3.2.0: Vocabulario
In Spanish, both el clima and el tiempo are used to talk about the weather.
- Note that clima is masculine since it ends in ¨ ma ¨.
To ask about what the weather is like on a given day, use ¨ ¿Qué tiempo hace hoy? ¨
Weather expressions in Spanish are different from those in English, particularly in the way they are constructed.
All of the weather phrases use the singular third person conjugation forms - if it helps, you can think of the subject as ¨Mother Nature¨.
- Hace calor.
- Está lloviendo.
Pay specific attention to the verbs used with each weather phrase below.
El clima / El tiempo
- Some weather expressions in Spanish are built with the verb H acer , conjugated in the singular third person form Hace . Review the following weather vocabulary with the verb Hacer:
| ¿Qué tiempo hace hoy? | What is the weather like today? |
|---|---|
| Hace (mucho) calor. | It is (very) hot. |
| Hace fresco. | It is cool. |
| Hace (mucho) frío. | It is (very) cold. |
| Hace (mucho) sol. | It is (very) sunny. |
| Hace buen tiempo. | The weather is good. |
| Hace mal tiempo. | The weather is bad. |
| Hace (mucho) viento. | It is (very) windy. |
- There are some weather expressions that are different and are built with Estar , conjugated in the singular third person form está , such as:
| Está nevando. | It is snowing. |
|---|---|
| Está despejado. | It is clear (no clouds). |
| Está nublado. | It is cloudy. |
| Está húmedo. | It is humid. |
| Está soleado. | It is sunny. |
| Está lloviendo. | It is raining. |
- Lastly, there are some weather expressions that stand on their own or with the verb Hay such as:
| Hay niebla. | It is foggy. |
|---|---|
| Nieva. | It is snowing. |
| Hay relámpagos. | There is lightning. |
| Truena. | It is thundering. |
| Llueve. | It is raining. |
Las estaciones del año
The weather can change from season to season depending where you are geographically. Review the 4 seasons of the year in Spanish.
| El verano | Summer |
|---|---|
| El otoño | Fall |
| El invierno | Winter |
| La primavera | Spring |
You may want to go back and review the months of the year when talking about seasons.
- El verano: junio, julio, agosto
- El otoño: septiembre, octubre, noviembre
- El invierno: diciembre, enero, frebrero
- La primavera: marzo, abril, mayo
Use the following chat mat as you converse with others:
Teach Love Spanish: Chat Mat: El tiempo y la hora (Weather & Time)