climat
/kli.ma/masculine
The French word for climate is climat.
climat is a masculine noun used to describe long-term atmospheric conditions.
Meaning: long-term atmospheric conditions (noun)
Which one should you use?
Use climat to refer to long-term atmospheric patterns, whereas temps is used to refer to the immediate, daily weather.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Quebec, people often use la température to refer to the weather or climate.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation of climat is /kli.ma/ and it has 2 syllables.
Did you know?
- The Greek root of climat, κλίμα, originally referred to the 'inclination' of the sun's rays, which is why it is linked to the concept of a slope.
- In the 17th century, French intellectuals used climat to describe the perceived influence of geography on the character and temperament of the people living there.
- In a French culinary context, climat can be used to describe the specific environmental conditions that give a wine its unique character and terroir.
Examples in context
- Le climat ici est doux.The climate here is mild.The first sentence illustrates using climat to describe how mild the climate is in a location.Tatoeba #1292301 by sacredceltic, translation #61699 by CK
- Le climat a-t-il changé ?Has the climate changed?The second sentence shows how to ask if the climat has changed.Tatoeba #3553599 by GB3, translation #3553374 by vvv123
- J'apprécie vraiment le climat.I really enjoy the climate.The third sentence demonstrates expressing enjoyment of the climat.Tatoeba #835946 by sacredceltic, translation #20327 by mccarras
- Le climat change à un rythme alarmant.The climate is changing at an alarming rate.
- Les caractéristiques climatiques de cette région sont assez particulières.The climatic characteristics of this region are quite unique.
- On ne peut pas ignorer les changements climatiques.We cannot ignore climate change.
- 84 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Gabriel are discussing moving to a new city.
- EmmaQuel est le climat à Lyon ?What is the climate in Lyon?
- GabrielLe climat est plutôt continental.The climate is rather continental.
- EmmaEst-ce que le climat est trop froid ?Is the climate too cold?
- GabrielNon, Gabriel pense que c'est agréable.No, Gabriel thinks it is pleasant.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “climate” translations and entries climat, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
