What Is Weather in Spanish?
**El tiempo** (the weather) is one of the first topics you will encounter when learning Spanish. It is a subject people talk about every single day, in every country. Knowing how to talk about the weather in Spanish helps you start real conversations quickly and naturally.
In Spanish, when we talk about weather, we mostly use the verb hacer (to make/to do) or the verb estar (to be). This is different from English, and it is important to understand this from the start.
Simple Examples to Get Started
Here are a few easy sentences to show you how weather works in Spanish:
- Hace calor. — It is hot.
- Hace frío. — It is cold.
- Llueve. — It is raining.
- Hace sol. — It is sunny.
- Está nublado. — It is cloudy.
As you can see, Spanish uses hace (from the verb hacer) in many weather expressions. It is a very common pattern for beginners to learn.
Les éléments de ‘La météo en espagnol’
Let us look at the main building blocks of talking about weather in Spanish. There are three main patterns you need to know.
1. Using ‘Hacer’ for Common Weather
The verb hacer is used with many weather conditions. The structure is simple: Hace + weather noun.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Hace calor | It is hot |
| Hace frío | It is cold |
| Hace viento | It is windy |
| Hace sol | It is sunny |
| Hace buen tiempo | The weather is nice |
| Hace mal tiempo | The weather is bad |
Example sentence: Hoy hace mucho frío en Madrid. — Today it is very cold in Madrid.
2. Using Weather Verbs Directly
Some weather conditions in Spanish use their own verb. These verbs are used in the third person singular only.
- Llover → Llueve. — It rains / It is raining.
- Nevar → Nieva. — It snows / It is snowing.
- Llover a cántaros → Llueve a cántaros. — It is raining cats and dogs.
Example: En invierno, nieva mucho en los Pirineos. — In winter, it snows a lot in the Pyrenees.
3. Using ‘Estar’ for Conditions and States
The verb estar is used to describe the current state of the sky or atmosphere.
- Está nublado. — It is cloudy.
- Está despejado. — It is clear (sky).
- Está húmedo. — It is humid.
Example: Esta mañana está despejado, pero esta tarde está nublado. — This morning it is clear, but this afternoon it is cloudy.
Why Knowing the Weather in Spanish Matters
You might wonder: why spend time on weather vocabulary? Here are a few very good reasons.
- It breaks the ice. Talking about weather is the easiest way to start a conversation with a native speaker.
- It appears everywhere. Weather comes up in news, travel, daily life, and social media in Spanish-speaking countries.
- It teaches key verbs. Learning hacer, estar, llover, and nevar now will help you in many other situations later.
- It builds confidence. Simple, useful sentences give you the motivation to keep learning.
Comparison with Other Languages
It is helpful to compare how weather expressions work in English, French, and Spanish. You will notice some interesting differences.
| English | French | Spanish |
|---|---|---|
| It is hot. | Il fait chaud. | Hace calor. |
| It is cold. | Il fait froid. | Hace frío. |
| It is raining. | Il pleut. | Llueve. |
| It is snowing. | Il neige. | Nieva. |
| It is cloudy. | Il est nuageux. | Está nublado. |
| It is sunny. | Il fait soleil. | Hace sol. |
You can see that Spanish and French use a very similar structure with hacer / faire. English uses the verb ‘to be’ (it is) for almost every situation. In Spanish, you need to choose between hacer and estar, which is the main challenge for learners.
A Complete Example
Here is a short, realistic dialogue between two friends. Read it carefully and try to understand each sentence.
- Ana: ¿Qué tiempo hace hoy? — What is the weather like today?
- Luis: Hace mucho frío y está nublado. — It is very cold and cloudy.
- Ana: ¿Llueve? — Is it raining?
- Luis: No, pero hace viento. — No, but it is windy.
- Ana: ¡Qué mal tiempo! — What bad weather!
This kind of short conversation is perfect for practising your first weather expressions in Spanish.
Key Points to Remember
- Use hacer for the most common weather expressions: hace calor, hace frío, hace viento, hace sol.
- Use specific verbs for rain and snow: llueve, nieva.
- Use estar to describe the state of the sky: está nublado, está despejado.
- The question ¿Qué tiempo hace? means ‘What is the weather like?’ — learn it by heart!
- Weather vocabulary is practical, common, and a great entry point into Spanish conversation.
Sources
- Real Academia Española (RAE) — Diccionario de la lengua española — dle.rae.es
- Instituto Cervantes — Plan curricular del Instituto Cervantes — cervantes.es
- Moreno, C., Hernández, C., & Kondo, C. M. (2007). Gramática de uso del español. Nivel A1-A2. SM Ediciones.