Checking the weather before leaving | Learn French in English

Sentence explanations

1. Tu peux regarder l'application météo avant qu'on parte ?

   Can you check the weather app before we leave?

   Tu peux

   Can you

   regarder

   check; look at

   application

   app; application

   météo

   weather

   avant qu'on parte

   before we leave

   More detail

   Tu peux uses the present form peux of pouvoir with the subject tu. Here pouvoir expresses ability or, in a question, a polite request: “Can you…?” The form peux is also used with je, as in je peux; the subject distinguishes the person. regarder is the infinitive “to look at” or “to check.” After a conjugated form of pouvoir, the following verb stays in the infinitive: Tu peux regarder… = “Can you check…?” For example, Tu peux attendre ? means “Can you wait?” application is a feminine noun meaning “application” or “app.” In this sentence it is the thing being checked. With the following vowel-initial word, the definite article is written in its elided form: l'application (“the app”). météo means “weather” and is commonly used in expressions related to weather information, such as la météo (“the weather forecast/weather information”). In application météo, it specifies the type of application: a weather app. It is not the noun being checked separately; the full noun group is l'application météo. avant qu'on parte means “before we leave.” avant que introduces an event that is viewed as not yet completed and is followed here by the subjunctive. parte is the present subjunctive form of partir (“to leave”) with on. Although on is grammatically third-person singular, it commonly means “we” in conversational French, which gives the translated meaning “we leave.” The spoken-style qu'on is an elision of que before on. Together, Tu peux supplies the request, regarder l'application météo specifies what the listener should check, and avant qu'on parte sets the time limit. The complete meaning is: “Can you check the weather app before we leave?”

2. Elle dit qu'il y a un risque de pluie.

   It says there is some chance of rain.

   Elle

   it

   dit

   says

   il y a

   there is

   risque

   risk

   pluie

   rain

   More detail

   Elle is the feminine singular subject pronoun. Here, the fixed translation renders it as “it”; the specific entity is not named in the sentence. The form itself is feminine singular, while il is the masculine singular subject pronoun in other uses. dit is the present-tense third-person singular form of dire, “to say.” The useful chain is dire → dit for “he/she/it says.” Example: Elle dit oui. — “She says yes.” il y a is the fixed French construction for existence or presence: “there is” or “there are.” Its il is part of this construction, not a separately identified participant. The form stays il y a with both singular and plural nouns: Il y a un problème. — “There is a problem”; Il y a des problèmes. — “There are problems.” risque is a masculine singular noun meaning “risk” or, in this context, “chance” or “possibility.” It is the noun in un risque de pluie; the article un marks an unspecified singular noun, without by itself stating a numerical count. Example: Il y a un risque de retard. — “There is a risk of delay.” pluie is a feminine singular noun meaning “rain.” In de pluie, it identifies what the risk concerns. French commonly uses de after a noun such as risque to connect it with the possible event or thing: un risque de pluie means “a risk/chance of rain.” Together, Elle dit gives “It says,” and qu' introduces the content of what is said. That content is il y a un risque de pluie: “there is some chance of rain.” The whole utterance therefore means, “It says there is some chance of rain.”

3. Le ciel semble déjà nuageux.

   The sky looks cloudy already.

   ciel

   sky

   semble

   seems; appears

   déjà

   already

   nuageux

   cloudy

   More detail

   ciel means “sky” here. Its base form is ciel; the plural is cieux in some established uses and ciels in others, so learners should not assume one universal plural. In this sentence, le is the masculine singular definite article: le ciel means “the sky.” semble comes from sembler, “to seem” or “to appear.” It is the present-tense third-person singular form, matching le ciel: le ciel semble = “the sky seems.” A useful pattern is sembler + adjective, as in Le film semble intéressant. — “The film seems interesting.” déjà means “already.” It places the described state earlier than expected or by the relevant time. It commonly appears before an adjective or participle phrase, as here: semble déjà nuageux = “already seems cloudy.” nuageux is the masculine singular form of the adjective nuageux, “cloudy.” It agrees with the masculine singular noun ciel. The feminine singular form is nuageuse, while the masculine plural is also nuageux and the feminine plural is nuageuses. Together, Le ciel identifies the sky, semble presents an appearance rather than a firm assertion, déjà marks that appearance as occurring already, and nuageux describes the sky. The complete meaning is: “The sky looks cloudy already.”

4. La température va aussi baisser ce soir.

   The temperature will also drop this evening.

   température

   temperature

   va

   is going to

   aussi

   also

   baisser

   drop; decrease

   ce soir

   this evening

   More detail

   température means “temperature” here. It is a feminine French noun: la température; its plural is les températures. va is the third-person singular present form of aller (“to go”). With an infinitive, aller forms the near future: va baisser means “is going to drop” or, in this context, “will drop.” The subject is La température, so the singular form va is used. Compare je vais, tu vas, and il/elle va. Example: La pluie va commencer. — “The rain is going to start.” aussi means “also.” Here it says that the temperature’s drop is an additional event. It appears between va and baisser, within the future verb construction; the complete meaning comes from the surrounding words. baisser is the infinitive “to drop” or “to decrease.” After the conjugated form va, it remains in the infinitive. Its base form is baisser. Example: La température baisse. — “The temperature is dropping.” The related opposite is monter (“to rise”) for a level such as temperature. ce soir is the time expression “this evening” or “tonight.” ce is the masculine singular demonstrative determiner used with soir (“evening”), and soir is the noun. The expression specifies when the drop is expected. Together, La température is the subject, va ... baisser expresses a future decrease, aussi marks that decrease as additional, and ce soir gives the time. The whole utterance therefore means: “The temperature will also drop this evening.”

5. Est-ce que je devrais prendre une veste légère ?

   Should I carry a light jacket?

   Est-ce que

   question opener

   je devrais

   should I

   prendre

   carry

   veste

   jacket

   légère

   light

   More detail

   Est-ce que is a standard French yes/no question opener. It does not add a separate meaning such as “what”; it marks the following statement as a question. For example, Est-ce que tu viens ? means “Are you coming?” je devrais is the first-person singular conditional form of devoir (“to have to” or “must”). In this sentence, the conditional gives the English idea “should I,” asking whether carrying the item would be advisable rather than stating a firm obligation. Useful forms include je dois (“I must / I have to”) and je devrais (“I should”). The infinitive after it names the action: Je devrais partir. means “I should leave.” prendre is the infinitive “to take.” Here, with the jacket as the object and the surrounding situation, it corresponds naturally to “carry” or “take along.” After a conjugated form of devoir, French uses the infinitive: Tu devrais prendre un parapluie. means “You should take an umbrella.” veste is the feminine singular noun “jacket.” The indefinite article une before it identifies an unspecified jacket; it does not by itself assert a numerical count in the English sense. A useful reusable pattern is une + feminine singular noun, as in une veste (“a jacket”). légère means “light” here, describing the jacket’s weight or thickness. It is the feminine singular form of the adjective léger; the adjective agrees with the feminine singular noun veste. The masculine singular form is léger, while légère is used with a feminine singular noun. For example, une valise légère means “a light suitcase.” Together, Est-ce que turns the question into a yes/no question, je devrais prendre expresses “should I take/carry,” and une veste légère supplies the item. The complete meaning is: “Should I carry a light jacket?”

6. Une veste légère et un petit parapluie seraient utiles.

   A light jacket and a small umbrella would help.

   veste

   jacket

   légère

   light

   parapluie

   umbrella

   seraient

   would be

   utiles

   useful

   More detail

   veste means “jacket” here. It is a feminine singular noun: une veste means “a jacket.” The plural is des vestes. In the fixed sentence, it is modified by légère, so the noun phrase is une veste légère (“a light jacket”). légère describes the jacket as light in weight. It is the feminine singular form of léger; the adjective agrees with veste. The masculine singular form is léger, and the plural forms are légers (masculine) and légères (feminine). Example: un sac léger means “a light bag.” parapluie means “umbrella.” It is a masculine noun: un parapluie means “an umbrella,” and des parapluies means “umbrellas.” In this sentence, petit adds the meaning “small,” giving un petit parapluie (“a small umbrella”). seraient is the third-person plural conditional form of être (“to be”). The form is plural because the subject contains two coordinated noun phrases: une veste légère et un petit parapluie. The conditional presents their usefulness as hypothetical or dependent on the situation, corresponding here to “would be.” Compare sont (“are”) with seraient (“would be”). Example: Ils seraient prêts. — “They would be ready.” utiles means “useful” here. It is the plural form of utile, agreeing with the combined subject. Utile has the same spelling for masculine and feminine singular; the plural is utiles for both genders. Example: Ces informations sont utiles. — “This information is useful.” The sentence combines une veste légère (“a light jacket”) and un petit parapluie (“a small umbrella”) with et (“and”). Together they form the plural subject, so seraient and utiles are plural: Une veste légère et un petit parapluie seraient utiles. The whole meaning is “A light jacket and a small umbrella would be useful,” expressed in the supplied translation as “A light jacket and a small umbrella would help.”

7. Alors, je peux mettre les deux dans mon sac.

   Then I can put both in my bag.

   Alors

   Then

   je peux

   I can

   mettre

   put

   les deux

   both

   dans

   in

   sac

   bag

   More detail

   Alors means “then” here and links this statement to what has just been discussed. It can also mean “so” in other contexts, but here the time/sequence sense fits the fixed translation. je peux means “I can.” peux is the first-person singular present form of pouvoir (“to be able to,” “can”); the subject is je. In French, pouvoir is followed by an infinitive: Je peux venir. — “I can come.” mettre means “to put” here. It is the infinitive of mettre; after je peux, it remains in the infinitive rather than being conjugated. For example, Je peux mettre le livre ici. means “I can put the book here.” les deux means “both,” identifying two items together. les is the plural definite article and deux is the number “two”; this expression refers to the two relevant items identified by the fixed context and translation. Je prends les deux. — “I’ll take both.” dans means “in” or “inside” and introduces the container or place where something is put. It is a preposition, so the following noun phrase is mon sac (“my bag”). sac means “bag.” It is a masculine singular noun, which is why the possessive form in the surrounding phrase is mon: mon sac means “my bag.” The possessive agrees with the noun’s grammatical form, not with the person who owns it. Together, je peux mettre expresses “I can put,” les deux supplies the object “both,” and dans mon sac gives the destination “in my bag.” The complete utterance therefore means: “Then I can put both in my bag.”

8. Ça devrait suffire pour la pluie et la soirée plus fraîche.

   That should be enough for the rain and the cooler evening.

   Ça

   that; it

   devrait

   should

   suffire

   be enough

   la pluie

   the rain

   la soirée

   the evening

   plus fraîche

   cooler

   More detail

   Ça is a demonstrative pronoun meaning “that” or “it.” Here, the fixed translation supports the impersonal meaning “that/it” referring to the situation or items under discussion, without identifying a more specific grammatical referent. Unlike a demonstrative determiner, it stands independently and does not accompany a noun. devrait is the third-person singular present conditional of devoir, “to have to” or “must.” In this sentence, the conditional gives the practical prediction or expectation “should,” rather than a direct obligation. Useful form chain: devoir → devrait (“should”). For example, Ça devrait marcher. means “That should work.” suffire is the infinitive of “to be enough” or “to suffice.” It follows devrait because a modal-like verb such as devoir is followed by an infinitive: devrait suffire = “should be enough.” The infinitive does not itself mark the subject or tense here; devrait carries the conditional form. la pluie means “the rain.” pluie is a feminine singular noun, shown by the article la. The article is definite: it presents the rain as an identified or relevant thing, not as a numeric quantity. Example: La pluie commence. — “The rain is starting.” la soirée means “the evening.” soirée is a feminine singular noun, so it takes la here. It commonly refers to the evening period, especially as a span of time or an evening occasion; the intended meaning here is the evening period. plus fraîche means “cooler.” fraîche is the feminine singular form of the adjective frais, agreeing with the feminine singular noun soirée. plus forms the comparative “more …”; thus plus fraîche means “cooler” or literally “more cool.” The base form is frais for masculine singular and fraîche for feminine singular. Example: La matinée est plus fraîche. — “The morning is cooler.” Together, pour la pluie means “for the rain,” and pour la soirée plus fraîche means “for the cooler evening.” The pattern Ça devrait + infinitive expresses what “that/it should” do or be. Therefore, Ça devrait suffire pour la pluie et la soirée plus fraîche. means “That should be enough for the rain and the cooler evening.”