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Phrasebook

Pluie or averse? French phrases for rain and passing showers

Edited by Chris Lee · Updated · About the library

Say it is raining, suggest waiting for a shower to pass and describe light rain. Practise French weather phrases with pictures and short exchanges.

In short

La pluie is rain; une averse is a shower, a particular episode that is often brief. Say Il pleut while rain is falling and On attend que l’averse passe ? when you suggest waiting for the shower to pass. Both nouns are feminine.

Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn

Two friends shelter beneath a French café awning while a rain shower falls on the street.
On attend que l’averse passe ? suggests waiting for the shower. Illustration: Atelier

Look at the weather

1

Before leaving

Il pleut states what is happening now. Une pluie fine specifies light rain.

YouQuel temps fait-il ?What’s the weather like?
Walking companionIl pleut un peu. Prends ton parapluie.It’s raining a little. Take your umbrella.
YouC’est une pluie fine. On peut quand même sortir.It’s light rain. We can still go out.
2

A shower begins

The question offers a pause; passe follows attendre que here.

YouOh, quelle averse !Oh, what a shower!
Walking companionOn attend que l’averse passe ?Shall we wait for the shower to pass?
YouOui, restons ici quelques minutes.Yes, let’s stay here a few minutes.
3

Walking again

Walking companionÇa y est, il ne pleut plus.That’s it, it’s stopped raining.
YouRegarde, il y a une éclaircie !Look, there’s a bright interval!
Walking companionOn reprend la promenade ?Shall we carry on with our walk?
Add the detail you mean
FrenchEnglish
une pluie finelight, fine rain
une forte pluieheavy rain
des averses passagèrespassing showers
sous la pluiein the rain
un jour de pluiea rainy day
un oragea thunderstorm

A rain shower is still rain, so Il pleut and Il y a une averse can describe the same moment. Averse focuses on an episode; fine, forte and time expressions add intensity or duration. A shower can also bring hail: une averse de grêle. For thunder and lightning, the word is un orage.

Il pleut depuis ce matin. Nous avons marché sous la pluie pendant une heure.

It has been raining since this morning. We walked in the rain for an hour.

Present tense with depuis describes rain that is still continuing. Pendant une heure gives the length of the walk.

Question 1No account needed
Which sentence says the rain has stopped?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

Il ne pleut plus.. Ne … plus means no longer: Il ne pleut plus says it has stopped.

Question 2No account needed
Which expression explicitly names light rain?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

une pluie fine. Fine specifies light rain; forte means heavy and orage is a thunderstorm.

Question 3No account needed
You suggest waiting for the shower to pass. Choose the phrase.

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

On attend que l’averse passe ?. Attendre que l’averse passe means to wait for the shower to pass.

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