When you think of 'snow' in French, the word la neige probably comes to mind. It's the classic, all-purpose term you learn in your first French class. But just like a winter landscape isn't just one shade of white, the French language has a flurry of other words to describe different types of snow and wintry conditions.

Whether you're hitting the slopes in the Alps or just dreaming of a white Christmas in Paris, knowing these specific terms will make your French sound much more natural and descriptive.

Let's dive into nine wonderful ways to talk about snow in French!

The standard 'snow' – la neige

The most common and standard word for 'snow' in French is la neige. It's the go-to term you'll hear in weather forecasts, daily conversation, and literature.

La neige is a feminine noun. Therefore, you must always use feminine articles and adjectives with it, like la neige or de la neige. As an uncountable noun, it's typically used in the singular form.

To talk about the action of snowing, you use the verb neiger. It is an impersonal verb, which means it is almost always conjugated in the third-person singular with il (it). For example, 'It is snowing' is Il neige.

Neiger conjugates like a regular -er verb in different tenses.

• Past: Il a neigé hier. (It snowed yesterday.)
• Future: Il neigera demain. (It will snow tomorrow.)

Several important words are derived from or related to neige:

• Un flocon de neige: A snowflake
• Un bonhomme de neige: A snowman
• Une tempête de neige: A snowstorm / blizzard
• Une boule de neige: A snowball

The adjective for 'snowy' or 'snow-covered' is neigeux (masculine) or neigeuse (feminine). For example, you would describe a mountain peak as un sommet neigeux.

A popular French idiom is fondre comme neige au soleil, which literally means 'to melt like snow in the sun'. It is used to describe something that disappears very quickly, such as money, motivation, or a crowd.

💡 * J'adore regarder la neige tomber en hiver.

• Attention, il va neiger cette nuit, les routes seront glissantes.
• Les enfants ont fait un bonhomme de neige devant la maison.
• Le paysage est magnifique avec les montagnes neigeuses.
• Mes économies ont fondu comme neige au soleil pendant les vacances.

The 'powdery snow' – la poudreuse

The 'powdery snow' – la poudreuse

When talking about specific types of snow, especially in the context of winter sports, French speakers use the term la poudreuse. This refers specifically to fresh, light, and dry 'powder' or 'powdery snow' that is ideal for skiing and snowboarding.

The word's origin is quite intuitive. It derives directly from la poudre, which means 'powder'. Therefore, la poudreuse literally translates to 'the powdery one', a fitting name for this desirable snow condition.

While the general term for snow is la neige, la poudreuse is a more specialized term. You'll hear it most often from skiers, snowboarders, and meteorologists discussing conditions in mountain regions. It highlights a specific texture and quality of the snow.

For winter sports enthusiasts, the word la poudreuse carries an almost magical connotation. Finding untouched poudreuse (often called 'de la peuf' in slang) is the ultimate goal, promising a unique feeling of floating over the snow.

💡 * Les skieurs rêvent de descendre les pistes dans la poudreuse.

• Après la tempête, les montagnes étaient couvertes d'une épaisse couche de poudreuse.
• Attention, skier dans la poudreuse demande une technique différente.
• Quelle chance ! Il y a 30 centimètres de poudreuse fraîche ce matin.

The 'melting snow' or 'slush' – la neige fondue

When fresh, powdery snow begins to melt, the French have a specific and descriptive term for it: la neige fondue.

Literally translated, this means 'melted snow.' It's formed from la neige (snow) and the past participle of the verb fondre (to melt), which is fondue.

You'll use la neige fondue to describe the wet, heavy, and often messy mixture of snow and water you find on streets and sidewalks as temperatures rise above freezing. It's the perfect word for what English speakers call 'slush'.

A key grammar point to remember is that neige is a feminine noun. Therefore, the adjective fondue agrees with it, and the term is always in its feminine form: la neige fondue.

While la neige fondue is the most common term for slush, you might also hear la gadoue or la boue, which can also mean slush but often imply a dirtier, muddier mixture.

💡 * Fais attention en marchant, il y a de la neige fondue partout sur le trottoir.

• Ma voiture est toute sale à cause de la neige fondue sur la route.
• Avec le redoux, la belle neige s'est transformée en neige fondue.
• Les enfants détestent jouer dehors quand il n'y a que de la neige fondue.

The 'wet snow' – la neige mouillée

The “wet snow” – la neige mouillée

La neige mouillée is the direct French translation for “wet snow.” It refers to snow with a high water content, which makes it heavy, dense, and ideal for making snowballs but challenging for activities like skiing.

The term is grammatically feminine because the noun neige (snow) is feminine. Consequently, the adjective mouillé (wet) must agree and take its feminine form, mouillée. You will always see it as la neige mouillée.

This term is often used to contrast with other types of snow. For example, light, dry, fluffy snow is known as la poudreuse (powder), which is highly prized by skiers.

💡 * Les enfants font des boules de neige avec la neige mouillée.

• Il est difficile de skier quand la neige est si mouillée.
• Attention en marchant, la neige mouillée est très glissante.
• Je préfère la poudreuse à la neige mouillée pour le snowboard.

1. The 'snowflake' – un flocon de neige

The direct French translation for 'snowflake' is un flocon de neige.

This phrase literally means 'a flake of snow.' The key noun is flocon (flake), which is modified by de neige (of snow).

A crucial point for learners is that flocon is a masculine noun. Therefore, it always uses masculine articles, such as un (a) or le (the). The plural form is des flocons de neige.

Similar to modern English, the term has adopted a figurative, pejorative meaning. As an anglicism, flocon de neige can refer to a person who is considered overly sensitive. This is most often seen in the expression génération flocon de neige, the direct equivalent of 'snowflake generation.'

You will use un flocon de neige primarily when talking about winter weather, but be aware of its newer, colloquial meaning in social or political discussions.

💡 * Regarde par la fenêtre, les premiers flocons de neige tombent ! (Look out the window, the first snowflakes are falling!)

• Chaque flocon de neige a une structure unique. (Each snowflake has a unique structure.)
• Mon petit frère essayait d'attraper les flocons de neige sur sa langue. (My little brother was trying to catch snowflakes on his tongue.)
• Il est souvent critiqué et traité de 'flocon de neige' sur les réseaux sociaux. (He is often criticized and called a 'snowflake' on social media.)

The 'snowstorm' or 'blizzard' – une tempête de neige

When you need to talk about a snowstorm in French, the most direct and common translation is une tempête de neige. This phrase literally means 'a storm of snow' and is the standard term used in weather forecasts and daily conversation across the French-speaking world.

Let's look at the components: une tempête is the French word for 'a storm,' and de neige means 'of snow.' It's a feminine noun, so you'll always use feminine articles and adjectives with it, for example, une forte tempête de neige (a strong snowstorm).

For a more severe and intense snowstorm, especially one with high winds and poor visibility, French speakers often use the word un blizzard. This term is borrowed from English and carries the same meaning of a powerful, blinding snowstorm. Note that blizzard is a masculine noun in French.

You will frequently hear une tempête de neige in weather reports in places like Québec or the French Alps. While tempête de neige is the general term, blizzard is reserved for the most extreme conditions that can shut down cities.

💡 * Une tempête de neige est prévue pour demain soir. (A snowstorm is forecast for tomorrow evening.)

• Les écoles sont fermées à cause de la tempête de neige. (The schools are closed because of the snowstorm.)
• Le Canada est souvent frappé par de violents blizzards en hiver. (Canada is often hit by violent blizzards in winter.)
• Fais attention sur la route, la visibilité est mauvaise avec cette tempête de neige. (Be careful on the road, visibility is poor with this snowstorm.)

The 'sleet' – le grésil

In French, the word for 'sleet' is le grésil. This term describes a specific type of winter precipitation consisting of small ice pellets, often falling mixed with rain or snow.

Le grésil is a masculine noun, so it is always preceded by masculine articles like le or un. For instance, you would say le grésil tombe to mean 'the sleet is falling'.

It's easy to confuse le grésil with similar weather terms. Remember that la grêle refers to 'hail' (larger ice stones), and la pluie verglaçante is 'freezing rain', which freezes on contact with surfaces.

💡 * Attention sur la route, il y a du grésil. (Be careful on the road, there is sleet.)

• Le bulletin météo annonce du grésil pour demain matin. (The weather forecast is calling for sleet tomorrow morning.)
• Le bruit du grésil contre la fenêtre m'a réveillé. (The sound of the sleet against the window woke me up.)

The 'avalanche' – une avalanche

The French word for 'avalanche' is, unsurprisingly, une avalanche. As a direct cognate, it's an easy word for English speakers to recognize and remember, referring to a large mass of snow or rock falling down a mountainside.

It's important to note that avalanche is a feminine noun in French. Therefore, you must always use the feminine article, such as une avalanche (an avalanche) or l'avalanche (the avalanche).

Beyond its literal sense, avalanche is commonly used figuratively to describe an overwhelming or sudden quantity of something. This metaphorical use is very common in everyday French.

For example, you might speak of an avalanche de courriels (an avalanche of emails), an avalanche de critiques (an avalanche of criticism), or an avalanche d'applaudissements (an avalanche of applause).

💡 * Les secouristes recherchent des survivants après l'avalanche.

• Attention, il y a un risque élevé d'avalanche dans cette zone.
• J'ai reçu une avalanche de messages pour mon anniversaire.
• Le nouveau film a provoqué une avalanche de réactions positives sur les réseaux sociaux.

1. The 'snowfall' – une chute de neige

The most direct and common way to say 'snowfall' in French is une chute de neige. This literally translates to 'a fall of snow.' The word chute means 'fall,' and neige means 'snow.' As a feminine noun, it is always preceded by a feminine article like une (a) or la (the).

You will frequently encounter une chute de neige in weather reports or when describing a specific, often significant, event of snow falling. It emphasizes the occurrence itself. For example, you would use it to talk about the heavy snowfall that occurred overnight.

While une chute de neige is the noun, the verb for 'to snow' is neiger. This is an impersonal verb, which means it is almost exclusively used in the third-person singular form: Il neige (It is snowing / It snows). This is essential for describing the action of snowing in real-time.

It's important to distinguish between une chute de neige (snowfall) and la neige (snow). La neige refers to the snow itself—the substance on the ground. For example, you'd say, Les enfants jouent dans la neige (The children are playing in the snow), but La chute de neige a surpris tout le monde (The snowfall surprised everyone).

💡 * Une forte chute de neige est annoncée pour demain. (A heavy snowfall is forecast for tomorrow.)

• La circulation a été paralysée par d'importantes chutes de neige. (Traffic was paralyzed by heavy snowfalls.)
• Regarde, il neige à gros flocons ! (Look, it's snowing with big flakes!)
• La première chute de neige de l'année est toujours un moment magique. (The first snowfall of the year is always a magical moment.)

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

Are there other ways to say “snow” in French?

This list covers the most common and essential French words for “snow.” However, French is a rich language with many other terms, from highly technical vocabulary used by skiers and meteorologists to poetic and regional expressions you might hear in the Alps or Quebec.

To discover more localized terms, you can do an online search for phrases like “vocabulaire de la neige au Québec” or “expressions pour la neige dans les Alpes.”

You might uncover some fascinating synonyms for neige. Before you use a new word, always check its specific meaning and context. For instance, the word for “slush” (la gadoue) is very different from the word for “powder” (la poudreuse)!

As you watch French-language films, read books, or listen to weather reports, pay close attention. You'll start to notice the subtle and diverse ways French speakers talk about winter weather.

If you want to dive deeper into weather-related vocabulary, exploring a French dictionary of synonyms like Le Robert or Larousse for the entry neige is an excellent way to expand your knowledge.

I hope this guide has been helpful on your language journey. Let's finish with a beautiful quote from the French philosopher Gaston Bachelard: “La neige possède ce secret de rendre au coeur en un souffle la joie naïve que les années lui ont prise.” (Snow possesses this secret of giving back to the heart in a breath the naive joy that the years have taken away.)