pluvieux
/ply.vjø/
The French word for "rainy" is pluvieux.
pluvieux is an adjective used to describe something that is abounding with rain, such as weather or a specific day.
Meaning: abounding with rain (adj)
Which one should you use?
pluvieux is an adjective used to describe a state, such as a rainy day, whereas il pleut is the standard verbal phrase used to say "it is raining".
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Belgium, an informal or colloquial way to say "it's raining" is Il drache.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form of the adjective changes based on the gender and number of the noun it describes. The masculine singular is pluvieux, which also serves as the masculine plural form. The feminine singular is pluvieuse, and the feminine plural is pluvieuses.
How do you pronounce it?
/ply.vjø/
Did you know?
- The word pluvieux is a close linguistic cousin to the English word 'pluvial', which is used in geology to describe periods of heavy rainfall.
- If you see the word pluviosité in a French scientific text, it refers to the measurement of how much rain falls in a way that 'raininess' does not quite capture in English.
Examples in context
- Le temps est pluvieux.The weather is rainy.This sentence shows how to use pluvieux to describe the weather.Tatoeba #11141604 by lbdx, translation #1766697 by AlanF_US
- Le temps demeura pluvieux.The weather remained rainy.This sentence demonstrates the use of pluvieux with the verb to remain.Tatoeba #3642795 by sacredceltic, translation #278881 by CM
- Lundi sera un jour pluvieux.Monday will be a rainy day.This sentence shows how to use pluvieux to describe a day.Tatoeba #7047037 by Aiji, translation #6265863 by CK
- Ne sortez pas sans votre parapluie, c'est un jour de pluie.Don't go out without your umbrella, it's a rainy day.
- 21 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Emma are talking about their hiking plans.
- LucasLe weekend sera-t-il pluvieux ?Will the weekend be rainy?
- EmmaOui, la météo prévoit un temps pluvieux.Yes, the weather forecast predicts rainy weather.
- LucasC'est dommage pour notre randonnée.That is a shame for our hike.
- EmmaOn peut rester à la maison, Lucas.We can stay at home, Lucas.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “rainy” translations and entries pluvieux, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries pluvieux, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
