Ch 4 · Lesson 8French · Chapter 4 · Lesson 8 · Grammar primer
Il fait beau, il est trois heures
The weather is ( ) or a verb of its own ( ); the clock is always ( ).
The short version
Three dummy
, .
Why?Hide
The in these constructions refers to nothing at all, and the three are not interchangeable. Existence takes y a, weather takes or , and the clock takes . y a does not tell anyone the time; does.
il fait + weather
Most weather is + an adjective. Rain and snow have their own verbs, and sun and wind often take y a.
Hot is il fait chaud; rain and snow are verbs, il pleut and il neige; wind is il y a du vent.
| French | English | Pattern |
|---|---|---|
. | The weather is nice. | + adj. |
. | It's hot. | + adj. |
. | It's cold. | + adj. |
. | The weather is bad. | + adj. |
. | It's raining. | its own verb |
. | It's snowing. | its own verb |
. | It's sunny. | y a + noun |
. | It's windy. | y a + noun |
- ?- What's the weather like?, .- In summer it's hot.
il est + time
The clock takes , never y a or .
.- It's three o'clock..- It's one o'clock. (One hour: heure in the singular.).- It's midday..- It's late.?- What time is it?
Watch the trap with y a: means three hours ago, not three o'clock.
Going further: il y a: there is / there are and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
Practice
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One question at a time, mixed across the exercises in this lesson. Miss one and it comes back round before the end.
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