French Phrase
Il pleut des cordes !
Meaning
Literally ‘It rains ropes!’, this French idiom is used to describe a torrential downpour. The expression paints a vivid picture of rain falling as thick and continuous as ropes, and it is purely figurative – no one expects actual ropes to fall from the sky.
When to use
Use this phrase in informal conversation when you want to emphasize that it is raining very heavily. It works well in spoken French, on social media, or in casual writing, but it is too colloquial for formal reports or academic texts.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Ilpleutdescordes!
Subject pronoun Il
Il is the impersonal subject used with weather verbs like pleuvoir; it does not refer to a specific masculine noun.
Verb pleuvoir
Pleuvoir is an intransitive verb that only appears in the third‑person singular (il pleut) to describe rain.
Partitive article des
Des is the partitive article used before a plural noun when you talk about an indefinite amount – here, an indefinite amount of ‘cordes’.
Cordes (noun, plural)
Literally ‘ropes’; in this idiom it conveys the image of a heavy, continuous downpour.
Idiomatic expression
Il pleut des cordes is a colloquial idiom meaning ‘it’s raining heavily’, similar to English ‘raining cats and dogs’.
🗨In Conversation
Il pleut des cordes !
It's pouring down ropes!
Oui, prends ton parapluie, sinon on va finir trempés jusqu'aux os.
Yes, grab your umbrella, otherwise we'll end up soaked to the bone.
✕Common Mistakes
Il pleut des cordes, il faut mettre des cordes dehors.
Do not translate it literally as ‘It rains ropes’; the phrase is idiomatic and should be rendered as ‘It’s pouring’ or ‘It’s raining cats and dogs’.
Il pleut les cordes.
The article should be the partitive des, not the definite les, because the expression refers to an indefinite amount of rain.
Il pleut des cordes très fort.
The idiom already conveys intensity; adding ‘très fort’ is redundant and sounds unnatural.
↔Alternatives
Il pleut à verse.
It's raining in sheets.
Il drache.
It's pouring.
Il pleut des seaux.
It's raining buckets.
Cultural Tip
The expression is typical of everyday French and is especially popular in France’s northern regions where heavy rain is common. It is considered informal, so avoid it in business emails or formal presentations. In Quebec French you’ll more often hear “Il pleut à seaux remplis”.