Essential French summer vocabulary
Posted by Josh on 25th Jun 2025 in the blog in the vocabulary category
What are your plans for the summer? Spending some time at the beach and soaking up the sun? Travelling abroad with friends and family? Or simply staying at home and relaxing?
Even if ‘getting better at French’ isn’t part of your plans, you can get a head start by learning how to express your plans in French. Below you’ll find some essential French summer vocabulary grouped according to category, from weather to activities.
La météo — Weather
| French | English |
|---|---|
| C'est ensoleillé | It's sunny |
| C'est orageux | It's stormy |
| Il fait beau | It's nice out |
| Il fait chaud | It's hot |
| Il fait bon | It's warm |
| Il fait une chaleur torride | It's scorching |
| La canicule | Heatwave |
| Les lunettes de soleil | Sunglasses |
Les dates — Dates
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Solstice d’été | Summer solstice (21 June) |
| Fête de la musique | Music Day (June 21) |
| Fête Nationale Française | Bastille Day (14 July) |
| Assomption | The Assumption (15 August) |
| Festival d’Avignon | Avignon festival |
Les activités — Activities
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Aller à la pêche | To go fishing |
| Faire de la randonnée | To go hiking |
| Partir en vacances | To go on holiday |
| Mettre de la crème solaire | To apply suncream |
| Se détendre | To chill out |
| Aller à la plage | To go to the beach |
| Aller camper | To go camping |
| Aller nager | To go swimming |
Les lieux— Places
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Le parc aquatique | The waterpark |
| Le parc | The park |
| La plage | The beach |
| L’hôtel | The hotel |
| Le glacier | The ice cream parlour |
| La colonie de vacances | The summer camp |
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