El tiempo

Although literal translations of weather expressions sound odd to English speakers, they sound perfectly natural to native speakers. Here is one example:

Idiom: Hace mucho frío

Literally: It makes much cold

True Meaning: It is very cold

In Spanish, there are a number of idiomatic expressions that employ the verb hacer (literal meaning: to do or to make), and are used to describe the weather.

¿Qué tiempo hace? What's the weather like?

Hace frío. It's cold.

Hace calor. It's hot.

Hace viento. It's windy.

Hace sol. It's sunny.

Hace buen tiempo. The weather is good.

Hace mal tiempo. The weather is bad.

Hace fresco. It's brisk.

There are also weather expressions that use the verb hay:

Hay niebla. It's foggy.

Hay neblina. It's misty.

Hay sol. The sun is shining.

Hay luna. The moon is out.

Hay relámpagos. It's lightning.

Hay humedad. It's humid.

Hay nubes. It's cloudy.

Hay lluvias torrenciales. It's pouring.

Hay un vendaval. There's a windstorm.

Hay granizo. It's hailing.

Hay lloviznas. It's sprinkling.

Other weather expressions use the verb estar along with an adjective:

Está oscuro.It's dark.Está nublado.It's cloudy.Está lluvioso.It's raining.

Other weather expressions simply use a single verb:

Llueve.
It is raining. or It rains.
From the verb llover (to rain)

Nieva.
It is snowing. or It snows.
From the verb nevar (to snow)

Truena.
It is thundering. or It thunders.
From the verb tronar (to thunder)

Llovizna.
It is drizzling. or It drizzles.
From the verb lloviznar (to drizzle)

Here are some common ways to ask about the weather:

• ¿Qué tiempo hace?
• ¿Qué clima hace?
• ¿Cómo está el clima en ...?
• ¿Cómo está el tiempo?
• ¿Cómo está el clima hoy?