La pluie is the word every French learner first learns for “rain.” But what do you say when it’s just a light drizzle, or when the heavens open up in a torrential downpour? Talking about the weather is a universal conversation starter, and knowing the right words for different types of rain will make you sound much more like a native speaker. Whether you're trying to describe a sudden shower in Normandy or just want to make small talk, having a few extra expressions up your sleeve is incredibly useful. Let’s get you ready for any weather with nine different ways to say “rain” in French!

The standard word for 'rain' – la pluie

La pluie is the fundamental and most common French noun for 'rain'. If you want to talk about the concept of rain, this is the word you need.

It's important to know that pluie is a feminine noun. Therefore, it is always used with a feminine article, such as la (the) or une (a/an). You will almost always see it as la pluie.

While la pluie is the noun, the verb 'to rain' is pleuvoir. This is an impersonal verb, meaning it's almost exclusively used in the third-person singular form: Il pleut, which means 'It is raining' or 'It rains'.

Think of it this way: La pluie is the thing that falls from the sky. Il pleut is the action of it falling. You can't say je pleus (I rain). You would say J'aime la pluie (I like the rain), but to describe the weather right now, you'd say Il pleut.

La pluie is also part of many common French expressions. For instance, parler de la pluie et du beau temps literally means 'to talk about the rain and the good weather' and is the equivalent of 'to make small talk'. Another famous saying is Après la pluie, le beau temps, which means 'After the rain, good weather comes'—the French version of 'Every cloud has a silver lining'.

💡 * Il pleut des cordes aujourd'hui, je ne sors pas.

La pluie a cessé, nous pouvons aller nous promener.

N'oublie pas ton parapluie, on annonce de la pluie ce soir.

L'odeur de la pluie après une chaude journée est très agréable.

The verb 'to rain' – pleuvoir

The primary French verb for 'to rain' is pleuvoir. This is a fundamental vocabulary word for discussing the weather, but it functions in a very specific way that differs from many other verbs.

Crucially, pleuvoir is an impersonal verb. This means it is only ever conjugated with the third-person singular pronoun il (it). You cannot say 'je pleus' (I rain) or 'vous pleuvez' (you rain). The subject is always the abstract 'it' referring to the weather.

The most common form you will encounter is the present tense: Il pleut, which means 'It is raining' or 'It rains'. This is an irregular conjugation.

To talk about rain in the past or future, you use the same impersonal il structure. For the passé composé, it's Il a plu (It rained), using avoir as the auxiliary verb. For the futur simple, it's Il pleuvra (It will rain).

Pleuvoir can also be used figuratively. A very common idiom is Il pleut des cordes, which is the French equivalent of 'It's raining cats and dogs'. You might also see it used to describe a deluge of things, such as Les critiques ont plu sur son dernier film (Criticisms rained down on his latest film).

💡 * Il pleut aujourd'hui, donc nous ne pouvons pas aller au parc. (It's raining today, so we can't go to the park.)

Il a plu toute la semaine dernière. (It rained all last week.)

Selon la météo, il pleuvra demain matin. (According to the weather forecast, it will rain tomorrow morning.)

N'oublie pas ton parapluie, il pleut des cordes ! (Don't forget your umbrella, it's raining cats and dogs!)

The 'drizzle' or 'light rain' – la bruine / le crachin

When it's not quite raining but more than just mist, French has two excellent words to describe that persistent, fine rain: la bruine and le crachin.

La bruine is the most direct translation for 'drizzle.' It refers to a very fine, light, and often misty rain. It comes from the verb bruiner, which means 'to drizzle.' Think of it as a gentle, almost atmospheric rain.

Le crachin also means 'drizzle,' but it often carries a slightly more negative and annoying connotation. The word is related to the verb cracher (to spit), so it evokes the feeling of a persistent, spitting rain that gets you damp over time. It's very common in everyday language, especially to complain about the weather.

While often used interchangeably, la bruine is more neutral or even poetic, whereas le crachin is more colloquial and implies frustration. You might see la bruine described in a novel, but you'll hear a friend complain about le crachin.

Both nouns have corresponding impersonal verbs: il bruine (it's drizzling) and il crachine (it's drizzling/spitting). Like with il pleut (it's raining), these verbs are only used with the pronoun il.

💡 * Il y a une légère bruine ce matin, n'oublie pas ton parapluie. (There's a light drizzle this morning, don't forget your umbrella.)

J'en ai marre de ce crachin breton, ça n'arrête jamais ! (I'm fed up with this Brittany drizzle, it never stops!)

Regarde par la fenêtre, il bruine depuis une heure. (Look out the window, it's been drizzling for an hour.)

Le match a été annulé à cause du crachin incessant. (The match was cancelled because of the incessant drizzle.)

The 'shower' – une averse

The 'shower' – une averse

While la pluie means 'rain' in general, une averse specifically refers to a sudden, often heavy, but typically brief rain shower. It's the perfect word for a downpour that starts and stops unexpectedly.

The noun averse is feminine. This means you must always use feminine articles and adjectives with it, such as une averse for 'a shower' or une forte averse for 'a heavy shower'.

You will frequently hear une averse in weather forecasts or in daily conversation to describe short, intense bursts of rain. A common phrase is être pris sous une averse, which means 'to be caught in a shower'.

💡 * J'ai été surpris par une averse en rentrant du travail. (I was caught by a shower on my way home from work.)

Le bulletin météo annonce des averses pour demain matin. (The weather forecast is calling for showers tomorrow morning.)

Ce n'était qu'une petite averse, le soleil brille déjà. (It was just a small shower, the sun is already shining.)

Nous nous sommes abrités sous un arbre pour attendre la fin de l'averse. (We sheltered under a tree to wait for the shower to end.)

The 'downpour' or 'deluge' – un déluge

Un déluge is a powerful French noun used to describe a massive, sudden, and often destructive downpour of rain. It's a direct cognate of the English word 'deluge,' carrying the same weight and intensity.

Literally, it refers to a flood or a torrential rainstorm that can cause severe flooding. It signifies much more than just une forte pluie (heavy rain); un déluge implies an overwhelming, almost catastrophic amount of water.

Beyond the weather, un déluge is frequently used figuratively to describe a massive, overwhelming quantity of something. For instance, you might encounter un déluge de critiques (a deluge of criticism) or un déluge d'informations (a flood of information).

The word has strong historical and biblical roots, often referring to Le Déluge—the Great Flood from the story of Noah's Ark. This association adds to its dramatic and epic tone.

Use un déluge when you want to emphasize an extreme quantity, whether it's literal rain or a figurative flood of objects, words, or emotions. It is a dramatic term reserved for exceptional situations, not for a simple rainy day.

💡 * Quel déluge ! Je suis trempé jusqu'aux os. (What a downpour! I'm soaked to the bone.)

Après le déluge, toutes les rues du village étaient inondées. (After the deluge, all the village streets were flooded.)

Le service client a reçu un déluge d'appels après la panne. (The customer service received a deluge of calls after the outage.)

Le politicien a fait face à un déluge de questions de la part des journalistes. (The politician faced a deluge of questions from the journalists.)

The idiom for 'raining cats and dogs' – il pleut des cordes

To say 'it's raining cats and dogs' in French, the most common and direct equivalent is the idiom il pleut des cordes.

Literally, this phrase translates to 'it's raining ropes.' This paints a vivid picture of rain falling so heavily and in such thick streams that it resembles ropes coming down from the sky.

This is a very popular and widely understood expression throughout the French-speaking world. You can use it in almost any informal or semi-formal situation to describe a downpour. It's a much more colorful alternative to simply saying il pleut beaucoup (it's raining a lot).

While il pleut des cordes is the go-to expression, you might also hear il pleut à verse (it's pouring) for a less idiomatic but still strong description. A more dramatic, though less common, alternative is il pleut des hallebardes (it's raining halberds).

💡 * N'oublie pas ton parapluie, il pleut des cordes dehors ! (Don't forget your umbrella, it's raining cats and dogs outside!)

On ne peut pas faire de randonnée aujourd'hui, il pleut des cordes. (We can't go hiking today, it's pouring.)

J'étais complètement trempé, il s'est mis à pleuvoir des cordes. (I was completely soaked, it started raining cats and dogs.)

Quel temps ! Il pleut des cordes depuis une heure. (What weather! It's been raining cats and dogs for an hour.)

The other idiom for 'heavy rain' – il tombe des hallebardes

Another colorful French idiom for heavy rain is il tombe des hallebardes. Literally, this translates to 'it's raining halberds'. A halberd is a medieval weapon, a combination of a spear and a battle-ax, painting a vivid picture of rain falling with great, almost violent force.

Figuratively, il tombe des hallebardes means it's raining very heavily, similar to the English 'it's raining cats and dogs'. It serves as a more dramatic alternative to the more common French expression il pleut des cordes (it's raining ropes) to describe a torrential downpour.

This expression is used to emphasize the intensity and force of the rain. While perhaps slightly less common than il pleut des cordes, it is well-understood by native speakers. The verb tomber (to fall) is used here in its impersonal form, il tombe.

💡 * N'oublie pas ton parapluie, il tombe des hallebardes dehors ! (Don't forget your umbrella, it's pouring outside!)

Nous avons dû annuler le pique-nique, car il a commencé à tomber des hallebardes. (We had to cancel the picnic because it started to rain cats and dogs.)

Je suis trempé, il tombe des hallebardes et je n'avais pas de manteau. (I'm soaked, it's raining halberds and I didn't have a coat.)

The informal idiom for 'pouring rain' – il pleut comme vache qui pisse

One of the most colorful, and admittedly crude, ways to say it's pouring rain in French is the idiom il pleut comme vache qui pisse.

Literally, this phrase translates to "it's raining like a peeing cow." While vulgar, the imagery effectively communicates a very heavy, intense downpour, much like the English expression "it's raining cats and dogs."

This is a highly informal and colloquial expression. Due to its vulgar nature, it should only be used in casual situations among close friends who won't be offended. It is completely inappropriate for formal or professional settings.

💡 * Oublie la promenade, il pleut comme vache qui pisse dehors ! (Forget the walk, it's pouring rain outside!)

J'ai été trempé en rentrant du travail, il pleuvait comme vache qui pisse. (I got soaked coming home from work, it was raining cats and dogs.)

On ne voit rien sur la route, il pleut comme vache qui pisse. (You can't see anything on the road, it's pouring.)

1. The 'sudden, brief shower' – une ondée

A specific and rather poetic French word for a sudden, brief rain shower is une ondée. This feminine noun perfectly captures the idea of a quick downpour that appears and disappears, often unexpectedly. It's distinct from a long, steady rain (la pluie) or a heavy storm (un orage).

You'll most often encounter une ondée in weather reports or descriptive, literary contexts. It implies a shower that is not only brief but also often light to moderate. While une averse also means 'a shower', une ondée has a slightly more fleeting and sometimes gentler connotation. Think of it as the kind of shower that catches you by surprise but is over before you're completely soaked.

The plural form, des ondées, is commonly used to describe scattered or intermittent showers throughout the day. A weather forecast might mention quelques ondées éparses (a few scattered showers), indicating that you might need an umbrella on and off, but it won't be raining continuously.

💡 * Une petite ondée a rafraîchi l'air cet après-midi. (A small shower refreshed the air this afternoon.)

N'oublie pas ton parapluie, la météo annonce des ondées passagères. (Don't forget your umbrella, the forecast calls for passing showers.)

Nous avons été surpris par une ondée soudaine pendant notre promenade. (We were surprised by a sudden shower during our walk.)

Le ciel est menaçant, je pense qu'une ondée se prépare. (The sky is threatening, I think a shower is brewing.)

Are there other ways to say 'rain' in French?

This list covers the most common and essential ways to talk about rain in French. But French is a rich language with many other terms, from poetic expressions to regional slang, that describe everything from a light drizzle to a torrential downpour.

To discover more localized expressions, you can try searching online for phrases like “comment dire pluie en ___” followed by a specific Francophone region like Quebec, Belgium, or Provence.

When you encounter a new word for rain, pay attention to the context. Is it used in a formal weather report, a novel, or a casual conversation? This will help you understand its exact meaning and when it’s appropriate to use it.

The best way to expand your weather vocabulary is through immersion. Try watching French weather forecasts, listening to songs about rain, or noticing how characters in French films and books describe a rainy day.

For a deeper dive into synonyms and related expressions for rain, the WordReference entry for pluie is an excellent starting point. You'll find many related terms and example sentences.

I hope this guide has been helpful for discussing one of the world's most common conversation starters! To end on a positive note, here is a classic French proverb that's as much about life as it is about the weather: Après la pluie, le beau temps. (After the rain, comes the good weather.)

'9 ways to say "rain" in French'