French · Nature, Animals & Weather

"It's cold" in French: il fait froid

il fait froid

Say it: eel fay FRWAHphrase/il fɛ fʁwa/

It's cold in French is il fait froid. Same faire pattern as il fait chaud. Not il est froid for outdoor weather.

Morning bike ride

Gants obligatoires : il fait froid.
Gloves required: it's cold.
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How to pronounce il fait froid

Say it

eel fay FRWAH

/il fɛ fʁwa/

Il: eel. Fait: fay. Froid: frwah. Together: eel fay FRWAH. Clear oi.

"It's cold" in French: quick reference

FrenchEnglish
il fait froidit's cold

Default weather.

il fait très froidit's very cold

Stronger.

il fait un froid de canardit's freezing

Idiom.

j'ai froidI'm cold

Body feeling, different phrase.

How to use il fait froid in real life

  1. 1Morning bike ride

    Gants obligatoires : il fait froid.

    Gloves required: it's cold.

    Decision line.

  2. 2Heating debate

    Il fait froid dans la pièce.

    It's cold in the room.

    Indoor.

  3. 3January walk

    Rentrez, il fait froid dehors.

    Come in, it's cold outside.

    Dehors.

Mistakes English speakers make with il fait froid

Incorrect: Il est froid dehors.

Correct: Il fait froid dehors.

Weather uses il fait froid.

Incorrect: Il fait cold.

Correct: Il fait froid.

Use froid.

Good to know

French speakers distinguish il fait froid (weather) from j'ai froid (I feel cold). Scarves appear early; cafés feel cozy when il fait froid outside.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Leaving a heated café

  1. ChatPal

    Il fait froid dehors.

    It's cold outside.

  2. You

    Oui, il fait froidmets ton écharpe.

    Yes, it's cold—put on your scarf.

  3. ChatPal

    Merci. S'il fait froid, on prend un taxi.

    Thanks. If it's cold, we'll take a taxi.

  4. You

    Allons-y.

    Let's go.

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"It's cold" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "It's cold" in French

How do you say it's cold in French?

Il fait froid.

What's j'ai froid?

I'm cold (body sensation).

Very cold?

Il fait très froid.

How do you pronounce froid?

frwah.

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