Seasons in French—vocabulary for winter, spring, summer, fall, and related terms to describe time and weather.
Understanding how to talk about the seasons is essential for describing the time of year, weather, and planning activities in French. Below are the four main seasons and related vocabulary to help you discuss the year confidently.
Seasons of the Year
French has four main seasons, just like English. Each season name is masculine, and you use “en” before the season to say “in [season].” Here are the basics:
- Printemps (Spring)
- Été (Summer)
- Automne (Autumn/Fall)
- Hiver (Winter)
| French Singular | French Plural | English Singular | English Plural | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| le printemps | — | spring | — | J'aime le printemps. | I like spring. |
| l’été | — | summer | — | Nous partons en été. | We leave in summer. |
| l’automne | — | — | — | Les feuilles tombent en automne. | The leaves fall in autumn. |
| l’hiver | — | — | — | Il neige en hiver. | It snows in winter. |
Note: Season names are usually singular when talking about the general time of year. They don’t typically have plural forms.
Related Time Vocabulary
Here are some important words that help you talk about time more naturally—like year, month, week, and day.
| French Singular | French Plural | English Singular | English Plural | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| l’année (f) | les années | year | years | L'année commence en janvier. | The year begins in January. |
| le mois | les mois | month | months | Ce mois est chaud. | This month is hot. |
| la semaine | les semaines | week | weeks | Une semaine a sept jours. | A week has seven days. |
| le jour | les jours | day | days | Quel jour sommes-nous ? | What day is it? |
| aujourd’hui | — | today | — | Aujourd’hui, il fait soleil. | Today, it’s sunny. |
| demain | — | tomorrow | — | Demain, il pleut. | Tomorrow, it will rain. |
| hier | — | yesterday | — | Hier, il faisait froid. | Yesterday, it was cold. |
La palabra francesa para ‘mañana’ es ___.
Which French word means ‘next day’ or ‘tomorrow’?
demain
‘Demain’ means ‘tomorrow’. ‘Hier’ is yesterday, ‘aujourd’hui’ is today.
Weather Vocabulary
Seasons often mean different weather. Here’s essential weather vocab to describe what you see and feel.
| French Singular | English Singular | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| le soleil | the sun | Le soleil brille. | The sun is shining. |
| la pluie | the rain | Il y a de la pluie. | There is rain. |
| la neige | the snow | La neige tombe. | The snow is falling. |
| le vent | the wind | Le vent est fort. | The wind is strong. |
| le nuage | the cloud | Le ciel est nuageux. | The sky is cloudy. |
| l’orage (m) | the storm | Un orage approche. | A storm is coming. |
| la température | the temperature | La température baisse. | The temperature is dropping. |
| chaud | hot/warm | Il fait chaud. | It’s warm. |
| froid | cold | Il fait froid. | It’s cold. |
| doux/douce | mild/pleasant | Le temps est doux. | The weather is mild. |
Seasonal Activities
Talking about what people do in each season helps you use verbs and vocabulary naturally.
| French Singular | English Singular | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| faire du ski | to ski | Nous faisons du ski en hiver. | We ski in winter. |
| se baigner | to swim | Je me baigne en été. | I swim in summer. |
| faire une promenade | to take a walk | On fait une promenade au printemps. | We take a walk in spring. |
| récolter | to harvest | Ils récoltent en automne. | They harvest in autumn. |
| porter un manteau | to wear a coat | Je porte un manteau en hiver. | I wear a coat in winter. |
| planter | to plant | On plante des fleurs au printemps. | We plant flowers in spring. |
| faire un pique-nique | to have a picnic | On fait un pique-nique en été. | We have a picnic in summer. |
| ramasser des feuilles | to pick up leaves | Je ramasse des feuilles en automne. | I pick up leaves in autumn. |
Talking About Seasons in Sentences
Use these sentence starters to describe the seasons naturally in French. You can complete them with your own details.
| French Singular | English Singular | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| En , ... | In , ... | En hiver, il neige souvent. | In winter, it often snows. |
| est la saison de ... | is the season of ... | L’été est la saison des vacances. | Summer is the season for vacations. |
| J’aime parce que ... | I like because ... | J’aime le printemps parce que tout fleurit. | I like spring because everything blooms. |
| On peut en . | We can in . | On peut nager en été. | We can swim in summer. |
| Les jours deviennent en . | The days become in . | Les jours deviennent plus longs au printemps. | The days become longer in spring. |
That wraps up the essential French vocabulary for talking about seasons! You can now describe the time of year, weather, and common seasonal activities with confidence.
In French, which preposition is used before season names to say 'in [season]'?
en
The correct preposition is ‘en’. For example, ‘en hiver’ means ‘in winter’.
Flashcards (1 of 34)
- English Singular: spring
- English Plural: —
- English Example: I like spring.
Last updated: Thu Jun 12, 2025
