il fait + Weather Word
Weather with Il Fait
In French, we don't say 'it is' (c'est) for the weather. Instead, we use the impersonal expression il fait (literally 'it makes') followed by an adjective like beau (nice) or froid (cold).
How It Works
The construction il fait is the standard way to talk about the weather in French. Unlike English, which uses 'to be' (It is hot), French uses the verb faire (to do/make).
1. Common Adjectives
You will most often see il fait paired with these adjectives to describe the general state of the weather:
- Il fait beau: The weather is nice.
- Il fait bon: The weather is pleasant/comfortable.
- Il fait mauvais: The weather is bad.
- Il fait chaud: It is hot.
- Il fait froid: It is cold.
- Il fait frais: It is cool/chilly.
- Il fait doux: It is mild.
- Il fait gris: It is overcast/gray.
2. Light and Darkness (Noun Exceptions)
While il fait usually takes adjectives, it is also used with the nouns jour and nuit to describe daylight:
- Il fait jour: It is daylight.
- Il fait nuit: It is dark/night.
3. Temperature
To state the exact temperature, use il fait followed by the number and the word degrés.
Example: Il fait 22 degrés. (It is 22 degrees.)
4. Il fait vs. Il y a
Generally, il fait is followed by adjectives, while il y a is followed by nouns. When using il y a, you must use a partitive article (du, de la, des) before the noun.
- Il fait beau. (It is nice.)
- Il y a du soleil. (There is sun.)
- Il y a du vent. (It is windy.)
Note: In casual speech, you may sometimes hear "il fait soleil" or "il fait du vent," but the forms above are the standard rules.
5. Changing Tenses
To talk about the weather in the past or future, simply conjugate faire in the third-person singular:
- Il faisait froid: It was cold (imperfect).
- Il fera beau: It will be nice (future).
6. Specific Weather Verbs
Actions like raining or snowing have their own verbs. You say il pleut (it's raining) or il neige (it's snowing). You should never say il fait pleut.
Examples (4)
- Il fait beau aujourd'hui, on devrait aller au parc.
The weather is nice today; we should go to the park.
Word by Word: It makes beautiful today, one should go to the park.
'Il fait beau' is the most common way to say the weather is good.
- Quel temps fait-il à Montréal en hiver ? — Il fait très froid.
What is the weather like in Montreal in winter? — It is very cold.
Word by Word: What weather makes it at Montreal in winter? — It makes very cold.
In questions, 'faire' is inverted to 'fait-il'.
- Il fait moins dix degrés ce matin, n'oublie pas ton manteau.
It is minus ten degrees this morning; don't forget your coat.
Word by Word: It makes minus ten degrees this morning, not forget not your coat.
Use 'il fait' for specific numerical temperatures.
- Il fait trop chaud dans cette chambre.
It is too hot in this room.
Word by Word: It makes too hot in this room.
'Il fait' can also describe the ambient temperature of a room, not just the outdoors.
Common Mistakes
Using 'C'est' to describe the weather.
C'est chaud aujourd'hui.Il fait chaud aujourd'hui.'C'est chaud' refers to an object you touch (like a hot plate). To describe the weather, you must use 'il fait'.
Combining 'il fait' with weather verbs like 'pleuvoir'.
Il fait pleut.Il pleut.Verbs like 'pleuvoir' (to rain) and 'neiger' (to snow) are already impersonal and do not need 'faire'.
Using 'Il est' to mean the weather is nice.
Il est beau.Il fait beau.'Il est beau' means 'He is handsome.' To say the weather is nice, use 'Il fait beau'.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To describe the weather using 'il fait', you need to know how to conjugate the irregular verb 'faire' in the present tense and understand the use of the third-person singular pronoun 'il' in an impersonal context.
- faire (présent)Irregular Verb Faire (To Do/make)
The pattern uses the third-person singular conjugation of the verb 'faire' (il fait).
Level 1 - il / elleThird-person Singular Il and Elle
Understanding the third-person singular pronoun 'il' is necessary to form the impersonal 'il fait' construction.
Level 1
Related Patterns
- il y aThere Is/are with Il Y a
Used to describe specific weather elements (like sun or wind) rather than the general state.
Level 1 - il (impersonnel)Impersonal Il with No Real Referent
Explains the broader concept of using 'il' as a dummy subject for environmental conditions.
Level 3 - c'est / il est / elle estIdentifying with C'est Versus Describing with Il/elle Est
Helps distinguish between describing objects/people and using impersonal expressions.
Level 1
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice il fait + Weather Word in Bubblegum
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