I lived in south-west France for two decades. When you imagine the south of France, you probably picture fields of sunflowers, ripening grapevines and sitting outside a little village café sipping a cold drink. Right?
When I first moved to the Lot region, just south of the better-known Dordogne, I had no idea how cold the winters would be! Looking at the weather forecast today, it seems relatively balmy at 13 degrees compared to 6 degrees in Norfolk. But look ahead a couple of days and it’s forecast to drop to 0°C — with temperatures of minus 10 not being unusual over the winter months.
So what expressions did I need to complain about the cold? In French, there’s a whole collection of fun and often quirky ways to talk about chilly weather. Whether you’re learning French or simply love idioms, here are 8 cold-weather expressions you can start using today.
❄️ 1. Il fait froid. — It’s cold.
This is the classic way to say it: il fait froid. Literally, it means “it makes cold,” because in French we use faire for weather expressions. You can safely use this one anywhere — at school, with friends, or even with grandma!
🦆 2. Il fait un froid de canard. — It’s duck cold.
This quirky phrase literally means “it makes a cold of duck”! It comes from duck hunting season in chilly weather — when hunters felt the bone-chilling temperatures while waiting by icy waters.
🧊 3. Il fait un froid sibérien. — It’s Siberian cold.
When you want to dramatically complain about bitter cold, say un froid sibérien. It conjures images of freezing Siberia!
🐺 4. Il fait un froid de loup. — It’s wolf cold.
Another animal-inspired expression, un froid de loup means the cold is fierce — like what shepherds in eastern France once noticed when wolves came close in winter.
❄️ 5. Il gèle. — It’s freezing.
Short and sweet: il gèle means “it’s freezing.” This one is standard and safe to use in any context.
🪨 6. Il gèle à pierre fendre. — It’s cold enough to crack a stone.
This expression paints a vivid picture of extreme cold — so cold it could split rocks!
🥶 7. Ça caille ! — It’s freezing!
An informal (and very common) way to say it’s freezing, ça caille literally means “it curdles,” like fluids stiffening in the cold.
🥶 8. Ça pince. — It pinches.
Like a sharp cold that “pinches,” this expression is the French equivalent of saying “it’s nippy.” If you really want to emphasize the bite of the weather, you can say ça pince dur (it pinches hard).
🧤 Want to Sound More Natural in French?
Try slipping these expressions into your next conversation about the weather — they’ll make you sound like a native speaker, and they’re a fun way to expand your idiomatic vocabulary!