neige
/nɛʒ/feminine
The French word for snow is neige.
neige refers to the crystalline state of water that falls from the atmosphere as flakes, the act of these flakes falling or the white accumulation of them on the ground. To describe being 'in the snow', you can use the phrase dans la neige or the more descriptive en plein milieu de la neige. If you are specifically discussing snow found on a mountain, you can use neige de montagne. Relatedly, the verb neiger means to have snow fall from the atmosphere.
Meaning: partly frozen, crystalline state of water that falls from the atmosphere as precipitation in flakes, falling of such flakes, accumulation of them as a white layer (noun)
Which one should you use?
While neige is the standard noun, the adjective forms change based on gender: use neigeux for masculine contexts and neigeuse for feminine contexts. For a more specific term, skiing enthusiasts might informally use la poudreuse to refer specifically to fresh or powdery snow.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Québec, Canada, the word la poudrerie is used to refer to a snowstorm or blowing snow.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun neige is feminine, meaning it is used with feminine articles such as la or une.
How do you pronounce it?
/nɛʒ/
Did you know?
- In a culinary context, neige is used to describe blancs en neige, which are egg whites whipped until they form stiff white peaks.
- The word neige replaced an older French word noif, which came from the Latin word nix.
- While neiger is a verb, it is an impersonal verb, meaning it is almost always used with the pronoun il regardless of who is involved.
Examples in context
- La neige a fondu.The snow has melted.This sentence demonstrates the use of neige to show that snow has melted.Tatoeba #373735 by zmoo, translation #838700 by Scott
- Il aime la neige.He likes snow.This sentence shows how to express a liking for neige.Tatoeba #3634465 by sacredceltic, translation #2858649 by Amastan
- Il se mit à neiger.It began to snow.This sentence uses the related verb form to indicate the start of snowfall.Tatoeba #1015775 by sacredceltic, translation #272547 by CK
- J'adore la neige ! C'est magnifique cette année.I love the snow! It's beautiful this year.
- La neige blanche recouvre doucement les toits.The white snow gently covers the rooftops.
- On va skier dans la poudreuse demain matin ?Shall we go skiing on the fresh snow tomorrow morning?
- 451 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Emma are looking out the window at a winter morning.
- LucasRegarde, il y a beaucoup de neige dehors.Look, there is a lot of snow outside.
- EmmaOui, la neige est très blanche.Yes, the snow is very white.
- LucasEmma, est-ce que tu veux faire de la luge ?Emma, do you want to go sledding?
- EmmaAvec toute cette neige, c'est une excellente idée !With all this snow, it's an excellent idea!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “snow” translations and entries neige, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries neige, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
