france in autumn

How to Talk About Seasons in French: The Complete Guide

What are the ingredients for a good base in French proficiency?

Start with some high-quality online French lessons and then mix in some grammar fundamentals.

But what about adding some real seasoning to your French proficiency?

What I’m trying to say is: I’m going to teach you how to name and describe the seasons in French. 

A season in French is translated as une saison , and there are four distinct seasons in France: spring, summer, autumn (or fall) and winter.

Keep reading to find out how to talk about seasons in French!

Contents

The Basics: How to Say the Seasons in French

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

l’hiver (m.) — the winter

le printemps (m.) — the spring

l’été (m.) — the summer

l’automne (m.) — 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:

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 retournent 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)

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.

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.

Keep in mind that French uses the verb faire (to do) to describe the temperature.

J’ai froid. I am cold.

French also uses the verb avoir (to have) to describe the temperature that one is feeling.

le patin à glace — ice skating

le ski — skiing

faire du ski — to ski

la planche à neige — 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 de la planche à neige. 

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)

spring in france

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:

la fleur  flower

le tulipe tulip

le papillon butterfly

la pluie rain

la 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)

summer in france

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:

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

Note that this is always plural when talking about taking time off work or school for a 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)

autumn in france

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:

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:

For more quizzes and lessons, FluentU has a flashcard deck for months and seasons in French, with audio, grammar notes and video examples included. You can even pick up additional season-related vocabulary through the program’s authentic French videos

 

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!

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