‘Soaked like soup’: 7 French expressions to use for wet weather

Storms and rain are often part of weather forecasts in France - so to help you engage in that classic Anglophone tradition of discussing the weather here are seven French expressions to use when it is raining.

Trempé comme une soupe

This phrase translates to being 'soaked like a soup'. It means to be very wet after being caught in the rain, especially if caught unaware when out and about.

Trempé jusqu’aux os

To be really soaked – literally 'soaked to the bone'. Note that in English, you do not get so wet and are only soaked to the skin.

Il pleut comme vache qui pisse

Used for when it is absolutely tipping it down – as powerful a torrent as when a cow is urinating.

Britons would tend to say 'it is raining cats and dogs', however the French have plenty of their own cat-based expressions for other situations.

 Read more: Six French expressions around cats to use in everyday conversations

Il pleut des cordes

This is another equivalent of 'it is raining cats and dogs' where instead of animals falling from the sky, it is ropes. You can also say ‘il tombe des cordes’.

Il pleut à seaux

A way of saying it is 'bucketing down'. Used for heavy rain and when in politer company than number three would otherwise allow.

Un temps de chien

This is an expression to describe very bad weather. When it is horribly wet and cold, the French say it is 'dog weather'.

Read more: French phrases that feature dogs

‘ça va péter’

You can use this when speaking about a big storm with thunder and lightning. If a storm is coming, you might also hear ‘ça va péter’, meaning it is about to burst.

Read more: 10 French phrases using péter in contexts you may not expect