As you watch television, listen to the radio, or read the newspaper, you may see
la météo (the forecast). Consult Table
1 for common weather expressions.
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TABLE 1
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Weather Conditions
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French Translation
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English Phrase
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Quel temps fait-il?
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What's the weather?
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Il fait beau.
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It's beautiful.
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Il fait chaud.
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It's hot.
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Il fait du soleil.
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It's sunny.
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Il fait mauvais.
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It's nasty (bad).
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Il fait froid.
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It's cold.
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Il fait frais.
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It's cool.
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Il fait du vent.
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It's windy.
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Il fait des éclairs.
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It's lightning.
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Il fait du tonnerre.
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It's thundering.
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Il fait du brouillard. Il y a du brouillard.
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It's foggy.
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Il fait humide. Il y a de l'humidité.
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It's humid.
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Il y a des nuages. Le ciel est nuageux.
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It's cloudy.
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Le ciel est couvert.
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It's overcast.
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Il pleut.
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It's raining.
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Il pleut ` verse.
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It's pouring.
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Il neige.
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It's snowing.
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Il y a des rafales.
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There are gusts of wind.
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Il y a de la grêle.
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There's hail.
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Il y a des giboulées.
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There are sudden showers.
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The following additional terms in Table
2 will help you interpret forecasts as you hear or see them.
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TABLE 2
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Terms Used in Forecasts
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French Forecast
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English Translation
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averses
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showers (heavy rain)
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bruines
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drizzle
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brumeux
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hazy, foggy
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ciel clair
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clear sky
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faible
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weak
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fort
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strong
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fraîcheur
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chilly
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modéré
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moderate
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orages
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storms/rain
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tempête
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storm/snow
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verglas
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sleet
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Keep in mind that the Centigrade (Celsius) thermometer is used in French-speaking countries.
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To convert Fahrenheit to Centigrade, subract 32 from the Fahrenheit temperature and multiply the remaining number by 5/9;. This will give you the temperature in degrees Centigrade.
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To convert Centigrade to Fahrenheit, multiply the Centigurade temperature by 9/5; and add 32. This will give you the temperature in degrees Fahrenheit.
Use the thermometer in Figure
1 as a quick weather reference guide. To ask and receive answers about the temperature, use the phrases in Table
3 .
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Figure 1
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Centigrade and Fahrenheit.
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TABLE 3
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Phrases Regarding Temperature
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English Phrase
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French
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What's the temperature?
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Quelle est la température? or Quelle température fait-il?
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It's 5 below.
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Il fait moins cinq.
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It's zero.
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Il fait zéro.
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It's 70 degrees.
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Il fait soixante-dix.
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French I: Verb Charts
French I: Everyday Words and Phrases
