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temps
/tɑ̃/
weather
Il fait beau aujourd'hui, le temps est agréable.
It's nice outside today, the weather is pleasant.
general
The state of the atmosphere at a given time and place, including temperature, humidity, and precipitation.
Le temps change rapidement en montagne.
The weather changes quickly in the mountains.
This is the most common meaning of 'temps' in everyday French.
general
A period of time, duration.
Il a mis du temps à finir son travail.
He took a long time to finish his work.
This meaning is often used with expressions like 'du temps', 'le temps de', or 'pendant un temps'.
grammar
A tense in grammar, particularly the past tense.
Le temps passé est utilisé pour parler d'événements terminés.
The past tense is used to talk about completed events.
This is a technical meaning used in language studies.
Collocations
Related Phrases
Pro Tip
Weather vs. Time
To distinguish between 'weather' and 'time', pay attention to the context. Weather 'temps' is often used with verbs like 'faire' (e.g., 'Il fait beau temps'), while time 'temps' is often used with prepositions like 'en' (e.g., 'en peu de temps').
Gold Rule
Gender Agreement
The word 'temps' is masculine, so adjectives describing it must agree in gender and number (e.g., 'un bon temps', 'de mauvais temps').
Word Origin
From Old French 'temps', from Latin 'tempus' meaning 'time' or 'season'.
Usage Notes
'Temps' can refer to both weather and time, but the context usually makes the meaning clear. For weather, it is often used with verbs like 'faire' (e.g., 'Il fait beau temps'). For time, it is often used with prepositions like 'en' (e.g., 'en peu de temps').
Word Breakdown
temp
time or weather
roots
plural marker (though 'temps' is always singular)
suffixDictionnaire Français-Anglais