Learn French: Les pistes de ski sont jolies en hiver. - The ski slopes are pretty in winter.

Les pistes de ski sont jolies en hiver.

The ski slopes are pretty in winter.

Breakdown of Les pistes de ski sont jolies en hiver.

of / from / any (in negative sentences) / about (concerning)

in, to

Questions & Answers about Les pistes de ski sont jolies en hiver.

Why do we say en hiver here instead of pendant l'hiver?

Pendant means "during" a set period. You could say pendant l'hiver (during the winter), but to generally say "in winter", French simply uses en hiver. Note that winter, summer, and autumn use en, while spring uses au (au printemps).

Why is it pistes de ski instead of ski pistes?

English often stacks nouns to describe things (like "ski slopes"), but French requires you to link them with de (of). We use the basic word de instead of du because "ski" is acting as a general category here, not a specific thing.

Why is jolies spelled with an "e" and an "s"?

Adjectives must match the noun they describe. The word for "slope" or "trail" is feminine (une piste). Because the sentence is about multiple slopes (les pistes), the adjective needs an -e to show it is feminine and an -s to show it is plural.

How do I pronounce en hiver?

The "h" in hiver is silent. Because the word starts with a vowel sound, you must make a smooth link (a liaison) from the "n" in en. It is pronounced almost like a single word, sounding like "ah-nee-vair".