Grammar
Il fait, il pleut, and au printemps/en été
To talk about the weather, French uses the impersonal il, which means 'it' and refers to nothing in particular. With faire + an adjective you describe the weather: Il fait chaud, Il fait froid, Il fait beau (nice), Il fait mauvais (bad). Two weather verbs stand alone: Il pleut (it rains) and Il neige (it snows). With il y a you name something: Il y a du soleil, Il y a du vent. To ask, say Quel temps fait-il ? or Il fait quel temps ?
A frequent English mistake is to say Il est chaud, which describes an object (a hot coffee). For weather, always use il fait chaud, never il est chaud or il a chaud (that means 'he is warm').
For seasons, spring takes au (au printemps), while the other three take en: en été, en automne, en hiver. Months also take en: en juillet. The seasons are written with a small letter.
| Il fait chaud. | It's hot. |
| Il fait froid. | It's cold. |
| Il fait beau. | The weather is nice. |
| Il pleut. | It's raining. |
| Il neige. | It's snowing. |
| Il y a du vent. | It's windy. |
| Il y a du soleil. | It's sunny. |
Quel temps fait-il aujourd'hui ?
What is the weather like today?
Il fait beau et chaud.
The weather is nice and warm.
En hiver, il neige à Montréal.
In winter, it snows in Montreal.
Au printemps, il pleut souvent.
In spring it often rains.
Il y a du vent à Marseille.
It is windy in Marseille.