Small talk in French is a great way to start conversations and connect with others. This guide covers common vocabulary across key topics like the weather, daily life, hobbies, and travel.

Weather

Talking about the weather is a classic small talk topic in French. Here are some useful words and phrases to help you describe the weather and ask about conditions.

French Singular	French Plural	English Singular	English Plural	Example (French)	Example (English)
le temps	—	the weather	—	Quel temps fait-il aujourd’hui ?	What’s the weather like today?
le soleil	—	the sun	—	Il y a du soleil.	It’s sunny.
la pluie	—	the rain	—	Il pleut beaucoup.	It’s raining a lot.
le nuage	les nuages	the cloud	the clouds	Le ciel est couvert de nuages.	The sky is cloudy.
le vent	—	the wind	—	Le vent souffle fort.	The wind is blowing strongly.
la neige	—	the snow	—	Il neige en hiver.	It snows in winter.
la température	—	the temperature	—	La température est de 20 degrés.	The temperature is 20 degrees.
l’orage	les orages	the storm	the storms	Il y a un orage ce soir.	There’s a storm this evening.
la météo	—	the weather forecast	—	J’ai regardé la météo ce matin.	I looked at the weather forecast this morning.
l’arc-en-ciel	—	the rainbow	—	Nous avons vu un arc-en-ciel.	We saw a rainbow.

These words will help you describe the weather and keep the conversation going.

Daily Life

Small talk often includes questions about someone’s daily life. Here’s vocabulary to talk about routines, work, and general activities.

French Singular	French Plural	English Singular	English Plural	Example (French)	Example (English)
la journée	les journées	the day	the days	Ma journée a été très chargée.	My day was very busy.
le travail	—	the work / job	—	Je vais au travail à huit heures.	I go to work at eight o’clock.
l’école	—	the school	—	Les enfants sont à l’école.	The children are at school.
la pause	les pauses	the break	the breaks	Je prends une pause café.	I’m taking a coffee break.
la maison	les maisons	the house	the houses	Je rentre à la maison tôt.	I go home early.
le repas	les repas	the meal	the meals	Quel est le repas du soir ?	What’s for dinner?
le dîner	—	the dinner	—	Nous dînons à 19 heures.	We have dinner at 7 p.m.
le matin	—	the morning	—	Je suis plus productif le matin.	I’m more productive in the morning.
l’après-midi	—	the afternoon	—	Je travaille l’après-midi.	I work in the afternoon.
le soir	—	the evening	—	Le soir, je me détends.	In the evening, I relax.

Using these words, you can ask and answer questions about daily routines.

Hobbies

Talking about hobbies is a great way to find common interests. Here’s vocabulary for common activities and interests.

French Singular	French Plural	English Singular	English Plural	Example (French)	Example (English)
le passe-temps	les passe-temps	the hobby	the hobbies	Quel est ton passe-temps préféré ?	What’s your favorite hobby?
la musique	—	the music	—	J’aime écouter de la musique.	I like listening to music.
le sport	les sports	the sport	the sports	Je fais du sport tous les jours.	I do sports every day.
la lecture	—	the reading	—	La lecture me détend.	Reading relaxes me.
le cinéma	—	the cinema / movies	—	Nous allons au cinéma ce soir.	We’re going to the movies tonight.
le voyage	les voyages	the trip / travel	the trips / travels	Le voyage est une passion.	Travel is a passion.
la peinture	—	the painting	—	Elle fait de la peinture le week-end.	She paints on weekends.
la cuisine	—	the cooking	—	J’adore la cuisine italienne.	I love Italian cooking.
la danse	—	the dance	—	Il prend des cours de danse.	He takes dance lessons.
le jardinage	—	the gardening	—	Le jardinage est relaxant.	Gardening is relaxing.

These words will help you talk about what you and others enjoy doing.

What is the French word for 'reading' as in "La ___ me détend ."?

sport

lecture

écriture

musique

lecture

'Lecture' means 'reading,' so the sentence means "Reading relaxes me."

Which French word means 'music' as in "J’aime écouter de la ___"?

cinéma

musique

danse

peinture

musique

'Musique' means 'music,' so the sentence means "I like listening to music."

Travel

Travel is a common small talk topic, especially if you’re meeting new people or planning trips. Here’s useful vocabulary.

French Singular	French Plural	English Singular	English Plural	Example (French)	Example (English)
le voyage	les voyages	the trip / travel	the trips / travels	J’ai fait un beau voyage en Espagne.	I took a nice trip to Spain.
la destination	les destinations	the destination	the destinations	Quelle est ta prochaine destination ?	What’s your next destination?
l’hôtel	les hôtels	the hotel	the hotels	Nous avons réservé un hôtel.	We booked a hotel.
le billet	les billets	the ticket	the tickets	J’ai acheté un billet d’avion.	I bought a plane ticket.
l’avion	les avions	the airplane	the airplanes	L’avion décolle à 10 heures.	The plane takes off at 10 a.m.
la valise	les valises	the suitcase	the suitcases	Ma valise est lourde.	My suitcase is heavy.
le passeport	les passeports	the passport	the passports	N’oublie pas ton passeport !	Don’t forget your passport!
la plage	les plages	the beach	the beaches	J’aime me détendre à la plage.	I like to relax at the beach.
la ville	les villes	the city	the cities	Paris est une belle ville.	Paris is a beautiful city.
l’aventure	les aventures	the adventure	the adventures	Le voyage était une vraie aventure.	The trip was a real adventure.

With this vocabulary, you can talk about travel experiences and plans.

Conclusion

This small talk vocabulary covers essential topics to help you navigate everyday French conversations with confidence. Practice using these words in questions and sentences to keep the dialogue flowing.

Flashcards (1 of 40)

English Singular: the weather
English Plural: —
Example (English): What’s the weather like today?

Last updated: Wed Jun 18, 2025

French

Small Talk