What does it mean word for word?
The phrase pleuvoir des cordes literally translates to 'to rain ropes'.
Which one should you use?
While pleuvoir des cordes is the standard idiomatic equivalent, you might use tomber des hallebardes (to rain halberds) to describe even more intense rain or to use a slightly more old-fashioned expression. Additionally, the informal phrase Il pleut des seaux (it's raining buckets) can also be used to describe heavy rain.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Quebec French, you may hear the expression Il pleut à boire debout (it's raining to drink standing up) to express that it is raining cats and dogs.
How does it change in a sentence?
When using this idiom in a natural sentence to describe the weather, the verb pleuvoir is typically used in the impersonal third-person singular form il pleut (e.g., il pleut des cordes).
How do you pronounce it?
/plø.vwaʁ de kɔʁd/
Did you know?
- The word pleuvoir descends from the Classical Latin pluere, which is also the ancestor of the English word 'pluviophile'.
- While English uses animals to describe heavy rain, French uses 'ropes' (cordes) or even 'halberds' (hallebardes), which are long-handled medieval weapons. This creates a much more violent and sharp image of the falling rain than the English version.
- French often replaces the verb 'to rain' with tomber, meaning 'to fall', when describing extreme weather like tomber des hallebardes.
Examples in context
- J'ai oublié mon parapluie et il pleut des cordes!I forgot my umbrella and it's raining cats and dogs!
- Les rues sont inondées, il tombe des hallebardes.The streets are flooded, it's raining cats and dogs.
- Sors ton parapluie, il pleut des seaux!Get your umbrella, it's raining cats and dogs!
- Je vais rester à l'intérieur parce qu'il pleut à boire debout!I'll stay indoors because it's raining cats and dogs!
- Il commence à pleuvoir des cordes dehors.It is starting to rain cats and dogs outside.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry pleuvoir des cordes, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries des, pleuvoir, pleuvoir des cordes, CC BY-SA 4.0.
