¿Qué tiempo hace?

Talking about the weather in Spanish

Weather is one of the most common small-talk topics. In Spanish, there are two main patterns to describe it.

Hace + noun

The verb hacer (literally "to do/make") is used with nouns to describe most weather conditions:

• *Hace sol.* (It is sunny.)
• *Hace frío.* (It is cold.)
• *Hace calor.* (It is hot.)
• *Hace viento.* (It is windy.)
• *Hace buen tiempo.* (The weather is nice.)
• *Hace mal tiempo.* (The weather is bad.)

Important: Do not add an article: *Hace el sol* is wrong. Just *Hace sol*.

Está + adjective

Use estar with adjectives to describe the sky or general atmosphere:

• *Está nublado.* (It is cloudy.)
• *Está soleado.* (It is sunny.)
• *Está lloviendo.* (It is raining.)
• *Está nevando.* (It is snowing.)

Other weather verbs

Some weather conditions use specific verbs:

• Llover (to rain): *Llueve mucho en abril.* (It rains a lot in April.)
• Nevar (to snow): *Nieva en las montañas.* (It snows in the mountains.)

Asking about the weather

• *¿Qué tiempo hace?* — What is the weather like?
• *¿Qué tiempo hace hoy?* — What is the weather like today?

Ejemplo: "Hoy hace sol y calor. No está nublado. Es un buen día para ir a la playa." — "Today it is sunny and hot. It is not cloudy. It is a good day to go to the beach."