How to Talk About Seasons in French

If you want to talk about the weather or time of year in French, knowing how to talk about the seasons is essential.

A season in French is translated as une saison , and there are four distinct seasons in France: le printemps (spring), l’été (summer), l’automne (autumn/fall) and l’hiver (winter).

Keep reading to find out how to talk about seasons in French, with the names of the seasons themselves, as well as plenty of season-related vocabulary!

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The Basics: How to Say the Seasons in French

Below is a look at the names of the seasons in French:

French	English
l'hiver	the winter
le printemps	the spring
l'été	the summer
l'automne	the autumn (also: fall)

To talk about the seasons themselves, use a direct article. For example:

L’hiver est froid.
Winter is cold.

Ma saison préférée est l’automne.
My favorite season is autumn.

On the other hand, using these seasons with the prepositions en  or au  gives them the meaning of “in the” or “during the.” These prepositions are useful if you want to talk about things that happen during a certain season:

French	English
au printemps	in the spring
en hiver	in the winter
en été	in the summer
en automne	in the autumn (in the fall)

Note that printemps is the only season to take au (literally translated as “to the”). The other three seasons all take en (in):

Les canards reviennent au printemps.
The ducks return in the spring.

J’irai en Europe en été.
I will go to Europe in the summer.

Vocabulary for L’hiver (Winter)

L’hiver in France typically consists of the months of janvier , février and mars  (January, February and March). This time of year is characterized by cooler weather and even snow in the northern or mountainous regions of the country.

Let’s check out some common vocabulary associated with l’hiver.

French	English
la neige	snow
le bonhomme de neige	snowman
la boule de neige	snowball
la glace	ice
le froid	the cold
Il fait froid.	It is cold.
J'ai froid.	I am cold.
le patin à glace	ice skating
le ski	skiing
faire du ski	to ski
le snowboard	snowboarding
le glaçon	icicle
les gants	gloves
le bonnet	hat
le manteau	coat
les bottes	boots

To see these words in action, let’s use a couple of them in a few example sentences:

En hiver, je porte mes gants, mon chapeau et mon manteau. Il fait froid et il y a beaucoup de neige. Je fais du ski et du snowboard.

During the winter, I wear my gloves, my hat and my coat. It is cold, and there is a lot of snow. I ski and snowboard.

Vocabulary for Le Printemps (Spring)

Le printemps typically consists of the months of avril , mai and juin  (April, May and June). This is the time of year when the weather starts to warm up and plants begin to grow again, filling the landscape with green trees and beautiful flowers.

Here’s some common vocabulary associated with le printemps:

French	English
la fleur	flower
la tulipe	tulip
le papillon	butterfly
la pluie	rain
le parapluie	umbrella
l'arc-en-ciel	rainbow
un oiseau	bird
une abeille	bee
le nuage	cloud
Il fait frais.	It is cool.
un imperméable	a raincoat

Now let’s use a couple of these words in a sample paragraph:

Au printemps, les oiseaux retournent du sud. Il fait frais et il y a beaucoup de pluie. Je porte un imperméable et j’adore toutes les fleurs.

During the spring, the birds return from the south. It is cool, and there is a lot of rain. I wear a raincoat, and I love all the flowers.

Vocabulary for L’été (Summer)

L’été typically consists of the months of juillet , août and septembre  (July, August and September). Like in North America, l’été is the hottest time of the year. As such, students are often on summer holidays, and people are social with lots of outdoor activities and parties.

Let’s look at some common vocabulary to celebrate l’été:

French	English
le soleil	sun
la chaleur	heat
Il fait chaud.	It is hot.
J'ai chaud.	I am hot.
la canicule	heatwave
la tempête	storm
la plage	beach
la crème solaire	sunscreen
la piscine	pool
nager	to swim
les lunettes de soleil	sunglasses
le maillot de bain	swimsuit
la pastèque	watermelon
le short	shorts
les sandales	sandals
les tongs	flip-flops
le parasol	beach umbrella
les vacances	vacation

Now, let’s set the scene for a hot and relaxing summer day:

En été, je vais souvent à la plage. Je porte mon maillot de bain, mes tongs et mes lunettes de soleil. J’aime nager et manger de la pastèque. 

During the summer, I often go to the beach. I wear my swimsuit, my flip-flops and my sunglasses. I like to swim and eat watermelon.

Vocabulary for L’automne (Fall)

L’automne typically consists of the months of octobre , novembre and décembre  (October, November and December). During this time of year, the leaves on the trees begin to change colors and fall, and the weather becomes cool again.

Some common vocabulary associated with l’automne is:

French	English
un arbre	tree
la feuille	leaf
un tas de feuilles	a pile of leaves
le changement de couleur des feuilles	the changing color of the leaves
la citrouille	pumpkin
tailler une citrouille	to carve a pumpkin
le vent	wind
la rentrée	return to school
un pull	sweater
la récolte	harvest
un râteau	rake
un coupe-vent	a windbreaker
la tarte aux pommes	apple pie
le maïs	corn

During the autumn, you might say the following:

En automne, on voit le changement de couleur des feuilles. Je mange la tarte aux pommes et du maïs. Je porte un coupe-vent et je taille une citrouille.

During the autumn, we see the changing of the leaves. I eat an apple pie and some corn. I wear a windbreaker, and I carve a pumpkin.

How to Practice Seasons in French

Here are some of the best practice resources available around the web:

• To practice the months of the year in French, check out this interactive quiz from Digital Dialects.
• Take this test with French Circles to practice seasons in French and their corresponding weather words. French Circles also offers a reading and video related to the seasons in French, plus digital flashcards for extra practice.
• Sporcle offers a straightforward quiz that tests you on weather conditions and seasons in French. Simply translate the English word or expression into French before the timer runs out.

 

A good base of French vocabulary is always in season. Now go forth and use your newly-acquired vocabulary to talk about any season in French!

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)