What's the weather like?

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."