de forêt, or feu de brousse. These can be artfully slipped into social and political discussions – just be sure your physical reflexes are as developed as your linguistic ones. And good luck dodging that flying champagne.
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