Forecasts vocabulary in French, including terms for weather predictions, reporting conditions, and understanding meteorological forecasts in everyday life.
This section covers essential French vocabulary for talking about forecasts, including weather predictions, reporting conditions, and describing future weather. You’ll learn key nouns, verbs, and phrases used by meteorologists and in daily conversation.
Weather Forecast
These are common words for talking about weather reports and predictions.
| French Noun | French Sing./Pl. | English Noun | English Sing./Pl. | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| la météo | — | the weather | — | J’écoute la météo ce soir. | I’m listening to the weather forecast tonight. |
| la prévision | la prévision / les prévisions | the forecast | the forecasts | Les prévisions annoncent de la pluie. | The forecast predicts rain. |
| le bulletin | le bulletin / les bulletins | the bulletin | the bulletins | Le bulletin météo est à 18h. | The weather bulletin is at 6 p.m. |
| l’alerte (f.) | singular only | the alert | — | Il y a une alerte de tempête. | There is a storm alert. |
| le nuage | le nuage / les nuages | the cloud | the clouds | Le ciel est rempli de nuages. | The sky is full of clouds. |
| la pluie | singular only | the rain | — | La pluie commence à tomber. | The rain is starting to fall. |
| le vent | singular only | the wind | — | Le vent souffle fort aujourd’hui. | The wind is blowing strongly today. |
| la neige | singular only | the snow | — | Il y aura de la neige demain. | There will be snow tomorrow. |
| l’orage (m.) | singular only | the storm | — | Un orage est prévu ce soir. | A storm is expected this evening. |
| le soleil | singular only | the sun | — | Le soleil brille ce matin. | The sun is shining this morning. |
Weather Verbs
These verbs are used to describe weather conditions and how they change.
| French Verb | English Verb | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| pleuvoir | to rain | Il va pleuvoir cet après-midi. | It’s going to rain this afternoon. |
| neiger | to snow | Il neige sur les montagnes. | It’s snowing on the mountains. |
| souffler | to blow | Le vent souffle à 50 km/h. | The wind is blowing at 50 km/h. |
| éclaircir | to clear up | Le ciel s’éclaircira ce soir. | The sky will clear up this evening. |
| tomber | to fall | La pluie commence à tomber. | The rain is starting to fall. |
| grêler | to hail | Il va grêler dans la région. | It will hail in the area. |
| geler | to freeze | Il gèle la nuit en hiver. | It freezes at night in winter. |
| orageux/euse | stormy | La soirée sera orageuse. | The evening will be stormy. |
| s’améliorer | to improve | Le temps va s’améliorer demain. | The weather will improve tomorrow. |
| se dégrader | to worsen | Le temps se dégrade en fin de journée. | The weather worsens at the end of the day. |
Time & Frequency
These words help you specify when and how often weather events occur.
| French Word | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|
| aujourd’hui | La pluie tombera aujourd’hui. | The rain will fall today. |
| demain | Il fera froid demain matin. | It will be cold tomorrow morning. |
| ce soir | Un orage est prévu ce soir. | A storm is expected this evening. |
| cette semaine | Cette semaine, il fera très chaud. | This week, it will be very hot. |
| souvent | Il pleut souvent en automne. | It often rains in autumn. |
| parfois | Parfois, il neige en octobre. | Sometimes it snows in October. |
| rarement | Le brouillard est rare ici. | Fog is rare here. |
| déjà | Il a déjà neigé ce mois-ci. | It has already snowed this month. |
| bientôt | Le soleil reviendra bientôt. | The sun will come back soon. |
| ensuite | Ensuite, le ciel deviendra clair. | Then, the sky will clear. |
Writing & Reporting
Use these words to talk about how forecasts are made and reported.
| French Noun | French Sing./Pl. | English Noun | English Sing./Pl. | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| l’impact (m.) | singular only | the impact | — | L’impact de la tempête est important. | The storm’s impact is significant. |
| le risque | le risque / les risques | the risk | the risks | Il y a un risque d’inondation. | There is a risk of flooding. |
| la précision | singular only | the accuracy | — | La précision des prévisions est meilleure. | The accuracy of the forecasts is better. |
| la durée | singular only | the duration | — | La durée de l’alerte est de 2 heures. | The alert duration is 2 hours. |
| la température | singular only | the temperature | — | La température descend à zéro. | The temperature drops to zero. |
| l’humidité (f.) | singular only | the humidity | — | L’humidité est élevée ce matin. | The humidity is high this morning. |
| la visibilité | singular only | the visibility | — | La visibilité est mauvaise à cause du brouillard. | Visibility is poor due to fog. |
| la météo marine | singular only | the marine forecast | — | La météo marine annonce du vent fort. | The marine forecast predicts strong winds. |
| le décalage | singular only | the delay | — | Il y a un décalage dans les prévisions. | There is a delay in the forecasts. |
| l’observation (f.) | singular only | the observation | — | L’observation montre une baisse de pression. | Observation shows a drop in pressure. |
Common Forecast Phrases
These are useful phrases you’ll often hear or use in weather forecasts.
| French Phrase | English Phrase | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Il fait ... | It is ... | Il fait chaud aujourd’hui. | It is hot today. |
| Il va y avoir ... | There will be ... | Il va y avoir des orages. | There will be thunderstorms. |
| On prévoit ... | We expect ... | On prévoit du soleil demain. | We expect sunshine tomorrow. |
| Le temps sera ... | The weather will be ... | Le temps sera nuageux. | The weather will be cloudy. |
| Les températures oscillent entre ... | Temperatures range between ... | Les températures oscillent entre 10° et 15°. | Temperatures range between 10° and 15°. |
| Des averses sont possibles. | Showers are possible. | Des averses sont possibles cet après-midi. | Showers are possible this afternoon. |
| Le ciel sera dégagé. | The sky will be clear. | Le ciel sera dégagé ce soir. | The sky will be clear tonight. |
| Une vague de chaleur arrive. | A heat wave is coming. | Une vague de chaleur arrive cette semaine. | A heat wave is coming this week. |
| Soyez prudents ! | Be careful! | Soyez prudents à cause du vent fort. | Be careful because of the strong wind. |
| La situation évolue rapidement. | The situation is evolving quickly. | La situation évolue rapidement dans le sud. | The situation is evolving quickly in the south. |
This completes the forecast vocabulary in French, organized from general weather terms to verbs, timing words, reporting vocabulary, and common forecast phrases. You’re now equipped to understand and talk about weather predictions like a native!
Flashcards (1 of 50)
- English Noun: the weather
- English Sing./Pl.: —
- English Example: I’m listening to the weather forecast tonight.
Last updated: Thu Jun 12, 2025
