French Phrase
On dirait qu'il va pleuvoir.
Meaning
Literally, 'One would say that it is going to rain.' In everyday French it means 'It looks like it's going to rain' and is used to comment on the weather when you suspect rain but haven't seen it yet.
When to use
Use this phrase when you want to make a tentative observation about the weather, especially in informal conversation with friends or colleagues. It conveys a polite, slightly uncertain tone rather than a firm prediction.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Ondiraitqu'ilvapleuvoir
On (impersonal pronoun)
Used like English 'one' or 'it' to make a general statement; in everyday speech it often replaces 'nous' or a vague subject.
dirait (conditional of dire)
The conditional mood expresses speculation or politeness; here it translates to 'it seems' or 'it looks like'.
qu' (elision of que)
Before a vowel or mute h, 'que' drops the e and becomes 'qu'' to keep the flow of speech.
il (dummy subject)
In weather expressions French uses the impersonal 'il' as the grammatical subject.
va (present of aller → future proche)
The construction 'aller + infinitive' forms the near future, equivalent to English 'is going to'.
pleuvoir (infinitive)
The infinitive of the verb 'to rain'; after the future proche it stays in its base form.
🗨In Conversation
On dirait qu'il va pleuvoir.
It looks like it's going to rain.
Ah bon ? J'espère qu'il ne pleuvra pas pendant le match.
Oh really? I hope it won't rain during the game.
✕Common Mistakes
On dirait que il va pleuvoir.
When 'que' is followed by a vowel, it must be elided to 'qu'' to keep the sentence fluid.
On dirait qu'il pleuvra.
Some learners replace the future proche with the simple future ('pleuvra'), which sounds more formal and less natural in casual talk.
On dirait il va pleuvoir.
The subject pronoun 'il' cannot replace the impersonal 'on' here; the structure is fixed as 'On dirait qu'il...'.
↔Alternatives
Il semble qu'il va pleuvoir.
It seems that it's going to rain.
On dirait qu'il va pleuvoir bientôt.
It looks like it's going to rain soon.
Il paraît qu'il va pleuvoir.
It appears that it's going to rain.
Cultural Tip
Talking about the weather is a classic ice‑breaker in French culture. The pronoun 'on' is preferred over 'nous' in casual speech, and the conditional 'dirait' softens the statement, making it sound less assertive—perfect for polite speculation. Also, the future proche ('va pleuvoir') is more common in everyday conversation than the simple future ('pleuvra').