Il fait beau.

The weather is nice.

Breakdown of Il fait beau.

• beau: nice

Questions & Answers about Il fait beau.

What does the il refer to here—does it mean “he”?

No. In weather expressions, il is an impersonal subject pronoun. It doesn’t refer to a person or thing; it’s just the required grammatical subject in French for statements about the weather.

Why is the verb faire (fait) used instead of être (est)?

French often uses faire + adjective/noun for general weather conditions, e.g. il fait beau, il fait chaud, il fait 20 degrés. English uses “to be,” but French prefers faire for these. You would use être with a concrete subject like le temps: Le temps est beau.

Why beau and not belle? Does it agree with something?

In this set phrase, you always use the masculine form beau. There’s no visible noun to agree with. If you switch to a structure with a noun, agreement shows up: Le temps est beau (masc), but La journée est belle (fem).

Can I say C’est beau to talk about the weather?

Not by itself. C’est beau means “That’s beautiful,” usually about a view, artwork, etc. For weather, use Il fait beau or Le temps est beau. You could say C’est un beau temps but it’s much rarer and sounds odd in everyday speech.

What are natural alternatives to say the same thing?

• Le temps est beau.
• Quel beau temps !
• Il fait très beau.
• Informal: Il fait super beau !, Qu’est-ce qu’il fait beau !
  Avoid or be cautious with Il fait beau temps, which sounds old-fashioned or bookish to many speakers.

How do I negate it?

• Standard negation: Il ne fait pas beau.
• More idiomatic alternative: Il fait mauvais.
  You can also say Il ne fait pas très beau to soften it.

How do I talk about past or future weather with this pattern?

• Imperfect (background/ongoing): Il faisait beau.
• Passé composé (completed period): Hier, il a fait beau.
• Near future: Il va faire beau (demain).
• Simple future: Il fera beau (ce week-end).

How do I turn it into a question?

• Neutral: Est-ce qu’il fait beau ?
• Informal rising intonation: Il fait beau ?
• Formal inversion: Fait-il beau ?

How is it pronounced?

• Il = [il] (often reduced to [i] in casual speech)
• fait = [fɛ] (like “feh”; the -t is silent)
• beau = [bo] (like “boh”)
  No liaison between fait and beau.

Can I add words like “outside” or a time expression?

Yes: Il fait beau dehors. You can add time markers: aujourd’hui, ce matin, en ce moment. Example: Il fait beau aujourd’hui.

What’s the difference between Il fait beau, Il fait bon, and Il fait doux?

• Il fait beau: overall nice weather (often clear/pleasant).
• Il fait bon: it feels pleasantly warm/comfortable (focus on comfort).
• Il fait doux: it’s mild (neither hot nor cold).

When do I use other verbs for weather instead of faire?

• Il y a
  • noun for phenomena: Il y a du soleil/du vent/du brouillard/des nuages.
• Specific verbs: Il pleut, Il neige, Il grêle, Il tonne.
• Être with concrete subjects: Le ciel est bleu, L’air est humide.

Are there informal or regional variants?

• Very informal ellipsis: Fait beau ! (speech; keep il in writing).
• Quebec/Belgium informal: Y fait beau.
• In Canada/Belgium (and sometimes colloquial France): Il fait soleil; in standard France, prefer Il y a du soleil.

What common mistakes should I avoid?

• Writing the wrong verb form: not il fais, but il fait.
• Saying C’est beau or Il est beau for the weather (those describe an object/person).
• Forcing feminine agreement (belle) in Il fait beau—this set phrase stays with beau.
• Overusing Il fait beau temps; stick to Il fait beau.
• Pronouncing fait like English “fate”; it’s “feh” [fɛ].