Introduction
Weather is classic small-talk territory in any language. In Spanish, weather expressions work differently from English — many use hacer (to do/make) or haber (there is/are) instead of "to be."
Weather with Hacer
The most common weather expressions use hace (third person of hacer):
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Hace sol. | It's sunny. |
| Hace calor. | It's hot. |
| Hace frío. | It's cold. |
| Hace viento. | It's windy. |
| Hace buen tiempo. | The weather is nice. |
| Hace mal tiempo. | The weather is bad. |
| Hace fresco. | It's cool / chilly. |
Important: You cannot say "es calor" or "está calor." Weather with temperature always uses hacer.
Weather with Verbs
Some weather conditions use their own verbs:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Llueve. (llover) | It rains. / It's raining. |
| Nieva. (nevar) | It snows. / It's snowing. |
| Truena. (tronar) | It thunders. |
| Graniza. (granizar) | It hails. |
These are impersonal verbs — they only conjugate in the third person singular.
Weather with Estar and Haber
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Está nublado. | It's cloudy. |
| Está despejado. | It's clear. |
| Está lloviendo. | It's raining (right now). |
| Hay niebla. | It's foggy. (There is fog.) |
| Hay tormenta. | There's a storm. |
| Hay humedad. | It's humid. |
The Seasons (Las Estaciones)
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| la primavera | spring |
| el verano | summer |
| el otoño | autumn / fall |
| el invierno | winter |
- En verano hace mucho calor. — In summer it's very hot.
- En invierno nieva en las montañas. — In winter it snows in the mountains.
Note: In the Southern Hemisphere (Argentina, Chile, etc.), seasons are reversed — December is summer.
Temperature
- ¿Qué temperatura hace? — What's the temperature?
- Estamos a 30 grados. — It's 30 degrees.
- Hay 5 grados bajo cero. — It's 5 degrees below zero.
Spanish-speaking countries use Celsius, not Fahrenheit.
Asking About Weather
- ¿Qué tiempo hace? — What's the weather like?
- ¿Cómo está el clima? — How's the weather?
- ¿Va a llover hoy? — Is it going to rain today?
Practice
How do you say 'It's hot' in Spanish?
Which verb is used for 'It's snowing'?
How do you say 'It's cloudy'?
'Hay niebla' means…