French Phrase
Il va pleuvoir aujourd'hui ?
Meaning
Literally: "Is it going to rain today?" The speaker is asking about the weather forecast for the current day, usually in a casual, conversational tone.
When to use
Use this question when you want to confirm whether rain is expected later in the day – for example before leaving the house, planning an outdoor activity, or simply making small talk about the weather.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Ilvapleuvoiraujourd'hui?
Impersonal "Il"
"Il" is used impersonally to refer to the weather; it does not refer to a specific person.
Future proche (aller + infinitive)
The verb "aller" in the present tense followed by an infinitive expresses a near‑future action, similar to "going to" in English.
Infinitive "pleuvoir"
"Pleuvoir" is an intransitive verb that only appears in the third‑person singular; it never changes form.
Adverb of time "aujourd'hui"
"Aujourd'hui" (today) is placed after the verb phrase in most spoken French, especially in questions.
🗨In Conversation
Il va pleuvoir aujourd'hui ?
Is it going to rain today?
Je crois que oui, il y a déjà des nuages lourds.
I think so, there are already heavy clouds.
✕Common Mistakes
Il est pleuvoir aujourd'hui.
"Est" is the verb "être" and cannot be used with the infinitive "pleuvoir"; the correct construction is "va pleuvoir" (future proche).
Il va pleuvoir demain aujourd'hui.
Mixing two time references creates confusion; choose either "demain" (tomorrow) or "aujourd'hui" (today).
Il va pleuvoir aujourd'hui ?!
Using both a question mark and an exclamation point is acceptable in informal texting but is considered overly punctuated in standard French writing.
↔Alternatives
Est‑ce qu'il va pleuvoir aujourd'hui ?
Is it going to rain today?
Il va pleuvoir aujourd'hui, non ?
It's going to rain today, right?
Il pleuvra aujourd'hui ?
Will it rain today?
Cultural Tip
In French, weather expressions almost always use the impersonal "il" and the future proche (aller + infinitive) to talk about imminent conditions. Native speakers often add a rising intonation at the end of the sentence to signal a question, even without "est‑ce que". In formal writing you might prefer "Est‑ce qu'il va pleuvoir aujourd'hui ?" but in everyday speech the shorter form is perfectly natural.