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La météo (part 2)

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“Le temps” + a verb

In this section, we are using “le temps” which means “the weather” plus a verb. The verbs used here are pronominal and must be preceded by “se” or “s’”.

French English
Le temps s'éclaircit It’s clearing up
Le temps s’améliore It’s brightening up
Le temps se couvre It’s clouding over
Le temps se rafraîchit It’s getting chilly

Using “le temps” + a verb in a sentence

Some people do not commonly use this section and will prefer to use the top section “il fait + adjective” with the adverb “maintenant” (now) to express a similar thought in an easier way.

For example:
Le temps se rafraîchit → It’s getting chilly.
Il fait froid maintenant → The weather is cold now.

“Il fait un temps” + adjective

In this section, we are using “il fait un temps” followed by an adjective. Most of the time these sentences are used on their own without anything else about the weather.

French English
Il fait un temps affreux (formal) It’s an awful day
Il fait un temps couvert It’s overcast
Il fait un temps de chien (informal) It’s a dreadful day
Il fait un temps de saison It’s a typical “season” day
Il fait un temps épouvantable (formal) It’s a horrible day
Il fait un temps magnifique It’s a beautiful day
Il fait un temps pourri (informal) It’s a rotten day
Il fait un temps superbe It’s a beautiful day

Notes

The literal meaning of “il fait un temps de chien” is “it’s a dog day.”

In French, when you say “il fait un temps de saison,” you don’t need to be precise about the season.

Using “il fait un temps” + adjective in a sentence

You don’t need to say anything else about the weather if you use one of the sentences above. They are self-explanatory except if you use “mais” (but) to show contrast.

For example:
Il fait un temps magnifique mais il fait froid →
It’s a beautiful day but it’s cold.

Mixing sections

When talking about the weather, you can of course mix sections together; “et” or “mais” must be used before the last thing you will say. It is more common to mix the three first sections together.

For example:
Il fait nuageux et froid, il pleut et il y a du vent.

 

Negation

In French, the negation is expressed by “ne” and “pas.” “Ne” goes before the conjugated verb and “pas” after it. “Ne” becomes “n’” in front of a vowel or “h.” Other negative words can be used instead of “pas”.

 

Il fait + adjective

In a negative sentence, “il fait” turns into “il ne fait pas” followed by the adjective.

For example:
Il fait beau → The weather is nice.
Il ne fait pas beau → The weather is not nice.

 

Verbs

In a negative sentence, “ne” goes before the conjugated verb and “pas” after it.

For example:
Il neige → It is snowing.
Il ne neige pas → It is not snowing.

 

Il y a + article + noun

In a negative sentence, “il y a” turns into “il n’y a pas” followed by “de” or “d’” and the noun.

For example:
Il y a du vent → It’s windy.
Il n’y a pas de vent → It’s not windy.

Note

“Du,” “de la,” “de l’” or “des” turn into “de” or “d’” in a negative sentence. “D’” is used in front of a vowel or “h.” 

For example:
Il n’y a pas d’éclairs.

Le temps + a verb

In a negative sentence, “ne” goes before “se” or “s’” and “pas” goes after the conjugated verb.

For example:
Le temps se couvre → It is clouding over.
Le temps ne se couvre pas → It is not clouding over.

Il fait un temps + adjective

In a negative sentence, “il fait un temps” turns into “il ne fait pas un temps” followed by the adjective.

For example:
Il fait un temps magnifique → It is a beautiful day.
Il ne fait pas un temps magnifique → It is not a beautiful day.

More in the books

Werther you are learning by yourself, with Anais and Co or if you are a FLE teacher find this lesson and many more in a beautiful book.

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