il y a du brouillard
To say "it is foggy" in French, use il y a du brouillard.
This phrase is used to describe weather conditions where thick clouds of water droplets are near the ground.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "there is some fog".
Which one should you use?
If you are describing a lighter mist rather than a thick fog that significantly reduces visibility, you would use il y a de la brume instead.
How does it change in a sentence?
Because brouillard is a masculine noun, the partitive article du (which is a combination of de and le) is used to mean "some fog".
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid saying il est brouillard by translating "it is" literally. In French, weather conditions like this use the impersonal il y a to mean "there is".
Did you know?
- The word brouillard uses the suffix -ard, which in French often creates nouns that describe a characteristic in an exaggerated or pejorative way.
- In French, the word brouillard is also used metaphorically to describe a state of mental confusion or a lack of clarity in a situation.
- The word brouillard comes from the verb brouiller, which means 'to mix' or 'to jumble'. This connects the physical blur of the fog to the idea of things becoming confused or mixed up.
Examples in context
- Il y a du brouillard.It is foggy.Tatoeba #4895879 by sacredceltic, translation #456111 by lukaszpp
- Dehors il y a du brouillard.It is foggy outside.Tatoeba #11813724 by Zahia_Ntmazirt, translation #9926145 by sundown
- Il y a beaucoup de brouillard ce matin.There is a lot of fog this morning.
- C'est brumeux ce soir.It's foggy tonight.
- Il y a du brouillard dense ce matin.There is dense fog this morning.
- Fais attention, il y a du brouillard sur la route.Be careful, it is foggy on the road.
Example conversation
Emma and Hugo are looking out the window at the garden.
- EmmaRegarde, on ne voit plus le jardin.Look, we can't see the garden anymore.
- HugoC'est parce qu'il y a du brouillard.It's because it is foggy.
- EmmaIl est très épais ce matin.It is very thick this morning.
- HugoOui, la visibilité est mauvaise.Yes, the visibility is bad.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries a, brouillard, du, il, y, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
