How to Say “What Is the Weather Today?” in French

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Quel temps fait-il aujourd'hui ?
The English phrase "what is the weather today?" is translated into French as Quel temps fait-il aujourd'hui ?
This question is used to ask about the current atmospheric conditions of the day. If you want to describe the weather in your answer, you might use words like ensoleillé (sunny), pluvieux (rainy), nuageux (cloudy) or venteux (windy).

What does it mean word for word?

Literally, the phrase translates to "What weather does it make today?" because the verb faire (to do/make) is used to describe weather conditions.

Which one should you use?

Use Quel temps fait-il ? to ask about the general weather. Do not use Quelle est la météo ? unless you are specifically asking for a professional meteorological report or forecast.

Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?

The standard form is Quel temps fait-il aujourd'hui ? In casual spoken French, you can use the informal version Il fait quel temps aujourd'hui?, where the subject and verb are not inverted and the interrogative word quel is moved toward the end of the sentence.

Is it said differently in some regions?

In France, you might hear the variation Quel temps il fait aujourd'hui?

How does it change in a sentence?

In the phrase fait-il, the pronoun il serves as an impersonal subject, similar to the "it" in the English phrase "it is raining". It does not refer to a specific person or thing.

Did you know?

  • The word aujourd'hui is a linguistic fossil that literally means 'on the day of today'. It combines the old word hui with jour and au.
  • If you ask Quelle est la météo ?, you might sound like you are asking for a technical news broadcast rather than just asking if it is sunny.

Examples in context

  • Hé, quel temps fait-il aujourd'hui ?
    Hey, what's the weather like today?
  • Dis-moi, il fait quel temps aujourd'hui ?
    Tell me, what's the weather like today?
  • Quel temps fait-il aujourd'hui ? Il fait beau.
    What is the weather today? It is beautiful/sunny.
  • Dis-moi, quel temps fait-il aujourd'hui ?
    Tell me, what is the weather today?

Example conversation

Lucas and Manon are talking in their kitchen before leaving for a walk.

  1. Lucas

    Quel temps fait-il aujourd'hui ?
    What is the weather today?
  2. Manon

    Il fait très beau, Lucas.
    The weather is very beautiful, Lucas.
  3. Lucas

    Est-ce qu'on peut sortir ?
    Can we go out?
  4. Manon

    Oui, prenons nos manteaux.
    Yes, let's take our coats.

Sources

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Nellie Barbara
Nellie BarbaraHelp make this guide better. Spot a mistake, know another way to say it, or have an example from real life? Share it below.
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