← French from zero to A1
A1
Lesson 1. Calendar and weather: months, seasons, the date, and il fait beau
I can name the month, the season, and today's date, say when my birthday is, and say what the weather is like today.
The year, the date, and the weather
The year, the date, and the weather
Birthdays, appointments, the forecast: all of them are about months, dates, and the weather. The twelve months and four seasons are in the table. Remember from the start: unlike English, French writes months and days of the week in lowercase.
The preposition before a season varies: au printemps, but en été, en automne, en hiver. Before a month it's always en: en mars, en septembre.
A date is le plus the number plus the month: le 4 octobre. The number comes first, not the month as in English “October 4”. The year is written in numerals. Only the first of the month is special: le 1er juin, read “le premier juin”.
The weather uses impersonal il (an “it” that means nothing): il fait beau, il pleut, il neige. Ask with the set phrase Quel temps fait-il ? For now, learn il y a du vent and il y a du soleil as whole phrases; why they have du comes in the next lesson.
The trap: English uses “be” for both. “I'm cold” is j'ai froid (you know this one), but “it's cold outside” is il fait froid.
Common mistakes:
• NOT “en printemps” → au printemps.
• NOT “Il est froid aujourd'hui” → Il fait froid aujourd'hui.
• NOT “Il y a vent” → Il y a du vent.
• NOT “le 1 mai” → le 1er mai.
• NOT “le janvier 9” → le 9 janvier.
• NOT “En Mars” → en mars.
The year: seasons, months, and the preposition
The French write months and days of the week with a lowercase letter.
| Season | Months | Preposition |
|---|---|---|
| le printemps (spring) | mars, avril, mai | au printemps |
| l'été (summer) | juin, juillet, août | en été |
| l'automne (fall) | septembre, octobre, novembre | en automne |
| l'hiver (winter) | décembre, janvier, février | en hiver |
| before a month — always en | en mars, en juin, en octobre | en |
How to write the date
The day always comes before the month; the year is written in numerals.
| What you write | Example |
|---|---|
| day and month | le 4 octobre |
| year — in numerals | le 7 août 1992 |
| only the first of the month is special | le 1er juin |
| asking the date | Quelle est la date ? |
Weather takes impersonal il
This il isn't a person: it lives only in talk about the weather.
| What you say | Form |
|---|---|
| fait (literally “makes”): nice, hot, cold | il fait beau · il fait chaud · il fait froid |
| two weather verbs | il pleut · il neige |
| wind and sun — as a whole phrase | il y a du vent · il y a du soleil |
| asking about the weather | Quel temps fait-il ? |
| but about a person — avoir | j'ai froid · j'ai chaud |
Lesson notes
The year, the date, and the weather
Birthdays, appointments, the forecast: all of them are about months, dates, and the weather. The twelve months and four seasons are in the table. Remember from the start: unlike English, French writes months and days of the week in lowercase.
The preposition before a season varies: au printemps, but en été, en automne, en hiver. Before a month it's always en: en mars, en septembre.
A date is le plus the number plus the month: le 4 octobre. The number comes first, not the month as in English “October 4”. The year is written in numerals. Only the first of the month is special: le 1er juin, read “le premier juin”.
The weather uses impersonal il (an “it” that means nothing): il fait beau, il pleut, il neige. Ask with the set phrase Quel temps fait-il ? For now, learn il y a du vent and il y a du soleil as whole phrases; why they have du comes in the next lesson.
The trap: English uses “be” for both. “I'm cold” is j'ai froid (you know this one), but “it's cold outside” is il fait froid.
Common mistakes:
• NOT “en printemps” → au printemps.
• NOT “Il est froid aujourd'hui” → Il fait froid aujourd'hui.
• NOT “Il y a vent” → Il y a du vent.
• NOT “le 1 mai” → le 1er mai.
• NOT “le janvier 9” → le 9 janvier.
• NOT “En Mars” → en mars.