This is a list of 25 common words for talking about weather in French, each with IPA, audio, a translation and an example sentence. Play any word to hear it, check yourself in the quiz and download the list for Anki or Quizlet.
Weather in French: le temps, le soleil, le nuage, le vent, l'orage, le tonnerre, l'éclair. The table below gives all 25 words with IPA, audio, a translation and an example sentence. A quiz of 10 questions checks what you remember, and the list can be downloaded for a spreadsheet, Quizlet or Anki.
| Word | Translation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| le temps /tɑ̃/ | weather | Quel temps fait-il aujourd'hui dans votre ville ? What is the weather like in your city today? |
| le soleil /solɛj/ | sun | Le soleil brille dans le jardin ce matin. The sun is shining in the garden this morning. |
| le nuage /nyaʒ/ | cloud | Un gros nuage cache le soleil depuis midi. A large cloud has been hiding the sun since noon. |
| le vent /vɑ̃/ | wind | Le vent souffle fort près de la mer. The wind is blowing strongly near the sea. |
| l'orage /oʁaʒ/ L'orage is masculine. | storm | L'orage arrive ce soir après une journée chaude. The storm is arriving this evening after a hot day. |
| le tonnerre /tɔnɛʁ/ | thunder | Le tonnerre réveille mon petit frère la nuit. The thunder wakes my little brother at night. |
| l'éclair /eklɛʁ/ L'éclair is masculine. | lightning | Un éclair traverse le ciel pendant l'orage. A flash of lightning crosses the sky during the storm. |
| le brouillard /bʁujaʁ/ | fog | Le brouillard couvre la route ce matin. The fog covers the road this morning. |
| la glace /ɡlas/ | ice | La glace fond rapidement au soleil. The ice is melting quickly in the sun. |
| le gel /ʒɛl/ | frost | Le gel abîme les fleurs pendant la nuit. The frost damages the flowers during the night. |
| la grêle /ɡʁɛl/ | hail | La grêle tombe soudainement sur les voitures. Hail suddenly falls on the cars. |
| l'arc-en-ciel /aʁkɑ̃sjɛl/ The plural is les arcs-en-ciel. | rainbow | Un arc-en-ciel apparaît après la pluie. A rainbow appears after the rain. |
| le ciel /sjɛl/ | sky | Le ciel devient rose au coucher du soleil. The sky turns pink at sunset. |
| la température /tɑ̃peʁatyʁ/ | temperature | La température baisse beaucoup cette nuit. The temperature is dropping a lot tonight. |
| l'humidité /ymidite/ L'humidité is feminine. | humidity | L'humidité est forte dans cette région tropicale. The humidity is high in this tropical region. |
| la bruine /bʁyin/ | drizzle | Une petite bruine tombe depuis ce matin. A little drizzle has been falling since this morning. |
| la brise /bʁiz/ | breeze | Une brise fraîche entre par la fenêtre. A cool breeze comes in through the window. |
| l'ouragan /uʁaɡɑ̃/ L'ouragan is masculine. | hurricane | L'ouragan approche des côtes cette semaine. The hurricane is approaching the coast this week. |
| la tornade /tɔʁnad/ | tornado | La tornade détruit plusieurs maisons dans la région. The tornado destroys several houses in the region. |
| l'inondation /inɔ̃dasjɔ̃/ L'inondation is feminine. | flood | L'inondation bloque les routes après de fortes pluies. The flood blocks the roads after heavy rain. |
| la sécheresse /seʃʁɛs/ | drought | La sécheresse dure depuis plusieurs mois. The drought has lasted for several months. |
| la météo /meteo/ | forecast | Je regarde la météo avant de partir. I check the forecast before leaving. |
| le parapluie /paʁaplyi/ | umbrella | Prends ton parapluie, il va pleuvoir bientôt. Take your umbrella, it is going to rain soon. |
| le flocon de neige /flokɔ̃ də nɛʒ/ | snowflake | Un flocon de neige tombe sur mon manteau. A snowflake falls onto my coat. |
| la flaque /flak/ | puddle | Les enfants sautent dans une flaque après la pluie. The children jump in a puddle after the rain. |
The list on this page has 25 words. The first ones are le temps (weather), le soleil (sun), le nuage (cloud). Each comes with IPA, audio, a translation and an example sentence.
Take the quiz on this page, then download the list for Anki or Quizlet and review a few words every day. In Lingo7 you can read books in French with a translation under every sentence and meet the same words in context.
Press the play button next to a word or an example sentence to hear it. The IPA under each word shows the sounds too: l'orage is pronounced /oʁaʒ/.