The first time I tried to make small talk about the weather in France, I proudly announced in a café that I loved l’été /le.te/ — summer — as snow fell gently outside. Everyone stared at me, then at the window, then back at the yak. Someone kindly asked: “Tu veux dire l’hiver ?” — you mean winter?
That’s when I realized that to sound even slightly normal in French, you need to handle les saisons /le sɛ.zɔ̃/ — the seasons — plus all the little phrases that go with them.
By the end of this guide, you’ll be able to:
- Name all four seasons in French with good pronunciation
- Say things like en été, il fait chaud — in summer, it’s hot — and en hiver, il neige — in winter, it snows
- Talk about your favorite season, holidays, and plans without switching back to English in your head
Quick Primer: Time And Weather Words You Need First
Before we zoom into each season, a few core words will keep everything together.
On first mentions:
- une saison /yn sɛ.zɔ̃/ — a season
- l’année /la.ne/ — the year
- le temps /lə tɑ̃/ — the weather or time (context tells you which)
- il fait chaud /il fɛ ʃo/ — it’s hot
- il fait froid /il fɛ fʁwa/ — it’s cold
- il pleut /il plø/ — it’s raining
- il neige /il nɛʒ/ — it’s snowing
In French, seasons are an easy gateway to:
- Talking about weather
- Inviting people to do things (en été, on va à la plage — in summer we go to the beach)
- Complaining, which is a very French hobby
Now let’s meet your new calendar friends properly.
The Four French Seasons: Names, Sounds, Meanings
Here are the four saisons in French, with pronunciation and English meaning.
| French | IPA | English |
| le printemps | lə pʁɛ̃.tɑ̃ | spring |
| l’été | le.te | summer |
| l’automne | lo.tɔn | autumn / fall |
| l’hiver | li.vɛʁ | winter |
Pronunciation tips:
- le printemps /lə pʁɛ̃.tɑ̃/ — literally “first time.” Both vowels are nasal; think “pran-tahn” but with French ʁ and nose.
- l’été /le.te/ — like “lay-tay.” Simple, two syllables.
- l’automne /lo.tɔn/ — you hear the o and tonn; final e is almost silent.
- l’hiver /li.vɛʁ/ — “lee-vair,” with a French ʁ at the end.
All four seasons are masculine in French, even when written with l’:
- le printemps
- l’été (still masculine)
- l’automne (masculine)
- l’hiver (masculine)
How To Say “In Spring”, “In Winter” (Prepositions You Actually Need)
This part confused me for weeks in Lyon: sometimes people said au printemps, sometimes en été, and my brain screamed “Pick one system!”
On first uses here:
- au printemps /o pʁɛ̃.tɑ̃/ — in (the) spring
- en été /ɑ̃ ne.te/ — in summer
- en automne /ɑ̃ no.tɔn/ — in autumn
- en hiver /ɑ̃ ni.vɛʁ/ — in winter
The usual patterns in France:
- au printemps
- en été
- en automne
- en hiver
Examples:
- Au printemps, les fleurs arrivent.
/o pʁɛ̃.tɑ̃ le flœʁ a.ʁiv/
In spring, the flowers appear. - En été, il fait très chaud ici.
/ɑ̃ ne.te il fɛ tʁɛ ʃo i.si/
In summer, it’s very hot here. - En automne, il pleut souvent.
/ɑ̃ no.tɔn il plø su.vɑ̃/
In autumn, it often rains. - En hiver, il neige parfois.
/ɑ̃ ni.vɛʁ il nɛʒ paʁ.fwa/
In winter, it sometimes snows.
You might also hear au printemps more often than en printemps; in everyday France French, au printemps is the natural choice.
Weather And Mood: What Each Season Feels Like In French
Seasons aren’t just words; they come with typical weather and emotions. Perfect for small talk.
Le printemps /lə pʁɛ̃.tɑ̃/ — Spring
- Often seen as le renouveau /lə ʁə.nu.vo/ — renewal.
- Weather: il fait doux /il fɛ du/ — it’s mild, il pleut quite a bit.
Examples:
- Au printemps, il fait souvent doux.
/o pʁɛ̃.tɑ̃ il fɛ su.vɑ̃ du/
In spring, it’s often mild. - Au printemps, les arbres sont verts.
/o pʁɛ̃.tɑ̃ le.zaʁbʁ sɔ̃ vɛʁ/
In spring, the trees are green.
L’été /le.te/ — Summer
- Associated with holidays: les vacances d’été /le va.kɑ̃s de.te/ — summer holidays.
- Weather: il fait chaud, sometimes il fait très chaud /il fɛ tʁɛ ʃo/ — very hot.
Examples:
- En été, je vais à la plage.
/ɑ̃ ne.te ʒə vɛ a la plaʒ/
In summer, I go to the beach. - En été, il fait jour tard.
/ɑ̃ ne.te il fɛ ʒuʁ taʁ/
In summer, it stays light late.
L’automne /lo.tɔn/ — Autumn / Fall
- Think of les feuilles tombent /le fœj tɔ̃b/ — leaves fall.
- Weather: il fait frais /il fɛ fʁɛ/ — it’s cool, il pleut souvent — it often rains.
Examples:
- En automne, les feuilles changent de couleur.
/ɑ̃ no.tɔn le fœj ʃɑ̃ʒ də ku.lœʁ/
In autumn, the leaves change color. - En automne, il fait souvent gris.
/ɑ̃ no.tɔn il fɛ su.vɑ̃ ɡʁi/
In autumn, it’s often grey.
L’hiver /li.vɛʁ/ — Winter
- Linked with le froid /lə fʁwa/ — the cold, and sometimes la neige /la nɛʒ/ — snow.
Examples:
- En hiver, il fait très froid.
/ɑ̃ ni.vɛʁ il fɛ tʁɛ fʁwa/
In winter, it’s very cold. - En hiver, il neige dans certaines régions.
/ɑ̃ ni.vɛʁ il nɛʒ dɑ̃ sɛʁ.tɛn ʁe.ʒjɔ̃/
In winter, it snows in some regions.
What People Actually Do In Each Season (Useful Vocabulary)
Seasons are a great way to talk about hobbies and plans.
On first mentions here:
- faire du ski /fɛʁ dy ski/ — to go skiing
- bronzer /bʁɔ̃.ze/ — to sunbathe
- faire une randonnée /fɛʁ yn ʁɑ̃.dɔ.ne/ — to go hiking
Spring Activities
- Au printemps, je fais du vélo.
/o pʁɛ̃.tɑ̃ ʒə fɛ dy ve.lo/
In spring, I ride my bike. - Au printemps, on fait des pique-niques.
/o pʁɛ̃.tɑ̃ ɔ̃ fɛ de pik.nik/
In spring, we have picnics.
Summer Activities
- En été, je vais à la mer.
/ɑ̃ ne.te ʒə vɛ a la mɛʁ/
In summer, I go to the seaside. - En été, j’aime bronzer et nager.
/ɑ̃ ne.te ʒɛm bʁɔ̃.ze e na.ʒe/
In summer, I like to sunbathe and swim.
Autumn Activities
- En automne, je fais des randonnées.
/ɑ̃ no.tɔn ʒə fɛ de ʁɑ̃.dɔ.ne/
In autumn, I go hiking. - En automne, je bois des chocolats chauds.
/ɑ̃ no.tɔn ʒə bwa de ʃɔ.kɔ.la ʃo/
In autumn, I drink hot chocolates.
Winter Activities
- En hiver, je fais du ski.
/ɑ̃ ni.vɛʁ ʒə fɛ dy ski/
In winter, I go skiing. - En hiver, je reste à la maison.
/ɑ̃ ni.vɛʁ ʒə ʁɛst a la mɛ.zɔ̃/
In winter, I stay at home.
Usage Notes & Classic Mistakes With Seasons
1. Capital Letters
In French, seasons are not capitalized:
- le printemps, l’été, l’automne, l’hiver
Only capitalize at the start of a sentence:
- L’été, il fait chaud.
2. Prepositions: En Or Au?
- au printemps is the most natural choice in France.
- en été, en automne, en hiver are standard.
So you can memorize:
- au printemps
- en été / en automne / en hiver
3. “In The Spring” Vs “In Spring”
English loves “in the spring.” French usually just uses au printemps without “the.”
- ✓ Au printemps, il pleut.
- ✗ Dans le printemps, il pleut.
4. Mixing Up Time Vs Weather
le temps can mean “time” or “weather.” Don’t panic: context saves you.
- Tu as le temps ? — Do you have time?
- Il fait quel temps ? — What’s the weather like?
You almost never say le temps est chaud for “it’s hot.” Use il fait chaud instead.
Region Notes: Seasons In France And Beyond
On first mention:
- la météo /la me.te.o/ — the weather forecast
In France:
- Summers can be very hot in some regions: canicule /ka.ni.kyl/ — heat wave.
- Winters are mild in some areas, cold and snowy in mountains.
In other francophone regions:
- In parts of Canada and some other areas, you may hear more about extreme hivers très froids /i.vɛʁ tʁɛ fʁwa/ — very cold winters.
- Near the equator, some French speakers talk less about four seasons and more about la saison des pluies /la sɛ.zɔ̃ de plɥi/ — rainy season — and la saison sèche /la sɛ.zɔ̃ sɛʃ/ — dry season.
But for standard learner French focused on France, four classic seasons work perfectly.
Mini Dialogues: Talking About Seasons In Real Life
Each line: French sentence, IPA, then natural English translation.
Dialogue 1: Favorite Season
Tu préfères quelle saison ?
/ty pʁe.fɛʁ kɛl sɛ.zɔ̃/
Which season do you prefer?
J’adore l’été, il fait chaud et il fait jour tard.
/ʒa.dɔʁ le.te il fɛ ʃo e il fɛ ʒuʁ taʁ/
I love summer, it’s hot and it stays light late.
Moi, je préfère l’automne, il fait frais et c’est joli.
/mwa ʒə pʁe.fɛʁ lo.tɔn il fɛ fʁɛ e sɛ ʒɔ.li/
I prefer autumn, it’s cool and it’s pretty.
Au moins, on est d’accord : on n’aime pas l’hiver.
/o mwɛ̃ ɔ̃ n‿ɛ da.kɔʁ ɔ̃ nɛm pa li.vɛʁ/
At least we agree on one thing: we don’t like winter.
Dialogue 2: Weather And Plans
Il fait quel temps en hiver chez toi ?
/il fɛ kɛl tɑ̃ ɑ̃ ni.vɛʁ ʃe twa/
What’s the weather like in winter where you live?
En hiver, il fait très froid et parfois il neige.
/ɑ̃ ni.vɛʁ il fɛ tʁɛ fʁwa e paʁ.fwa il nɛʒ/
In winter, it’s very cold and sometimes it snows.
Et au printemps ?
/e o pʁɛ̃.tɑ̃/
And in spring?
Au printemps, il fait doux et tout est vert.
/o pʁɛ̃.tɑ̃ il fɛ du e tu t‿ɛ vɛʁ/
In spring, it’s mild and everything is green.
Dialogue 3: Small Talk About Holidays
Tu pars en vacances quand ?
/ty paʁ ɑ̃ va.kɑ̃s kɑ̃/
When are you going on vacation?
En été, au mois d’août.
/ɑ̃ ne.te o mwa dut/
In summer, in August.
Tu n’aimes pas partir au printemps ?
/ty nɛm pa paʁ.tiʁ o pʁɛ̃.tɑ̃/
You don’t like traveling in spring?
Si, mais en été, je peux rester plus longtemps.
/si mɛ ɑ̃ ne.te ʒə pø ʁɛs.te ply lɔ̃.tɑ̃/
I do, but in summer, I can stay longer.
Quick Reference: Seasons, Weather, And Time Expressions
| French | IPA | English |
| une saison | yn sɛ.zɔ̃ | a season |
| le printemps | lə pʁɛ̃.tɑ̃ | spring |
| l’été | le.te | summer |
| l’automne | lo.tɔn | autumn / fall |
| l’hiver | li.vɛʁ | winter |
| au printemps | o pʁɛ̃.tɑ̃ | in spring |
| en été | ɑ̃ ne.te | in summer |
| en automne | ɑ̃ no.tɔn | in autumn |
| en hiver | ɑ̃ ni.vɛʁ | in winter |
| il fait chaud | il fɛ ʃo | it’s hot |
| il fait froid | il fɛ fʁwa | it’s cold |
| il fait doux | il fɛ du | it’s mild |
| il fait frais | il fɛ fʁɛ | it’s cool |
| il pleut | il plø | it’s raining |
| il neige | il nɛʒ | it’s snowing |
| les vacances d’été | le va.kɑ̃s de.te | summer holidays |
| au printemps, en été… | o pʁɛ̃.tɑ̃ ɑ̃ ne.te | in spring, in summer |
| cette saison | sɛt sɛ.zɔ̃ | this season |
| toute l’année | tut la.ne | all year round |
Five-Minute Practice Plan: Make Seasons Feel Automatic
- Season Chain Out Loud (1 minute)
Say them in order, twice:
le printemps, l’été, l’automne, l’hiver.
Then start alternating:
Au printemps… En été… En automne… En hiver… - Weather Sentence For Each Season (1–2 minutes)
Create one simple sentence per season:
Au printemps, il fait doux.
En été, il fait chaud.
En automne, il pleut souvent.
En hiver, il fait froid.
Say them slowly, then again a bit faster. - Favorite Season Mini-Monologue (1 minute)
Answer in French:
Je préfère… parce que…
For example:
Je préfère l’été parce qu’il fait chaud et j’ai des vacances. - Region Reality Check (1 minute)
Describe your real climate in French:
En hiver, il neige / il ne neige pas. En été, il fait très chaud / il fait frais.
Keeping it true to your life helps it stick. - One Real-Life Use (30 seconds)
Decide one sentence you’ll actually use this week, like:
En été, il fait très chaud ici.
or
Au printemps, la ville est très jolie.
Say it out loud now so it’s ready when someone asks about the weather.
From Seasons To Small Talk (And Real Connections)
Once you know le printemps, l’été, l’automne, l’hiver and a handful of phrases like au printemps, en été, il fait froid, you suddenly unlock a huge part of real-life French conversation: weather talk, holiday plans, memories, and complaints.
It’s not just vocabulary; it’s how you say “I’m freezing,” “I can’t wait for summer,” or “autumn is beautiful here” to real people. Learn the four seasons well, sprinkle them into your week, and your French starts feeling less like a school subject and more like the language you actually live your year in.