Weather Expressions: il fait, il pleut, il neige

French uses what we call the "impersonal il." This il does not mean "he." It does not represent a person or a specific thing. It is just a placeholder. Think of it like a ghost in the machine. In English, we say "It is raining." Who is the "it"? Nobody knows! French is the same. We use il to set the scene. Most weather expressions start with il fait. This literally means "it makes." It is as if the universe is "making" the weather. For specific actions like raining or snowing, we use dedicated verbs. You just need to learn three main patterns. Once you have those, you can describe almost any day of the year. It is like having a weather station in your pocket.

1. 1For general qualities, use il fait + adjective.
2. 2il fait + beau (It's beautiful/nice weather).
3. 3il fait + chaud (It's hot).
4. 4il fait + froid (It's cold).
5. 5For specific actions, use the weather verb directly.
6. 6il pleut (It's raining).
7. 7il neige (It's snowing).
8. 8For things you can see (like sun or wind), use il y a + noun.
9. 9il y a + du soleil (There is sun).
10. 10il y a + du vent (There is wind).
11. 11To ask about the weather, use the formula: Quel temps fait-il ? (What weather does it make?).

You will use these expressions in every social layer of life. At a job interview, it's a safe way to fill an awkward silence while the interviewer finds your CV. You might say, Il fait un temps magnifique aujourd'hui ! to start on a positive note. When ordering food at a terrace, you might justify your choice by saying, Il fait trop chaud dehors. If you are asking for directions and it starts pouring, you can shout, Oh non, il pleut ! as you run for cover. It is also essential for planning. If a friend asks to go for a hike, you check the window and say, Il neige, restons ici ! It’s simple, practical, and keeps the conversation moving. Even if you don't know many words yet, these phrases make you part of the local vibe.

Do not use être (to be) to describe the weather. This is the biggest trap for English speakers. In English, we say "It is hot." If you say Il est chaud in French, people will look at you very strangely. In some contexts, that could even sound suggestive! Stick to il fait. Also, do not use il fait for your personal feelings. If you feel cold, you say J'ai froid (I have cold), not Je suis froid or Il fait froid (unless you are talking about the room). Do not use il fait with nouns like "wind" or "rain." You cannot say il fait vent. It sounds like you're trying to invent a new language. Use il y a for those. Finally, don't use these expressions to describe your mood. Il fait beau is for the sky, not your personality.

• Saying Le temps est beau. While technically okay, it sounds like a 19th-century poem. Just say Il fait beau.
• Saying Je suis chaud. Warning! This usually means you are "feeling spicy" or "turned on." Unless that's the goal, stick to Il fait chaud to describe the air or J'ai chaud for yourself.
• Mixing up il pleut and il pleure. Il pleut is raining. Il pleure is crying. Unless the clouds are literally sobbing, use the first one.
• Forgetting the du in il y a du soleil. You need that little partitive article. It's like saying "there is *some* sun."
• Using il fait with neige. It is il neige, not il fait neige. The verb does all the work.

The main showdown is il fait vs. il y a. Think of it this way: il fait is for the feeling or the quality of the air. If you can describe it with an adjective (hot, cold, nice, bad), use il fait. Il y a is for objects or phenomena that exist in the sky. If you can see it or point to it (the sun, a cloud, the wind), use il y a. For example, Il fait froid (I feel the cold) vs. Il y a de la glace (I see the ice). It is a subtle difference, but it makes you sound much more like a native speaker. Think of il fait as the "vibe" and il y a as the "inventory."