How to Describe Hot and Cold Weather in French with Degree Expressions
Learn to say it's freezing, hot, warm or cool in French using degree words like très, vraiment and trop, with natural temperature phrases.
By TheaFirst conversations · Yapr Learn
French has several everyday ways to talk about temperature, and they do not all work the same way. In this lesson you will learn fixed expressions such as Il fait froid and Il fait chaud, then add degree words to show how hot or cold it really is. You will also learn when to use très, vraiment and trop, and how to say a temperature in degrees. The focus is temperature only, not general weather such as rain or wind.
By the end, you can…
- say that it is hot, cold, warm or cool in French.
- add degree words such as très, vraiment and trop to a temperature phrase.
- ask and answer a simple question about the temperature in degrees.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
Il fait froid aujourd'hui.
It's cold today.
eel feh frwah oh-zhoor-DWEE
The standard, neutral way to say it is cold. Use il fait for general weather temperature.
Il fait très chaud.
It's very hot.
eel feh tray shoh
Très means very. Place it directly before chaud or froid. Do not say il est très chaud for weather.
Il fait vraiment froid.
It's really cold.
eel feh vreh-mahn frwah
Vraiment adds emphasis in everyday speech. It is common in both France and Quebec.
Il fait trop chaud pour moi.
It's too hot for me.
eel feh troh shoh poor mwah
Trop means too, as in more than you want. Add pour moi to say it is too hot for your taste.
Quelle est la température ?
What is the temperature?
kel eh lah tahn-pay-rah-TEWR
Use this to ask for the temperature in degrees. Answer with Il fait followed by a number and degrés.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
For temperature, French normally uses il fait plus an adjective: Il fait froid, Il fait chaud, Il fait doux. To show degree, put très, vraiment or trop before the adjective: Il fait très froid. Il fait vraiment chaud. Il fait trop froid. For a number, say Il fait dix degrés or Il fait moins cinq. Do not use il est for weather temperature.
When to use it
Use il fait froid for cold and il fait chaud for hot. Use il fait doux for mild or pleasantly warm weather, and il fait frais for cool. Très and vraiment are close in meaning, but vraiment sounds more personal and emphatic. Trop shows a problem or excess: Il fait trop chaud dans ce train. In Quebec, people often say il fait frette for very cold in informal speech.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
Il fait froid aujourd'hui, non ?
It's cold today, isn't it?eel feh frwah oh-zhoor-DWEE nohnOui, il fait vraiment froid. Il fait moins cinq.
Yes, it's really cold. It's minus five.wee, eel feh vreh-mahn frwah. eel feh mwan sankEt demain ? Il fait plus chaud ?
And tomorrow? Is it warmer?ay duh-MAN? eel feh plew shohNon, il fait trop froid pour moi.
No, it's too cold for me.nohn, eel feh troh frwah poor mwahA little context goes a long way
In France, il fait froid and il fait chaud are neutral and polite in most situations. Il fait frette is informal Quebec French for very cold and is best avoided in formal writing. Degrees are usually Celsius in France and Quebec, so dix degrés means about fifty Fahrenheit.
One thing to watch for
Saying il est froid for the weather, as in Il est froid aujourd'hui.
Try this instead: For weather temperature, use il fait: Il fait froid aujourd'hui. Il est froid describes a person or thing that feels cold, such as a person who seems distant or an object that is cold to the touch.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you say It's very hot in standard French?
Show a sample answer
Il fait très chaud.
Il fait is the weather pattern, and très goes before chaud. Il fait vraiment chaud is also correct if you want stronger emphasis.
2Which word means too in Il fait trop froid ?
Show a sample answer
trop
Trop means too or excessively. Très would mean very, and vraiment would mean really.
3How would you ask What is the temperature? in French?
Show a sample answer
Quelle est la température ?
This is the standard question. You could also ask Il fait combien ? in informal speech, but quelle est la température is clear and polite.
Use il fait plus a temperature word, then add très, vraiment or trop before it: Il fait très froid, Il fait trop chaud.
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