Today you'll learn to talk about the weather — an essential topic for daily conversation and making plans. You'll discover that Spanish uses different structures for weather: 'hacer' (hace calor, hace frío), 'estar' (está nublado), and standalone verbs (llueve). Bogotá's famously unpredictable weather makes this vocabulary especially practical!
Learning tips
- Weather expressions with 'hacer' are impersonal — 'hace calor' literally means 'it makes heat.' Don't add a subject pronoun.
- 'Está nublado' uses 'estar' because weather is a temporary state. 'Está lloviendo' (present progressive) emphasizes it's raining right now.
- 'Llover' is a stem-changing verb (o→ue): llueve. It's used impersonally — just 'llueve,' no subject needed.
- Bogotá locals say 'en Bogotá necesitas las cuatro estaciones en un día' — you need all four seasons in one day!
Warm-up & Active Recall
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| salir | to go out |
| pasear | to stroll |
| visitar | to visit |
| el cine | cinema |
| el parque | park |
| el fin de semana | weekend |
| divertido | fun |
| aburrido | boring |
| ¿quieres? | do you want? |
| ¡dale! | sure!/let's go! |
Dialog
Andrés wants to go for a run but needs to check the weather first. Notice the three different structures: 'hace frío' (it's cold — using hacer), 'está nublado' (it's cloudy — using estar), and 'llueve' (it's raining — standalone verb). Valentina mentions 'la lluvia' (the rain) and 'el paraguas' (the umbrella) — essential items in Bogotá! The dialog also shows how weather affects plans, combining weather vocabulary with 'ir + a + infinitive' from earlier lessons.
Vocabulary
Active words
| Word | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| el clima | /el ˈkli.ma/ | weather, climate | Masculine noun despite ending in -a. 'El clima de Bogotá.' |
| hace calor | /ˈa.se kaˈloɾ/ | it's hot | Impersonal expression with 'hacer.' Don't say 'está calor.' |
| hace frío | /ˈa.se ˈfɾi.o/ | it's cold | Impersonal expression with 'hacer.' For personal 'I'm cold,' use 'tengo frío.' |
| llueve | /ˈʝu.e.βe/ | it's raining, it rains | From 'llover' (o→ue). Used impersonally. |
| llover | /ʝoˈβeɾ/ | to rain | Stem-changing: o→ue. Only used in third person singular. |
| hace sol | /ˈa.se ˈsol/ | it's sunny | Impersonal expression with 'hacer.' |
| nublado | /nuˈbla.ðo/ | cloudy | Used with 'estar': 'está nublado.' |
| el paraguas | /el paˈɾa.ɣwas/ | umbrella | Masculine despite ending in -as: 'el paraguas.' Same singular and plural form. |
| la lluvia | /la ˈʝu.βja/ | rain | The noun form. 'La lluvia es fuerte.' |
| el viento | /el ˈbjen.to/ | wind | 'Hace viento' or 'hay viento' = it's windy. |
Passive words
| Word | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| la temperatura | /la tem.pe.ɾaˈtu.ɾa/ | temperature | |
| el grado | /el ˈɡɾa.ðo/ | degree | For temperature: 'veinte grados.' |
| húmedo | /ˈu.me.ðo/ | humid | |
| seco | /ˈse.ko/ | dry | |
| la tormenta | /la toɾˈmen.ta/ | storm | |
| el aguacero | /el a.ɣwaˈse.ɾo/ | downpour, heavy rain | Very Colombian word for a sudden heavy rain. |
Useful chunks
| Word | Translation |
|---|---|
| ¿qué tiempo hace? | what's the weather like? |
| va a llover | it's going to rain |
Grammar: Weather expressions with 'hacer' and 'estar'
| Expression | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Hot | hace calor | Hoy hace mucho calor. |
| Cold | hace frío | En Bogotá hace frío. |
| Sunny | hace sol | Mañana hace sol. |
| Cloudy | está nublado | Está nublado hoy. |
| Raining | llueve / está lloviendo | Llueve mucho en Bogotá. |
| Windy | hace viento / hay viento | Hace mucho viento. |
Spanish uses three different structures for weather:
1. Hacer + noun (most weather expressions):
- Hace calor. = It's hot. (lit. 'It makes heat.')
- Hace frío. = It's cold.
- Hace sol. = It's sunny.
- Hace viento. = It's windy.
These are impersonal — no subject pronoun. To intensify: 'Hace mucho calor' (It's very hot).
2. Estar + adjective (for sky conditions):
- Está nublado. = It's cloudy.
- Está despejado. = It's clear.
- Está lloviendo. = It's raining (right now).
3. Standalone verbs (for precipitation):
- Llueve. = It rains / It's raining.
- Nieva. = It snows / It's snowing.
'Llover' is an o→ue stem-changing verb, but since it's only used in third person singular, you only need 'llueve.'
Bogotá context: The city sits at 2,640 meters elevation and has a cool, rainy climate. Temperatures average 8-20°C. The saying goes: 'Si no te gusta el clima, espera cinco minutos' (If you don't like the weather, wait five minutes).
Exercises
Fill in the Blanks
Complete each sentence with the correct weather word.
- Hoy hace mucho . Necesito una chaqueta.(opposite of 'calor' — the cold one)
- Está y va a llover pronto.(sky covered with clouds)
- Mañana hace . Vamos al parque.(the sun is out)
- Necesito el porque llueve mucho.(what you carry when it rains)
- El de Bogotá cambia todos los días.(general word for weather)
Grammar Application
Express the weather condition in Spanish using the correct structure (hacer, estar, or standalone verb).
- It's hot → (hacer + calor)
- It's raining → (standalone verb for rain)
- It's cloudy → (estar + adjective for clouds)
- It's going to rain → (ir + a + llover — future)
- It's cold and windy → (hacer + frío + y + hacer + viento)
Translation (English → Spanish)
Translate each sentence into Spanish.
- What's the weather like today?
- It's cold and cloudy.
- It's going to rain. I need the umbrella.
- Tomorrow it's sunny and hot.
- The weather in Bogotá is very changeable.
Creative Construction
Describe today's weather and how it affects your plans using at least 3 weather words from this lesson.
Takeaway
Spanish weather expressions use three structures: 'hace + noun' (hace calor, hace frío), 'está + adjective' (está nublado), and standalone verbs (llueve). Always carry your paraguas in Bogotá!