When you want to talk about the temperature in French, the most direct translation is, of course, la température. But just like in English, the way we talk about how hot or cold something is can change depending on the situation.

Are you describing a beautiful sunny day, checking if you have a fever, or following a recipe? The French language has specific words and phrases for each of these scenarios.

Let's dive into nine different ways to talk about temperature in French, so you'll always have the right words, no matter the context!

1. The standard 'temperature' – la température

The most direct and universally understood word for 'temperature' in French is la température. It's a feminine noun and a cognate, making it easy for English speakers to remember.

You can use la température in almost any context where you would use 'temperature' in English, including weather, cooking, science, and discussing body temperature.

When discussing the weather, la température is the standard term. You'll hear it constantly in forecasts and daily conversation. For instance, La température a baissé de cinq degrés (The temperature dropped by five degrees).

In a medical context, it's also the correct word. A common phrase is prendre la température (to take one's temperature). If you're feeling unwell, you might say, Je crois que j'ai de la température, which is a common way to say 'I think I have a fever'.

A crucial point for learners and travelers: France and most of the French-speaking world use the Celsius scale. A température of 20 degrees is pleasant room temperature, not freezing! Always assume temperatures are in Celsius unless specified otherwise.

💡 * Quelle est la température extérieure aujourd'hui ?

• Le médecin a pris ma température.
• La température de l'eau est parfaite pour nager.
• Les températures vont chuter cette nuit.

The 'heat' or 'hot weather' – la chaleur

The 'heat' or 'hot weather' – la chaleur

When talking about heat as a general concept, especially concerning the weather, the essential French noun is la chaleur. It directly translates to "the heat" or "the warmth" and is a feminine noun.

While la chaleur is the noun for heat, the most common way to say "it's hot" when describing the weather is with the expression Il fait chaud. This is a fixed phrase you'll hear constantly during French summers.

You use la chaleur when you're speaking about the heat itself as a subject or object. For instance, you can talk about liking it, hating it, or its intensity. Common verbs used with la chaleur include supporter (to stand/bear), aimer (to like), and craindre (to fear).

It's crucial to distinguish la chaleur (noun) from chaud (adjective/adverb). You use chaud to describe a specific object being hot (e.g., Le thé est chaud - The tea is hot) or to form the phrase Il fait chaud. You would not say Le temps est la chaleur.

A very useful related term is une vague de chaleur, which means "a heatwave." You will often see this in news reports or hear it in weather forecasts during periods of extreme heat.

💡 * Il fait une chaleur terrible aujourd'hui. (The heat is terrible today.)

• Je ne supporte pas bien la chaleur en ville. (I don't handle the heat well in the city.)
• Une vague de chaleur est annoncée pour la semaine prochaine. (A heatwave is forecast for next week.)
• Ressens-tu la chaleur du radiateur ? (Do you feel the heat from the radiator?)
• En été, la chaleur peut être accablante. (In summer, the heat can be overwhelming.)

The 'cold' or 'cold weather' – le froid

To talk about the concept of 'cold' or 'cold weather' in French, the main noun you'll use is le froid. It's a masculine noun, so you'll see it preceded by le or un.

A common point of confusion for English speakers is expressing personal feeling. In French, you don't 'be' cold, you 'have' cold. The correct structure uses the verb avoir (to have). For example, J'ai froid means 'I am cold.' This applies to everyone: tu as froid (you are cold), il a froid (he is cold), etc.

When you're talking about the weather in general, the impersonal expression il fait froid is used. This is the direct equivalent of 'It is cold' or 'The weather is cold.' It's a fixed phrase for describing atmospheric conditions.

You can also use le froid as the subject or object in a sentence to refer to the cold itself. For example, you could say, Je n'aime pas le froid (I don't like the cold) or Le froid de l'hiver est intense (The winter cold is intense).

There are several useful expressions with froid. For example, attraper un coup de froid means 'to catch a chill' or 'to get a cold.' A popular idiom is un froid de canard, which means 'freezing cold weather.'

💡 * J'ai trop froid, peux-tu monter le chauffage ? (I'm too cold, can you turn up the heat?)

• Il fait un froid de canard ce matin ! (It's freezing cold this morning!)
• Le froid est arrivé soudainement cette année. (The cold arrived suddenly this year.)
• N'oubliez pas vos gants pour vous protéger du froid. (Don't forget your gloves to protect yourselves from the cold.)
• Mon père a attrapé un coup de froid hier soir. (My father caught a chill last night.)

The 'fever' (body temperature) – la fièvre

The direct French translation for a 'fever,' specifically referring to an elevated body temperature, is la fièvre.

As a feminine noun, la fièvre always uses the feminine article la. This is crucial for correct sentence construction, as in 'c'est la fièvre' (it's the fever).

In French, you don't 'be' feverish, you 'have' a fever. The correct and most common expression is avoir de la fièvre. For instance, 'I have a fever' translates to J'ai de la fièvre.

To specify the intensity of the fever, you can use adjectives. For example, une forte fièvre means 'a high fever,' while une légère fièvre means 'a slight fever'.

💡 * Je ne me sens pas bien, je crois que j'ai de la fièvre.

• Le médecin a dit que le petit garçon avait une forte fièvre.
• As-tu pris ta température ? Tu as peut-être un peu de fièvre.
• La fièvre est un symptôme courant de la grippe.

The 'degrees' (unit of measurement) – les degrés

The French word for 'degrees' as a unit of measurement is les degrés. It's a direct and straightforward translation used in various contexts, much like its English counterpart.

The most common use of degrés is for temperature. In France and many other French-speaking countries, temperature is measured in degrees Celsius. For example, Il fait 25 degrés means 'It's 25 degrees.'

Just as in English, degrés is used in mathematics and geometry to measure angles. A right angle is un angle de 90 degrés (a 90-degree angle).

Another key context is for indicating the alcohol content of a beverage. A wine might be described as having 13 degrés d'alcool, meaning it's 13% alcohol by volume.

The word degré is a masculine noun. You'll see it as un degré (one degree) or des degrés (degrees). The structure is very similar to English: number + degrés.

💡 * Il fait moins cinq degrés aujourd'hui, n'oublie pas ton manteau !

• Pour ce gâteau, préchauffez le four à 180 degrés.
• Un cercle complet mesure 360 degrés.
• Cette bière titre à 6 degrés d'alcool.

The 'heatwave' – la canicule

The 'heatwave' – la canicule

In French, while you can say 'il fait chaud' (it's hot) or 'une vague de chaleur' (a wave of heat), la canicule refers specifically to a severe, prolonged period of excessively high temperatures that last day and night. It’s more intense and serious than a simple hot spell.

The term la canicule has an official status in France. When meteorologists announce 'une canicule', it often triggers government public health alerts and action plans (le plan canicule) to protect vulnerable populations. It's a major news event, not just a weather report.

Use la canicule when talking about an extreme, officially declared heatwave lasting for several days. For a regular hot summer day, even if it's very warm, sticking to expressions like 'Quelle chaleur !' (What heat!) or 'Il fait très chaud' is more common and appropriate.

💡 * Pendant la canicule, il est conseillé de boire beaucoup d'eau.

• La France est en alerte orange à cause de la canicule.
• Je ne supporte pas cette canicule, il fait trop chaud pour dormir.
• Les personnes âgées sont les plus vulnérables pendant les périodes de canicule.

The 'coolness' or 'chill' – la fraîcheur

The 'coolness' or 'chill' – la fraîcheur

Primarily, la fraîcheur refers to the literal sense of 'coolness' or 'freshness.' You might use it to talk about the pleasant coolness of the air on a summer evening or the freshness of food.

In modern French slang, la fraîcheur has taken on a new meaning. It's used to describe a sense of 'chill' or a relaxed, cool attitude. Someone who embodies 'la fraîcheur' is laid-back and doesn't get easily stressed.

💡 * J'aime la fraîcheur du matin en été. (I love the coolness of the morning in summer.)

• Il a une certaine fraîcheur, il ne se prend jamais la tête. (He has a certain chill, he never gets worked up.)
• C'est la fraîcheur de cette chanson qui me plaît. (It's the chill vibe of this song that I like.)

The 'weather' (in the context of temperature) – le temps

The most fundamental and common word for “the weather” in French is le temps. This masculine noun is your starting point for nearly all conversations about atmospheric conditions, from sunshine to snow.

To describe the weather, French speakers use a specific grammatical structure with the verb faire (to do/make). Instead of saying “It is hot,” you say Il fait chaud (literally, “It makes hot”). This Il fait... construction is essential for describing general weather conditions.

The Il fait... structure also extends to talking about specific temperatures. To say “It is 25 degrees,” you would say Il fait vingt-cinq degrés. Remember, France uses the Celsius scale, so this refers to a warm day!

To ask “What’s the weather like?”, the standard question directly corresponds to the answer format: Quel temps fait-il ?. This question is the most natural way to inquire about the current weather conditions.

💡 * Quel temps fait-il à Paris aujourd'hui ? (What's the weather like in Paris today?)

• Il fait un temps magnifique, on va se promener. (The weather is magnificent, we're going for a walk.)
• Demain, il va faire moins dix degrés. (Tomorrow, it's going to be minus ten degrees.)
• Je n'aime pas le temps quand il fait trop humide. (I don't like the weather when it's too humid.)

1. The 'room temperature' – la température ambiante

The most direct and common way to say 'room temperature' in French is la température ambiante. The term ambiante is the feminine form of the adjective ambiant, which means 'ambient' or 'surrounding'. Therefore, the literal translation is 'ambient temperature', which perfectly captures the meaning.

You will encounter la température ambiante most frequently in culinary, scientific, and medical contexts. For example, recipes often instruct you to use ingredients à température ambiante (at room temperature), and medication storage instructions might specify to keep it at this temperature.

When giving instructions, the preposition à is used. For instance, to say 'leave the butter at room temperature,' you would say Laissez le beurre à température ambiante. This is a crucial phrase for anyone following French recipes or handling temperature-sensitive products.

While the term is straightforward, remember that the actual 'room temperature' can vary. In France, it's generally considered to be around 19-22°C (66-72°F). This is particularly important when it comes to serving cheese or red wine, which are traditionally enjoyed à température ambiante to bring out their full flavors.

💡 * Pour cette recette, les œufs doivent être à température ambiante.

• Conservez ce vin à température ambiante, à l'abri de la lumière.
• Il faut laisser le fromage à température ambiante pendant une heure avant de le servir.
• Ce médicament doit être stocké à température ambiante.

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

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

Our list covers the most common and essential ways to discuss 'temperature' in French, from the weather to your health. But French, like any language, has nuances. You might encounter more technical, scientific, or even poetic ways to describe heat and cold.

To explore further, you could do an online search for phrases like 'vocabulaire de la météo en français' or 'termes médicaux pour la température' to discover more specialized vocabulary.

You might find some interesting synonyms for température or chaleur. As always, context is key. A word used in a scientific report might sound strange when you're just chatting about the weather, so always check its typical usage before trying it out.

Pay attention as you listen to French weather reports, read scientific articles, or even watch French cooking shows. You'll start to notice how native speakers naturally talk about temperature in different situations.

For a deeper dive into weather-related vocabulary, official sites like Météo-France can be a fantastic resource. For scientific or medical terms, a good online dictionary like Larousse or Le Robert is invaluable.

I hope this guide has helped clarify how to talk about temperature in French. To end on a positive note, remember the hopeful French proverb: Après la pluie, le beau temps. (After the rain, the fine weather comes.) Keep practicing, and your French skills will surely heat up!