French Phrase
Il fait plutôt froid.
Meaning
Literally, 'It makes rather cold.' In everyday English this means 'It’s rather cold.' The adverb 'plutôt' softens the statement, indicating the temperature is noticeably cold but not extreme.
When to use
Use this sentence when commenting on the current weather, especially in casual conversation or when you want to convey that it feels colder than usual but isn’t freezing.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Ilfaitplutôtfroid.
Impersonal weather verb (il fait)
In French, weather conditions are expressed with the impersonal verb 'faire' plus an adjective; the subject is always the dummy pronoun 'il'.
Adverb placement (plutôt)
'Plutôt' is an adverb meaning 'rather' or 'somewhat' and is placed directly before the adjective it modifies.
Adjective used predicatively (froid)
When describing weather, the adjective follows the verb and does not agree in gender or number.
🗨In Conversation
Il fait plutôt froid aujourd'hui, n'est-ce pas ?
It’s rather cold today, isn’t it?
Oui, je vais mettre un pull.
Yes, I’m going to put on a sweater.
✕Common Mistakes
Il est plutôt froid.
Use 'il fait' for weather; 'il est' describes a person or object.
Il fait très plutôt froid.
Avoid stacking two adverbs; choose either 'très' or 'plutôt', not both.
Il fait froid plutôt.
Adverbs like 'plutôt' must come before the adjective they modify.
↔Alternatives
Il fait assez froid.
It’s quite cold.
Il fait un peu froid.
It’s a little cold.
Il fait très froid.
It’s very cold.
Il fait froid.
It’s cold.
Cultural Tip
Talking about the weather is a classic ice‑breaker in French culture. The impersonal construction 'il fait' is used for all weather conditions (il fait chaud, il fait du vent, il fait humide, etc.). In northern France the word 'froid' can be intensified with 'gelé' (freezing) while in the south people might say 'il fait frais' for a mild chill.