il faisait chaud
The English phrase "weather was hot" is translated into French as il faisait chaud.
This phrase is used to describe a past state of high ambient temperature in the air. Depending on the intensity of the heat, you might use more specific expressions: il faisait une chaleur étouffante for swelteringly hot or il faisait une chaleur accablante for scorching hot.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase il faisait chaud literally translates to "it was making hot". In this construction, il is an impersonal pronoun and faisait is the imperfect tense of the verb faire (to do/make).
Which one should you use?
While il faisait chaud describes a continuous state or a background setting in the past, the form il a fait chaud is used to describe a specific, completed period of heat or a sudden change in weather.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid saying il était chaud to describe the weather. In French, il était chaud would imply that an object or a person was physically hot to the touch, rather than describing the weather.
Did you know?
- In some regions, you might hear il faisait un soleil de plomb, which literally means 'it was a lead sun'. This evocative phrase describes a heat so heavy and oppressive that it feels like the weight of metal.
- In a metaphorical sense, if a French speaker describes a situation as chaud, they are not talking about the temperature. They are actually describing a situation that is risky, tense, or even dangerous.
- The word chaud is a distant relative of the English word 'calorie'. Both words stem from the Latin 'calidus', which refers to the concept of heat.
Examples in context
- Il faisait chaud.It was hot.
- Il faisait trop chaud ! La chaleur était étouffante.It was too hot! The heat was stifling.
- Il a fait chaud, une chaleur accablante.It was hot, scorching hot.
- Oh, il faisait chaud ! J'ai transpiré toute la journée.Oh, it was hot! I was sweating all day long.
- Il a fait plus de 30 degrés !It was over 30 degrees!
- Ah, oui ! Il faisait une chaleur étouffante là-bas.Ah, yes! It was stiflingly hot over there.
- Hier, il faisait chaud toute la journée.Yesterday, it was hot all day long.
- Il faisait chaud pendant nos vacances en Grèce.It was hot during our vacation in Greece.
- On ne voulait pas sortir car il faisait chaud.We didn't want to go out because it was hot.
Example conversation
Chloé and Nathan are talking about their last vacation.
- ChloéLe voyage était bien, mais il faisait chaud.The trip was good, but the weather was hot.
- NathanC'est vrai, c'est normal en été.That's true, it's normal in summer.
- ChloéOui, Nathan, on a beaucoup transpiré.Yes, Nathan, we sweated a lot.
- NathanOn devrait y retourner en automne.We should go back in autumn.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries chaud, il, CC BY-SA 4.0.
