The French Polynesia bulletins can be had through e-mail on board for those who have the modems and are getting service through either Sailmail or Winlink. A french marine wx bulletin can be gotten by e-mailing: yotreps@pangolin.co.nz and just typing HELP in the message body for a list of their bulletins, the french one is called the PF BULLETIN. The local French Polynesia weather that is published in the local news can be had through Winlink by looking in their catalog and choosing the one called French Polynesia Territorial Bulletin.

 

Thanks everyone for your interest in this "cheat sheet" to help you figure out the wx bulletins issued in French.

It is by no means all-encompassing or official translations from Meteo France.  It's translations from my "street French" learned in the trenches. (and from a Belgian, yet! (Luc)). Some are not exact translations, but more the general meaning as it relates to weather bulletins. It's just to give you a quick start to getting the gist of what's printed. Hope it helps.

 

BASICS:

 

LUNDI             MONDAY                        AUJOURD'HUI       TODAY

MARDI             TUESDAY                       DEMAIN            TOMORROW

MERCREDI          WEDNESDAY                     APRES-DEMAIN      DAY AFTER TOMORROW

JEUDI             THURSDAY                      HIER              YESTERDAY

VENDREDI          FRIDAY                        AVANT HIER        DAY BEFORE YESTERDAY

SAMEDI            SATURDAY                      LA VEILLE            THE DAY BEFORE

DIMANCHE          SUNDAY

 

JOUR(NEE)         DAY                           NORD              NORTH

MATIN             MORNING                       SUD               SOUTH

MIDI              NOON                          EST               EAST

APRES-MIDI        AFTERNOON                     OUEST             WEST

SOIR(EE)          EVENING

NUIT              NIGHT

 

 

A                       TO

AVEC                    WITH

CET(TE), CES            THIS, THESE

DE, DE LA, DU          FROM/AT/OR (in masculine, fem., plural)      

FACE (A)                SIDE(FACING)

MI                      MID     

-MENT                   -LY  example: localment = locally

OU                      OR

PAR                     FROM or BY

PARFOIS                 SOMETIMES

PARTIELEMENT            PARTLY

PAS, N'PAS              NO

QUELQUES                (A) FEW

SOUS                    UNDER

SUR                     OVER

VERS                    TOWARDS

 

 

WEATHER:          TEMPS:                        CIEL:             SKY:

 

BEAU TEMPS        GOOD WX                      ENSOLEILLE        SUNNY

BELLE             BEAUTIFUL, VERY NICE        ECLAIRCIES        BREAK IN THE WX

MAUVAIS,MAL       BAD                           PASSAGER(E)       PASSING, OCCASIONAL

PLUVIEUX          RAINY                         NUAGES            CLOUDS

FRAIS, FRAICHE      FRESH or COOL                 PASSAGEREMENT NUAGEUX: PARTLY CLOUDY

FROID(E)          COLD                          TRES NUAGEUX      VERY CLOUDY

CHAUD(E)          HOT                           VOILE             HIGH CLOUDS (VEILED SKY)

COUVERTE          OVERCAST

DEGAGE            CLEAR (UNOBSTRUCTED) SKY

 

 

WEATHER SYSTEMS:                                        PLUIE:            RAIN:

 

ANTICYLONE        HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM                  AVERSES           SHOWERS

DEPRESSION        LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM                  GRAINS            SQUALLS

PERTURBATION      DISTURBED,UNSTABLE AREA              ORAGE(UX)         THUNDER STORMS

FRONT             FRONT                               TEMPETE           STORM

PRESSION          PRESSURE

HAUT              HIGH

BAS               LOW

PROFOND           DEEP

 

 

WINDS:            VENT:                                     MER:              SEAS:                 

 

FAIBLE            LIGHT       <10KTS      <19KM/HR          BELLE             CALM

MODERE            MODERATE    10-15       20-28             PEU AGITEE            LIGHT CHOP

ASSEZ FORTE       FRESH       16-21       29-38             AGITEE            CHOPPY

FORTE             STRONG      22-27       39-49             FORTE             ROUGH

GRAND FRAIS       NEAR GALE  28-33       50-61

COUP deVENT       GALE        34-40       62-74             HOULE             SWELL

 

ALIZES            TRADE WINDS

POUSEE DES ALIZES      ACCELERATED OR REINFORCED TRADES

MARA'AMU          WINDS FROM S-SE, USUALLY STRONG (Tahitian term)          

RAFALES           GUSTS

POINTES           POINTS (usually maximum)

 

 

BULLETINS:              BULLETINS!

 

AVIS                    WARNING

BMS                     SPECIAL MARINE BULLETIN

PREVISIONS              FORECASTS

A TERME                 BY THE END OF BULLETIN PERIOD

ECHEANCE                "   "   "   " "        "

ETABLIES                ESTABLISHED, ISSUED

VALABLES                VALID

 

 

GENERAL TERMS:

 

A PARTIR                STARTING, BEGINNING         PREVU       PREDICTED, EXPECTED

(AF)FAIBLISSANT         WEAKENING                     POURRONT    COULD

AILLEURS                ELSEWHERE                     POUVANT     CAN

AMELIORATION            IMPROVING                     PUIS        AND THEN

ATTEINDRE               ATTAIN                        RENFORCENT      REINFORCING, INCREASING

CREUSEMENT              DEEPENING                     SERA        WILL BE

SE CREUSE               DEEPEN

COTE,COTIER             COAST,COASTAL

DECALLANT               MOVING AWAY                    STATIONAIRE      STATIONARY

DEPLACEMENT             MOVING                        SUIVANT     NEXT or FOLLOWING

DEVENANT                BECOMING                      TOURNANT      TURNING

EPARSES                 SPARCE, SCATTERED             VENANT      COMING, BECOMING

ISOLES                  ISOLATED

JUSQU'A                 UNTIL

LENTE(MENT)             SLOW(LY)