4 Seasons In French: A Vocab Guide For Beginners

Want to talk about the weather in French without sounding like a robot reading from a phrasebook? Smart move. Learning seasons in French is way more useful than most beginner topics because, let's be honest, talking about weather is how 90% of conversations start anyway.

To help you get started, this guide breaks down everything you need to know about the four seasons in French. We'll cover here all the useful translations, related vocabulary, cultural significance, and related phrases. Let's get started!

What Are The 4 Seasons In French?

The word "season" in French is "une saison" (feminine), and its plural form is "les saisons". While "saison" itself is feminine, interestingly, all four individual seasons in French are masculine nouns.

The French calendar follows the astronomical seasons, with each lasting roughly three months. Spring (le printemps) runs from March to June, summer (l'été) from June to September, autumn (l'automne) from September to December, and winter (l'hiver) from December to March.

How To Talk About The Seasons In French

Understanding the grammatical rules for discussing seasons will help you sound more natural when speaking French. The most important thing to remember is choosing the right preposition when talking about seasons.

For most seasons, you'll use "en":

• en été (in summer)
• en automne (in autumn)
• en hiver (in winter)

Spring is the exception—it uses "au":

• au printemps (in spring)

The consonant at the beginning of "printemps" makes "au" flow better phonetically than "en" would. Try saying both versions out loud and you'll hear the difference.

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French Words Related To Seasons

Beyond the season names themselves, French has a rich vocabulary for describing seasonal characteristics and weather patterns. These words help paint a vivid picture of each time of year and are frequently used in everyday conversation.

French Words Related To Spring

Spring in France means Easter, May Day celebrations, and finally getting to sit at those sidewalk cafés without freezing. It's when nature wakes up, but it's also when French people start planning their summer vacations. Spring vocabulary reflects this mix of natural beauty and cultural anticipation.

Spring sentence patterns you can use right away:

• "Au printemps, les oiseaux chantent" - In spring, birds sing
• "J'adore voir les fleurs fleurir" - I love seeing flowers bloom
• "Il pleut souvent au printemps" - It rains a lot in spring
• "Les arbres commencent à verdir" - Trees start turning green

French Words Related To Summer

Summer's when France really comes alive. This is "les grandes vacances" season when entire cities empty out as people head to the coast or countryside. Beach towns get packed, festivals happen everywhere, and Bastille Day on July 14th brings fireworks and parties nationwide.

Summer sentence patterns:

• "En été, je vais souvent à la plage" - In summer, I often go to the beach
• "Il fait très chaud en juillet" - It's really hot in July
• "Nous prenons nos vacances en août" - We take our vacation in August
• "J'aime manger une glace au soleil" - I like eating ice cream in the sun

French Words Related To Autumn

Autumn means "la rentrée"—back to school and work after summer vacation. It's also harvest time, especially for grapes, making this wine season in France. The weather gets cooler, leaves change colors, and people start talking about what they did during their summer holidays.

Autumn sentence patterns:

• "En automne, les feuilles tombent" - In autumn, leaves fall
• "Les couleurs d'automne sont magnifiques" - Autumn colors are beautiful
• "C'est la saison des vendanges" - It's grape harvest season
• "Je porte un coupe-vent quand il y a du vent" - I wear a windbreaker when it's windy

French Words Related To Winter

Winter in France splits between cozy Christmas markets in cities and serious skiing in the Alps. It's when you'll hear lots of complaints about the cold, see people bundled up in scarves, and experience the magic of French Christmas traditions. Mountain regions get serious snow, while coastal areas mostly just get cold and gray.

Winter sentence patterns:

• "En hiver, il neige dans les montagnes" - In winter, it snows in the mountains
• "J'aime faire du ski pendant les vacances" - I like skiing during vacation
• "Il fait très froid en décembre" - It's really cold in December
• "Nous célébrons Noël en famille" - We celebrate Christmas with family

Common French Phrases Related To Seasons

Basically, French speakers love discussing seasons and weather. So if you want to blend in and feel like a local, be sure to use the phrases below related to seasonal conversations.

General seasonal phrases

• "Quelle est ta saison préférée?" (What's your favorite season?)
• "Le temps change avec les saisons" (The weather changes with the seasons)
• "C'est la belle saison" (It's the nice season - referring to spring/summer)
• "L'hiver approche" (Winter is coming)

Weather-related expressions

• "Quel temps fait-il?" (What's the weather like?)
• "Il fait beau/mauvais" (The weather is nice/bad)
• "Le temps se gâte" (The weather is getting worse)
• "C'est un temps à ne pas mettre un chien dehors" (It's weather you wouldn't put a dog out in)

Seasonal activities

• "C'est la saison des fraises" (It's strawberry season)
• "On fait les soldes d'hiver" (We're having winter sales)
• "La rentrée approche" (Back-to-school time is coming)

Traditional sayings

• "En avril, ne te découvre pas d'un fil ; en mai, fais ce qu'il te plaît." (In April, don't remove a thread; in May, do as you please - warning about unpredictable spring weather)
• "Noël au balcon, Pâques aux tisons" (Christmas on the balcony, Easter by the embers - mild winter means cold spring)

Ready To Learn French?

You've just learned that French has four seasons, but knowing "l'hiver" means winter won't help you when a French friend texts "ça caille!" to complain about the cold. That's because real French is messy, colorful, and full of expressions you'll never find in textbooks.

The good news? You don't need another vocabulary list. You need to hear French the way it's actually spoken.

With Lingopie, you can finally watch your favorite French shows with clickable dual subtitles. When you tap on a word, you can get direct instant definitions, and hear exactly how native speakers use seasonal expressions in context. More importantly, there are several useful features that'll seriously level up your French!

Curious? Give it a try now!