Gramática essencial
Use 'Quel temps fait-il ?' to ask 'What's the weather like?' or 'How's the weather?'
Quel temps fait-il à Paris aujourd'hui ? (What's the weather like in Paris today?)
To express 'it is [weather condition]', use 'Il fait' + adjective (for general conditions) or 'Il y a' + noun (for specific elements like sun, wind, fog).
Il fait beau. (It's nice weather.) Il fait froid. (It's cold.) Il y a du soleil. (There is sun/It's sunny.) Il y a du vent. (There is wind/It's windy.)
To say 'it's raining' or 'it's snowing', use the impersonal verbs 'Il pleut' and 'Il neige'.
Il pleut fort. (It's raining heavily.) Il neige en montagne. (It's snowing in the mountains.)
To talk about time on a clock or specific moments, use 'l'heure' (feminine noun) instead of 'le temps'.
Quelle heure est-il ? (What time is it?) Il est une heure. (It's one o'clock.)
When 'le temps' refers to 'time' in a general sense (e.g., passage of time, duration), it's often used with prepositions or in specific phrases.
Avec le temps, ça ira mieux. (With time, it will get better.) J'ai du temps libre. (I have free time.)
Expressões idiomáticas
"De temps en temps"
From time to time / Occasionally
Je vais au cinéma de temps en temps. (I go to the cinema occasionally.)
neutral"En même temps"
At the same time / Simultaneously
Elle mange et lit en même temps. (She eats and reads at the same time.)
neutral"Perdre son temps"
To waste one's time
Ne perds pas ton temps à regarder ça. (Don't waste your time watching that.)
neutral"Prendre son temps"
To take one's time / To not rush
Prenez votre temps pour répondre. (Take your time to answer.)
neutral"Gagner du temps"
To save time / To gain time
Si on prend le bus, on va gagner du temps. (If we take the bus, we'll save time.)
neutral"Passer le temps"
To pass the time
Nous avons passé le temps à discuter. (We passed the time chatting.)
neutral"À temps"
On time / In time
J'espère arriver à temps pour le film. (I hope to arrive on time for the movie.)
neutral"Il fait beau temps"
It's good weather / The weather is nice
Il fait beau temps aujourd'hui, allons dehors ! (The weather is nice today, let's go outside!)
neutral"Il fait mauvais temps"
It's bad weather / The weather is bad
Il fait mauvais temps, je reste à la maison. (It's bad weather, I'm staying home.)
neutral"Ça fait longtemps"
It's been a long time
Ça fait longtemps que je ne l'ai pas vue. (It's been a long time since I've seen her.)
neutralComo usar
Understanding 'Le temps'
'Le temps' is a versatile French noun that can mean both 'time' and 'weather', depending on the context. This can be confusing for English speakers, but with a few pointers, you'll master it!
'Le temps' as 'Time'
- When talking about time in general, or duration, use 'le temps'.
- Examples:
- J'ai passé beaucoup de temps à étudier. (I spent a lot of time studying.)
- Il fait beau temps. (The weather is nice.) - This is actually a weather expression, but it literally translates to "it makes nice time".
- Le temps passe vite. (Time flies.)
- When asking 'What time is it?', you'd typically use 'Quelle heure est-il ?', not 'le temps'. 'Le temps' refers to the concept of time, not the hour on a clock.
'Le temps' as 'Weather'
- To discuss the weather conditions, 'le temps' is your go-to word.
- Often used with the impersonal verb 'faire' (to do/make) in expressions like 'Il fait beau' (It's nice weather).
- Examples:
- Quel temps fait-il ? (What's the weather like?)
- Il fait mauvais temps aujourd'hui. (The weather is bad today.)
- Le temps est nuageux. (The weather is cloudy.)
Context is Key!
Pay attention to the surrounding words and the overall conversation to understand if 'le temps' refers to time or weather. Verbs like 'passer' (to pass) often indicate time, while 'faire' (to do/make) in weather expressions is a strong clue for weather.
Common Mistakes with 'Le temps'
- Confusing 'temps' with 'heure': A common error is using 'le temps' when you mean 'the hour' or 'what time it is'. Remember, 'quelle heure est-il ?' for 'What time is it?' and 'une heure' for 'an hour'. 'Le temps' is the general concept of time.
- Incorrectly translating 'time': While 'le temps' can mean 'time', it doesn't cover every English use of 'time'. For instance, 'How many times?' would be 'Combien de fois ?' (how many instances/repetitions), not involving 'le temps'.
- Misusing 'faire' for weather: While 'Il fait beau temps' means 'The weather is nice', simply saying 'Il est beau temps' is incorrect. Always use 'faire' in these impersonal weather constructions.
- Overlooking context: Native English speakers sometimes struggle to differentiate between the two meanings of 'le temps'. Always ask yourself: Am I talking about a duration or the atmospheric conditions?
Teste-se 6 perguntas
Choose the correct sentence: What does 'Il fait mauvais temps' mean?
'Il fait mauvais temps' is a common expression in French to describe bad weather conditions.
Which of these sentences correctly uses 'temps' to refer to a period of time?
'Prends ton temps' means 'take your time', indicating a duration or period. The other options refer to weather.
In the sentence 'Avec le temps, les choses s'améliorent', what does 'le temps' refer to?
'Avec le temps' is an idiom meaning 'with time' or 'over time', referring to the progression of time itself.
The phrase 'De temps en temps' means 'from time to time'.
'De temps en temps' is a common French idiom that translates directly to 'from time to time', meaning occasionally.
In the sentence 'Je n'ai plus le temps de lire', 'le temps' refers to the weather.
In 'Je n'ai plus le temps de lire', 'le temps' refers to having no more 'time' available for reading, not the weather.
When someone says 'Ça fait longtemps', they are asking about the current weather conditions.
'Ça fait longtemps' means 'It's been a long time', referring to a duration, not the weather. To ask about the weather, one would say 'Quel temps fait-il?'.
/ 6 correct
Perfect score!
Exemplo
Quel temps fait-il ? Je n'ai pas le temps de sortir.
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à cause de
A2Because of; on account of (a neutral or negative cause).
à côté
A2Next to; beside.
à côté de
A2Next to, beside.
À droite
A2To the right; on the right side.
À gauche
A2To the left; on the left side.
à la
A2To the (feminine singular), indicates direction or location.
à laquelle
B2To which; at which (feminine singular).
à mesure que
B2As; while; in proportion as.
abrégé
B1An abstract, summary, or abridgment.
absence
A2The state of being away from a place or person.
