{"id":119964,"date":"2024-03-04T01:29:30","date_gmt":"2024-03-04T06:29:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/seasons-in-french\/"},"modified":"2025-02-03T00:03:48","modified_gmt":"2025-02-03T05:03:48","slug":"seasons-in-french","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/french\/seasons-in-french\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Talk About Seasons in French"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you want to talk about the weather or time of year in French, knowing how to talk about the seasons is essential.<\/p>\n

A season in French is translated as une saison ,<\/em> and there are four distinct seasons in France: le printemps<\/em> (spring), l’\u00e9t\u00e9<\/em> (summer), l’automne<\/em> (autumn\/fall) and l’hiver<\/em> (winter).<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc]<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

How to Say the Seasons in French<\/h2>\n

Below is a look at the names of the seasons in French:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
French<\/th>English<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
l'hiver <\/a>\n <\/td>the winter<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
le printemps <\/a>\n <\/td>the spring<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
l'\u00e9t\u00e9 <\/a>\n <\/td>the summer<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
l'automne <\/a>\n <\/td>the autumn (also: fall)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

To talk about the seasons themselves, use a direct article<\/a>. For example:<\/p>\n

L’hiver est froid. <\/em>
\nWinter is cold.<\/p>\n

Ma saison pr\u00e9f\u00e9r\u00e9e est l’automne.
\n<\/em>My favorite season is autumn.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, using these seasons with the prepositions<\/a> en \u00a0<\/strong><\/em>or au \u00a0<\/em><\/strong>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:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
French<\/th>English<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
au printemps <\/a>\n <\/td>in the spring<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
en hiver <\/a>\n <\/td>in the winter<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
en \u00e9t\u00e9 <\/a>\n <\/td>in the summer<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
en automne <\/a>\n <\/td>in the autumn (in the fall)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Note that printemps<\/em> is the only season to take <\/strong>au<\/strong> <\/em>(literally translated as “to the”). The other three seasons all take en <\/em>(in):<\/p>\n

Les canards reviennent au<\/strong> printemps. <\/em>
\nThe ducks return in the spring.<\/p>\n

J’irai en Europe en<\/strong> \u00e9t\u00e9.
\n<\/em>I will go to Europe in the summer.<\/p>\n

Vocabulary for L’hiver <\/em>(Winter)<\/h2>\n

\"Snow<\/p>\n

L’hiver <\/em>in France typically consists of the months of janvier , f\u00e9vrier <\/em>and mars \u00a0<\/em>(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.<\/p>\n

Let’s check out some common vocabulary associated with l’hiver.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
French<\/th>English<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
la neige <\/a>\n <\/td>snow<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
le bonhomme de neige <\/a>\n <\/td>snowman<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
la boule de neige <\/a>\n <\/td>snowball<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
la glace <\/a>\n <\/td>ice<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
le froid <\/a>\n <\/td>the cold<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Il fait froid. <\/a>\n <\/td>It is cold.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
J'ai froid. <\/a>\n <\/td>I am cold.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
le patin \u00e0 glace <\/a>\n <\/td>ice skating<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
le ski <\/a>\n <\/td>skiing<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
faire du ski <\/a>\n <\/td>to ski<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
le snowboard <\/a>\n <\/td>snowboarding<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
le gla\u00e7on <\/a>\n <\/td>icicle<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
les gants <\/a>\n <\/td>gloves<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
le bonnet <\/a>\n <\/td>hat<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
le manteau <\/a>\n <\/td>coat<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
les bottes <\/a>\n <\/td>boots<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

To see these words in action, let’s use a couple of them in a few example sentences:<\/p>\n

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. <\/em><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Vocabulary for L<\/em>e Printemps <\/em>(Spring)<\/h2>\n

\"Group<\/p>\n

Le printemps <\/em>typically consists of the months of avril , mai <\/em>and juin \u00a0<\/em>(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.<\/p>\n

Here’s some common vocabulary associated with le printemps:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
French<\/th>English<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
la fleur <\/a>\n <\/td>flower<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
la tulipe <\/a>\n <\/td>tulip<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
le papillon <\/a>\n <\/td>butterfly<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
la pluie <\/a>\n <\/td>rain<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
le parapluie <\/a>\n <\/td>umbrella<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
l'arc-en-ciel <\/a>\n <\/td>rainbow<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
un oiseau <\/a>\n <\/td>bird<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
une abeille <\/a>\n <\/td>bee<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
le nuage <\/a>\n <\/td>cloud<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Il fait frais. <\/a>\n <\/td>It is cool.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
un imperm\u00e9able <\/a>\n <\/td>a raincoat<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Now let’s use a couple of these words in a sample paragraph:<\/p>\n

Au printemps, les oiseaux retournent du sud. Il fait frais et il y a beaucoup de pluie. Je porte un imperm\u00e9able et j’adore toutes les fleurs. <\/em><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Vocabulary for L’\u00e9t\u00e9 <\/em>(Summer)<\/h2>\n

\"People<\/p>\n

L’\u00e9t\u00e9 <\/em>typically consists of the months of juillet , ao\u00fbt <\/em>and septembre \u00a0<\/em>(July, August and September). Like in North America, l’\u00e9t\u00e9 <\/em>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.<\/p>\n

Let’s look at some common vocabulary to celebrate l’\u00e9t\u00e9:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
French<\/th>English<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
le soleil <\/a>\n <\/td>sun<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
la chaleur <\/a>\n <\/td>heat<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Il fait chaud. <\/a>\n <\/td>It is hot.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
J'ai chaud. <\/a>\n <\/td>I am hot.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
la canicule <\/a>\n <\/td>heatwave<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
la temp\u00eate <\/a>\n <\/td>storm<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
la plage <\/a>\n <\/td>beach<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
la cr\u00e8me solaire <\/a>\n <\/td>sunscreen<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
la piscine <\/a>\n <\/td>pool<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
nager <\/a>\n <\/td>to swim<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
les lunettes de soleil <\/a>\n <\/td>sunglasses<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
le maillot de bain <\/a>\n <\/td>swimsuit<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
la past\u00e8que <\/a>\n <\/td>watermelon<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
le short <\/a>\n <\/td>shorts<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
les sandales <\/a>\n <\/td>sandals<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
les tongs <\/a>\n <\/td>flip-flops<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
le parasol <\/a>\n <\/td>beach umbrella<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
les vacances <\/a>\n <\/td>vacation<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Now, let’s set the scene for a hot and relaxing summer day:<\/p>\n

En \u00e9t\u00e9, je vais souvent \u00e0 la plage. Je porte mon maillot de bain, mes tongs et mes lunettes de soleil. J’aime nager et manger de la past\u00e8que.\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Vocabulary for L’automne<\/em> (Fall)<\/h2>\n

\"Leaves<\/p>\n

L’automne <\/em>typically consists of the months of octobre , novembre <\/em>and d\u00e9cembre \u00a0<\/em>(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.<\/p>\n

Some common vocabulary associated with l’automne<\/em> is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
French<\/th>English<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
un arbre <\/a>\n <\/td>tree<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
la feuille <\/a>\n <\/td>leaf<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
un tas de feuilles <\/a>\n <\/td>a pile of leaves<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
le changement de couleur des feuilles <\/a>\n <\/td>the changing color of the leaves<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
la citrouille <\/a>\n <\/td>pumpkin<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
tailler une citrouille <\/a>\n <\/td>to carve a pumpkin<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
le vent <\/a>\n <\/td>wind<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
la rentr\u00e9e <\/a>\n <\/td>return to school<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
un pull <\/a>\n <\/td>sweater<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
la r\u00e9colte <\/a>\n <\/td>harvest<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
un r\u00e2teau <\/a>\n <\/td>rake<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
un coupe-vent <\/a>\n <\/td>a windbreaker<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
la tarte aux pommes <\/a>\n <\/td>apple pie<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
le ma\u00efs <\/a>\n <\/td>corn<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

During the autumn, you might say the following:<\/p>\n

En automne, on voit le changement de couleur des feuilles. Je mange la tarte aux pommes et du ma\u00efs. Je porte un coupe-vent et je taille une citrouille. <\/em><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

FluentU<\/strong> takes authentic videos\u2014like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks\u2014and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.<\/p>\r\n

<\/p> \r\n

You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app<\/a> or Android app.<\/a><\/p>\r\n

P.S. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)<\/a><\/i>\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\n \"FluentU\r\n

\r\n