A guide to saying it like a local
How to Say "The air conditioning isn't working" in French
Politely inform hotel staff or hosts that the air conditioning is not functioning.
La climatisation ne marche pas.
la klee-ma-tee-za-SYOHN nuh marsh PAHneutral
French TTS · 0:01
Use this when you're in a hotel room, a rental apartment, or even a shop where the air conditioning is expected to work but isn't. It's a direct but polite way to report the issue.
Alternatives
- L'air conditionné ne fonctionne pas.Slightly more formal and uses the verb 'fonctionner' instead of 'marcher'.
- Il fait trop chaud ici, la clim est cassée.More casual, good for when you know the person a bit or in a very informal setting.
Ways to get it wrong
Pronouncing 'climatisation'
The 'cl' sound is like in 'clean', and the 't' is pronounced, not silent.
Forgetting 'ne'
French negation usually requires 'ne' before the verb and 'pas' after it; omitting 'ne' makes it sound incomplete.
A small cultural note
While 'climatisation' is standard, you might hear 'la clim' used more casually, especially by younger people. France can get surprisingly hot in summer, so this is a common complaint.
The same phrase in other languages
Frequently asked
How to say air conditioning in French?
The standard term is 'la climatisation'. You might also hear the abbreviation 'la clim' in casual conversation.
What if I want to be more polite?
You can preface it with 'Excusez-moi, mais...' (Excuse me, but...). Adding 's'il vous plaît' (please) at the end is also a good idea.
Is 'ne marche pas' too informal for a hotel?
No, 'ne marche pas' is perfectly acceptable and widely understood in a hotel context. 'Ne fonctionne pas' is a slightly more formal alternative.
