French Word of the Day

burned, scorched

La terre était brûlée sous les rayons de soleil.
The land was scorched under the sun’s rays.

TODAY
Our word is inspired by the summer heat wave, la vague de chaleur.

Mother Nature

Dame Nature peut être cruelle.
Mother Nature can be cruel.

to uproot

Les vents ont déraciné trois des arbres.
The winds uprooted three of the trees.

TODAY
Our word is inspired by thunderstorms and their effects — les orages et leurs effets.

dried out, parched

Toutes les pelouses sont desséchées.
All the lawns are parched.

THIS WEEK
We’ll cover words about the summer heat wave, la vague de chaleur.

FOR OUR VOILÀ! MEMBERS
Review last week’s words by taking our weekly quiz.
SUBSCRIBE TO VOILÀ! Only 3.95 a month, secure via PayPal!

It’s windy

(le vent = the wind)

flooded

Les rues ont été inondées par la pluie.
The streets were flooded by the rain.

n.m., summer

Les enfants sont très contents que l’été est enfin arrivé.
The children are very happy that summer has finally arrived.

n.f., the shade or the shadow

Profitez de l’ombre pour éviter la chaleur.
Take advantage of the shade to avoid the heat.

THIS WEEK
With the school year over or winding down for many of us and thoughts turning to summer vacations, we thought this would be a great week to look at some words for life in the sun — or la vie dans le soleil.

TRACK YOUR LEARNING WITH OUR QUIZ!
How well did you learn last week’s words? Take our Weekly Quiz to find out!

OOPS!
We slipped with a verb conjugation in yesterday’s example sentence. To see the corrected post, click here.

TODAY’S WORD BROUGHT TO YOU BY YABLA.
Yabla French Video Immersion.
The fun way to learn French



the heat

Beaucoup de gens attendent la chaleur d’été.
Many people wait for the heat of summer.

THIS WEEK
With the school year over or winding down for many of us and thoughts turning to summer vacations, we thought this would be a great week to look at some words for life in the sun — or la vie dans le soleil.

TRACK YOUR LEARNING WITH OUR QUIZ!
How well did you learn last week’s words? Take our Weekly Quiz to find out!

TODAY’S WORD BROUGHT TO YOU BY YABLA.
Yabla French Video Immersion.
The fun way to learn French



air conditioning

Restez dans la climatisation pendant la vague de chaleur.
Remain in the air conditioning during the heat wave.

THIS WEEK
We’ll cover words about the summer heat wave, la vague de chaleur.

FOR OUR VOILÀ! MEMBERS
Review last week’s words by taking our weekly quiz.
SUBSCRIBE TO VOILÀ! Only 3.95 a month, secure via PayPal!

spring fever

lightning

Faites attention! La foudre est dangereuse.
Be careful! Lightning is dangerous.

light, brightness

high tide

Allons à la plage à marée haute.
Let’s go to the beach at high tide.

the weather forecast

La météo est-elle bonne pour ce week-end?
Is the weather forecast good for this weekend?

freezing rain

La pluie verglaçante a rendu les routes très dangereuses.
The freezing rain made the roads very dangerous.

THIS WEEK
The winter storms that have been affecting much of the United States over the past several weeks give us much to talk about. This week we’ll look at some winter weather vocabulary to help us do it.

THE LATEST WEEKLY QUIZ FOR OUR MEMBERS
Members of our Voilà service can go straight to this week’s quiz covering the past week’s words by clicking here.

DON’T MISS OUT ON THE BENEFITS OF A VOILA! MEMBERSHIP
Join Voilà for only 3.95 per month to access online practice quizzes like our special 2010 Year in Review Quiz and our archives by subject.

Take our Visitors Preview to learn more.
SUBSCRIBE TODAY!

the predicted path

La trajectoire prévue de la tempête était le long de la côte est.
The projected path of the storm was along the east coast.

TODAY
Our word is inspired by the vocabulary of weather and storms. For more French weather words, click here.

QUIZ YOURSELF!
Take our Stormy Weather Quiz to find out if you can say predicted path in French.

the seaside, by the sea

Nous allons passer nos vacances au bord de la mer.
We’re going to spend our vacation at the seaside.

Le bord also means the edge of something.

the wind chill factor

Avec le facteur de refroidissement éolien, la température ressentie est de -15.
With the wind chill factor, the temperature feels like -15.

THIS WEEK
The winter storms that have been affecting much of the United States over the past several weeks give us much to talk about. This week we’ll look at some winter weather vocabulary to help us do it.

THE LATEST WEEKLY QUIZ FOR OUR MEMBERS
Members of our Voilà service can go straight to this week’s quiz covering the past week’s words by clicking here.

DON’T MISS OUT ON THE BENEFITS OF A VOILA! MEMBERSHIP
Join Voilà for only 3.95 per month to access online practice quizzes like our special 2010 Year in Review Quiz and our archives by subject.

Take our Visitors Preview to learn more.
SUBSCRIBE TODAY!

global warming

Il y avait des manifestations contre le réchauffement climatique samedi.
There were demonstrations against global warming Saturday.

You can read about the events from Copenhagen here in Le Monde.

Vidéo. See the events from les manifestations, demonstrations, below.

If you received this video by e-mail and are having difficulty viewing it, please visit our site at www.frenchfanatic.com.

We’re taking a short break from our discussion of holiday vocabulary for a few days to look at vocabulary around some of the news of the world. We’ll return to words of the season soon.

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER
Click here.

the volcano

Le volcan Eyjafjöll s’est réveillé en 2010 en Islande.
The Eyjafjallajokull Volcano awoke in 2010 in Iceland.

TODAY
Our vocabulary word is inspired by weather and geological events. For more words about climate, click here.

ON THE ROAD TO NOWHERE?
Volcanoes are just one of many phenomena that can cause travel disruptions. Find out if you’re ready to talk about the events that are keeping the brakes on your travel plans — including saying volcano in French — with our Travel Disruption Quiz.

n.f., ash, ashes

Un nuage de cendres a couvert la plupart d’Europe.
A cloud of ash covered the majority of Europe.

THIS WEEK
It’s not every week that we witness a volcano eruption having a major impact on European news. With the eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull Volcano in Iceland disrupting European travel, we thought we’d take a look a some of the French words about the volcanic eruption and its impact on travelers.

TRACK YOUR LEARNING WITH OUR QUIZ!
How well did you learn last week’s words? Take our Weekly Quiz to find out!

TODAY’S WORD BROUGHT TO YOU BY YABLA.
Yabla French Video Immersion.
The fun way to learn French



n.m.pl., the damage(s)

La tempête a fait des dégâts sérieux à la côte.
The storm caused serious damage on the coast.

n.m., icicles

Les glaçons qui pendent des toits sont jolis.
The icicles that hang from the roofs are pretty.

THIS WEEK
The winter storms that have been affecting much of the United States over the past several weeks give us much to talk about. This week we’ve been looking at some winter weather vocabulary to help us do it.

THE LATEST WEEKLY QUIZ FOR OUR MEMBERS
Members of our Voilà service can go straight to this week’s quiz covering the past week’s words by clicking here.

DON’T MISS OUT ON THE BENEFITS OF A VOILA! MEMBERSHIP
Join Voilà for only 3.95 per month to access online practice quizzes like our special 2010 Year in Review Quiz and our archives by subject.

Take our Visitors Preview to learn more.
SUBSCRIBE TODAY!

n.f.pl., floods or flooding

Les autorités craignaient des inondations de l’ouragan.
Authorities feared flooding from the hurricane.

THIS WEEK
As many begin to recover after last week’s hurricane, it’s a good time to learn the vocabulary of these late summer storms.

FOR OUR VOILÀ! MEMBERS
Review last week’s words by taking our weekly quiz.
SUBSCRIBE TO VOILÀ! Only 3.95 a month, secure via PayPal!

(n.m.) clouds

record temperatures

Partout dans le pays, il y avait des températures record.
All over the country, there were record temperatures.

THIS WEEK
We’ve been covering words about the summer heat wave, la vague de chaleur.

FOR OUR VOILÀ! MEMBERS
Review last week’s words by taking our weekly quiz.
SUBSCRIBE TO VOILÀ! Only 3.95 a month, secure via PayPal!

n.m.pl., high winds

Les vents violents ont renversé les poteaux électriques.
The high winds toppled the utility poles.

THIS WEEK
As many begin to recover after last week’s hurricane, it’s a good time to learn the vocabulary of these late summer storms.

FOR OUR VOILÀ! MEMBERS
Review last week’s words by taking our weekly quiz.
SUBSCRIBE TO VOILÀ! Only 3.95 a month, secure via PayPal!

How the weather?

Quel temps fait-il aujourd’hui?
How’s the weather today?

There are a lot ways to respond to this question. Here are some of them:

Il fait beau: It’s nice.
Il fait mauvais: It’s bad.
Il fait du soleil: It’s sunny.
Il fait chaud: It’s hot.
Il fait froid: It’s cold.
Il fait frais: It’s cool.
Il fait du brouillard: It’s foggy.
Il fait du vent: It’s windy.
C’est nuageux: It’s cloudy.
Il pleut: It’s raining.
Il neige: It’s snowing.

Today’s post is one in our series of occasional beginning vocabulary topics to help new students of French. We will be interspersing these with our regular, more advanced vocabulary. To see more words, please visit our site www.frenchfanatic.com to browse the archives.

earthquake

a snowplow

Les chasse-neige étaient en action toute la nuit pour déblayer la route.
The snowplows were going all night to clear the road.

TODAY
Our word is among the vocabulary of winter weather. Discover more weather words here.

QUIZ LINK
Test yourself on today’s word and others like it here.

a flash of lightning

Un éclair a illuminé le ciel.
A flash of lightning lit up the sky.

TODAY
Our word is one of many about thunderstorms and their effects — les orages et leurs effets.

TAKE THE QUIZ
Find out if you can recognize the word for lightning in French with our Stormy Weather Quiz.

a snowflake

Les flocons de neige sont tombés par milliers sur la terre.
The snowflakes fell by the thousands on the ground.

THIS WEEK
The winter storms that have been affecting much of the United States over the past several weeks give us much to talk about. This week we’ll look at some winter weather vocabulary to help us do it.

THE LATEST WEEKLY QUIZ FOR OUR MEMBERS
Members of our Voilà service can go straight to this week’s quiz covering the past week’s words by clicking here.

DON’T MISS OUT ON THE BENEFITS OF A VOILA! MEMBERSHIP
Join Voilà for only 3.95 per month to access online practice quizzes like our special 2010 Year in Review Quiz and our archives by subject.

Take our Visitors Preview to learn more.
SUBSCRIBE TODAY!

a thunderstorm

Les orages se sont abattus sur Québec la semaine dernière.
Thunderstorms fell on Quebec last week.

THIS WEEK
Our topic is thunderstorms and their effects — les orages et leurs effets.

VOILÀ SUBSCRIBERS, TAKE THIS WEEK’S QUIZ
Members of our Voilà service can go straight to this week’s quiz by clicking here.

VOILÀ! IT’S THAT EASY TO LEARN MORE FRENCH. SIGN UP TODAY!
For less than the price of one of those fancy coffees each month, you can improve your French language skills and open the door to the beauty of the French-speaking world!

Don’t miss out on weekly Quizzes, word lists by category, and other features we’ve reserved for just for members of Voilà.

Learn more about Voilà. Just 3.95 per month.

SUBSCRIBE NOW!

a hurricane

Un ouragan a frappé la côte est des États-Unis la semaine dernière.
A hurricane hit the east coast of the United States last week.

THIS WEEK
As many begin to recover after last week’s hurricane, it’s a good time to learn the vocabulary of these late summer storms.

FOR OUR VOILÀ! MEMBERS
Review last week’s words by taking our weekly quiz.
SUBSCRIBE TO VOILÀ! Only 3.95 a month, secure via PayPal!

a plume

Les vents ont poussé le panache de cendres du volcan islandais vers Europe.
The winds pushed the plume of ash from the Icelandic volcano toward Europe.

TODAY
Our word is inspired by a rather uncommon travel disruption.

WHEN YOUR TRAVEL PLANS HIT A SNAG
Find out if you know how to describe travel disruptions like a smoke plume in French with our French Travel Disruption Quiz.

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER
Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter for more thoughts on all things French.



a wood panel

Les propriétaires ont recouvert les fenêtres de leurs maisons de panneaux en bois.
The homeowners covered the windows of their houses with wood panels.

THIS WEEK
As many begin to recover after last week’s hurricane, it’s a good time to learn the vocabulary of these late summer storms.

FOR OUR VOILÀ! MEMBERS
Review last week’s words by taking our weekly quiz.
SUBSCRIBE TO VOILÀ! Only 3.95 a month, secure via PayPal!

a drain (or sewer) backup

La pluie a causé plusieurs refoulements d’égouts.
The rain caused several drain backups.

TODAY
Our word is inspired by thunderstorms and their effects — les orages et leurs effets. Click here to discover more words about weather and geography.

QUIZ LINK
Test yourself on today’s word and others like it.

a shower or downpour

Les averses d’avril apportent les fleurs de mai.
April showers bring May flowers.

TODAY
Our word is about everyone’s favorite conversation topic – the weather.

MORE WEATHER WORDS
After you’ve learned to say rain shower in French, follow the links below to discover more French weather vocabulary words:

• Puddle
• Raindrop
• To Melt
• Lightning
• Snowflake
• Thunderstorm
• Wind-Chill Factor
• Wind Gust

a gentle breeze

Il semble qu’on trouve toujours une douce brise à la plage.
It seems that we always find a gentle breeze at the beach.

a scale

L’ouragan était de catégorie 1 sur une échelle qui en compte 5.
The hurricane was a category 1 on a scale of 5.

a raindrop

Les gouttes de pluie tombent doucement sur le trottoir.
The raindrops fall gently on the sidewalk.

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER
Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter for more thoughts on all things French.

a gust of wind

Les rafales de vent ont atteint jusqu’à 100 kilomètres à l’heure.
The wind gusts reached speeds of up to 100 kilometers per hour (62 mph).

a drought

Les fermiers doivent toujours s’inquiéter d’une sécheresse.
Farmers always have to worry about a drought.

THIS WEEK
The arrival of summer is a time of delicious vegetables. This week, we’ll cover French vocabulary about the summer harvest, la récolte d’été.

FOR OUR VOILÀ! MEMBERS
Review last week’s words by taking our weekly quiz.

a blizzard, snowstorm

La tempête de neige a frappé plus de 100 million d’habitants.
The blizzard struck more than a 100 million residents.

THIS WEEK
The winter storms that have been affecting much of the United States over the past several weeks give us much to talk about. This week we’ll look at some winter weather vocabulary to help us do it.

THE LATEST WEEKLY QUIZ FOR OUR MEMBERS
Members of our Voilà service can go straight to this week’s quiz covering the past week’s words by clicking here.

DON’T MISS OUT ON THE BENEFITS OF A VOILA! MEMBERSHIP
Join Voilà for only 3.95 per month to access online practice quizzes like our special 2010 Year in Review Quiz and our archives by subject.

Take our Visitors Preview to learn more.
SUBSCRIBE TODAY!

heat wave

Une vague de chaleur s’est abattue sur le pays.
A heat wave has descended upon the country.

TODAY
Our word is one of many about the weather and its effects that you can learn on our site.

QUIZ LINK
Take our quiz on summer weather words to find out how many you know!