Winter is magic, winter is cold. Winter is the season where days are short and we spend more time indoors. And yet, the vocabulary we use when we talk about winter has mostly to do with the weather and what’s going on outdoors.

Is it too cold? Are you freezing because of the blizzard? Are snow and sleet common where you live?

Have ice and snowdrifts cast their white cloak on your way to a ski resort? Do you mind fine hail at all? How do you feel when wintry weather settles over your country?

How many words do you know to talk about winter in French? Do you already know the ones in this list?

• hiver, neige, glace, froid, gel, givre, grésil, frimas, neige fondue, poudreuse, glacial, bise, congère…

Blizzard is the only word that is the same as in English, but the pronunciation is different of course since you shouldn’t pronounce the final d and pronounce the last syllable clearly with a French “ar” sound.

Hiver, froid, gel, givre, grésil and frimas are masculine ; you say un hiver, le froid, le gel, le givre, le grésil and le frimas, although this last one is mostly used in its plural form. This is a word you will find more easily in poetry than in everyday French.