Module 2 of the free French course (CEFR A1, completed), lesson 17 of 30: Four seasons: le printemps, l'été, l'automne, l'hiver — all masculine. On this page: 8 words with their genders and respellings, the rule, a watch-out line and the audio — the study notes behind the workbook's lesson 17.
| French | English | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| le printemps | the spring | luh pra(n)-TAH(n) |
| l'automnemasculine — the article elides to l' | the autumn | loh-TUN |
| l'hivermasculine — the article elides to l' | the winter | lee-VEHR |
| la saison | the season | lah seh-ZOH(n) |
| au printemps | in spring | oh pra(n)-TAH(n) |
| en été | in summer | ah(n) nay-TAY |
| en hiver | in winter | ah(n) nee-VEHR |
| le mois | the month | luh MWAH |
Respellings follow the course’s say-it key; the stressed syllable is in capitals. Print this lesson’s flashcards (PDF) — the words on the front, the English and respelling on the back.
Each word is read twice — say it back in the gap. Computer-generated voice; credits on the course page.
Four seasons: le printemps, l'été, l'automne, l'hiver — all masculine. "In" flips by season: au printemps, but en été, en automne, en hiver.
Match each season to its months aloud: En hiver, il y a décembre, janvier et février.
au printemps, but en été, en automne, en hiver: spring is the only season that takes au.
This free course is the reading half. The writing half — write-in lessons, daily practice pages with built-in review, self-checks and a full answer key — is the companion workbook series, The French Ladder: one workbook per module, fifteen in all, released band by band with the Basic band (Modules 1–5) first.
Turn this lesson’s words into flashcards, then space your reviews — the two habits the research behind our study guides backs hardest.
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