l'automne
In French, "the fall" is translated as l'automne.
l'automne is used to refer to the season of the year between summer and winter.
What does it mean word for word?
The noun automne refers specifically to the season itself. Note that this is a distinct concept from the verb tomber, which describes the action of falling.
How does it change in a sentence?
When you want to say "in autumn" or "in the fall" to describe a general time period, it is common to drop the article and use the preposition en instead of à l'automne, resulting in the phrase en automne.
Did you know?
- Although automne is spelled with an 'm', the letter is silent. It is pronounced as if it were spelled autonne.
- The preposition en used in en automne is also used for other seasons like en été and en hiver, but not for au printemps.
- If you are describing a period of unseasonably warm and dry weather during the season, French speakers use the phrase l'été indien, which literally translates to 'the Indian summer'.
Examples in context
- Qui ramassera les pommes à l'automne ?Who will pick the apples in the fall?This sentence shows how to ask who will be picking apples using l'automne.Tatoeba #4472218 by Petrus, translation #4454626 by LB
- Les feuilles tombent des arbres à l'automne.The leaves fall off the trees in the fall.This sentence describes leaves falling from trees using l'automne.Tatoeba #11649893 by Aiji, translation #4755327 by garborg
- Je vais à Paris à l'automne.I'm going to Paris in the fall.This sentence expresses a travel plan to Paris during l'automne.Tatoeba #6343 by Apex, translation #258494 by CN
- L'automne est ma saison préféréeAutumn is my favorite season
- La saison automnale offre des paysages magnifiquesThe fall season offers beautiful landscapes
- L'automne est trop beau cette année!The fall is so beautiful this year!
- L'automne arrive , les feuilles vont bientôt tomberAutumn is coming, the leaves will soon fall
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nathan and Manon are walking in a park.
- NathanTu aimes l'automne ?Do you like the fall?
- ManonOui, c'est ma saison préférée.Yes, it is my favorite season.
- NathanLes paysages sont magnifiques en ce moment.The landscapes are magnificent right now.
- ManonC'est vrai, Nathan.That's true, Nathan.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
