To talk about the weather in Spanish, the most common words are sun, clouds, rain and wind. They are used to describe what happens outside: there's sun, there are clouds, it rains and the wind blows. In a daily conversation, sky and weather also appear: today the weather is good or the sky is gray. When you talk about the day's landscape, these words pair very well with Landscapes, because they help describe a beach, a mountain or a field under different skies.

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Es el agua que cae del cielo en gotasSon las masas blancas o grises que flotan en el cieloEs el aire que se mueve con fuerzaEs la predicción del tiempo para otro momentoEs la cantidad de agua en el aireEs la parte que vemos arriba de todo cuando miramos al exteriorEs el estado del tiempo en un lugar durante un periodoEs la condición del día respecto al climaEs un episodio de lluvia con viento y truenosEs la estrella que da luz y calor durante el día

Basic words to talk about the weather

Word	Definition
sol	It is the star that gives light and heat during the day.
lluvia	It is the water that falls from the sky in drops.
nubes	They are the white or gray masses that float in the sky.
viento	It is the air that moves with force.
cielo	It is the part we see up above when we look outside.
clima	It is the state of the weather in a place during a period.
tiempo	It is the condition of the day regarding the weather.
tormenta	It is an episode of rain with wind and thunder.
humedad	It is the amount of water in the air.
pronóstico	It is the forecast of the weather for another moment.

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Sunny describes a day with a lot of sun. Clear indicates that the sky is clean, without many clouds. Cloudy is used when the sky has many clouds and little light comes in. Partly cloudy means that there is a mix of sun and clouds. You can say today it is clear or this afternoon it will be cloudy. If you talk about a trip or excursion, these words are used a lot together with Landscapes and also with Seasons, because the sky changes according to the time of year.

soleadocubiertogrisnubladodiáfanoparcialmente nubladoabiertoluminosoclarodespejado

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Significa sin nubes visiblesSignifica tapado casi por completo por nubesDescribe un cielo de color apagado por las nubesSe usa para un cielo amplio y sin muchas nubesSignifica con mucha luz naturalSignifica muy limpio y transparenteSignifica con algunas nubes y algunos clarosSignifica con mucho sol en el cieloSignifica luminoso y sin demasiadas nubesSignifica con muchas nubes

Words to describe the sky

Word	Definition
soleado	Means with lots of sun in the sky.
despejado	Means no visible clouds.
nublado	Means with many clouds.
parcialmente nublado	Means with some clouds and some clear spells.
cubierto	Means almost completely covered by clouds.
claro	Means bright and not too many clouds.
gris	Describes a sky dull color due to clouds.
luminoso	Means with a lot of natural light.
abierto	Used for a sky wide and not many clouds.
diáfano	Means very clear and transparent.

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Rainy describes a day with frequent rain. Showers are short, heavy rain showers that appear from time to time. Drizzle is a very fine, almost light rain. Storm combines heavy rain with wind and sometimes thunder and lightning. In everyday speech you hear it's going to rain, there are showers and drizzle is falling. When rain affects animals or the countryside, these words fit well with Animals and Landscapes, because they change the environment in a very visible way.

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Es una lluvia muy fina y suaveEs una llovizna persistente y molestaSignifica con lluvia frecuenteEs una lluvia fuerte y repentinaEs una lluvia intensa de poca duraciónSon lluvias breves e intensasSignifica muy mojado por completoEs una lluvia con truenos y vientoDescribe algo que ha recibido aguaEs el agua que cae desde la atmósfera

Words for rain and precipitation

Word	Definition
lluvioso	Means with frequent rain.
chubascos	Are brief and intense rains.
llovizna	Is a very fine, light rain.
aguacero	Is a strong and sudden rain.
tormenta	Is a rain with thunder and wind.
chaparrón	Is an intense rain of short duration.
calabobos	Is a persistent and annoying drizzle.
precipitación	Is the water that falls from the atmosphere.
mojado	Describes something that has gotten wet.
empapado	Means very wet through.

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Windy describes a place with fairly strong wind. Breeze is a light, pleasant wind. Gusts are bursts of wind that come with more force for a few seconds. You can say today there is a breeze on the coast or there are strong gusts in the city. Windy tends to sound more general, while breeze is used a lot at the beach or on a pleasant afternoon. With Landscapes, these words help paint scenes like a windy coast, a mountain with gusts, or a valley with a gentle breeze.

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Es un golpe breve de viento muy fuerteSon golpes de viento que llegan por momentosEs el gas que respiramos y que también se mueveEs un viento suave y agradableSignifica extremadamente ventosoDescribe un viento poco intensoDescribe un aire ligeramente frío y agradableEs el sonido del viento al pasarEs un movimiento continuo de aireSignifica con mucho viento

Words to talk about wind

Word	Definition
ventoso	Means with a lot of wind.
brisa	Is a gentle and pleasant wind.
rachas	Are gusts of wind that arrive in spurts.
ráfaga	Is a brief gust of very strong wind.
suave	Describes a wind not very strong.
fresco	Describes an air slightly cold and pleasant.
aire	Is the gas we breathe and that also moves.
corriente	Is a continuous movement of air.
silbido	Is the sound of wind as it passes.
huracanado	Means extremely windy.

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Cold, cool, mild and hot describe how the temperature feels. Freezing is a very intense cold. Below zero is used when the temperature is below 0 degrees. Bochorno describes humid, heavy, and uncomfortable heat. You can say it's cool in the morning, in the afternoon it is mild or today it's bochorno. The difference between temperature and feel comes up a lot in phrases like the temperature is low, but it feels colder because of the wind. On winter days, these words connect very well with Seasons, and with animals or landscapes that change with heat or ice.

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Significa muy calienteSignifica con mucho calorSignifica muy fríoSignifica ligeramente caliente y agradableEs una temperatura suave ni fría ni calienteSignifica con temperatura menor que ceroEs una temperatura agradablemente bajaEs una sensación de calor pesado y húmedoEs la temperatura baja que se siente incómoda o intensaSignifica fríísimo y penetrante

Words for temperature and sensation

Word	Definition
frío	Is the low temperature that feels uncomfortable or intense.
fresco	Is a pleasantly cool temperature.
templado	Is a soft temperature, neither cold nor hot.
caluroso	Means very hot.
helado	Means very cold.
bajo cero	Means temperature below zero.
bochorno	Is a feeling of heavy, humid heat.
tibio	Means slightly warm and pleasant.
ardiente	Means very hot.
gélido	Means frosty and piercing cold.

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Snow is the frozen water that falls in flakes. Hail are balls of ice that fall during a storm. Sleet mixes rain and snow, and typically appears when the temperature is near freezing. You can say it's snowing, hail is falling or there is sleet on the street. These words appear mainly in cold zones and in winter, so they naturally fit with Seasons. They are also useful for describing cold mountains and landscapes in Landscapes.

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Es una tormenta de nieve con viento fuerteEs una mezcla de lluvia y nieveEs el agua congelada que cae en coposDescribe algo cubierto por nieve o con ese colorEs una capa fina de hielo sobre superficies fríasSignifica muy frío y endurecido por el hieloEs el agua en estado sólido por el fríoEs una pequeña porción de nieveSon bolitas de hielo que caen del cieloSignifica cubierto de nieve

Winter weather words

Word	Definition
nieve	Is the frozen water that falls in flakes.
nevado	Means covered in snow.
granizo	Are hail stones that fall from the sky.
aguanieve	Is a mixture of rain and snow.
copo	Is a small piece of snow.
escarcha	Is a thin layer of ice on cold surfaces.
congelado	Means very cold and hardened by ice.
blanco	Describes something covered in snow or with that color.
hielo	Is the water in solid state from the cold.
ventisca	Is a snowstorm with strong wind.

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In everyday speech, hacer buen tiempo means the day is pleasant, with sun or comfortable temperature. Hacer mal tiempo indicates rain, cold, strong wind, or other uncomfortable conditions. Llover a cántaros expresses very heavy rain. Hacer calor is used when the temperature is high. These expressions work as fixed patterns: hace calor, hace frío, hace buen tiempo, hace mal tiempo. They are the most natural ways to comment on the weather in a short conversation, a call, or a message.

Common expressions for talking about the weather

Usage	Explanation
Good weather	It is used when the weather is pleasant and favorable.
Bad weather	It is used when the weather is uncomfortable or unpleasant.
Heavy rain	It is used to say that it rains with a lot of force.
Extreme heat	It is used to say that the temperature is very high.
Extreme cold	It is used to say that the temperature is very low.
Changing weather	It is used when the weather changes rapidly.
Clear sky	It is used to say that there are no major clouds.
Annoying wind	It is used to say that the wind bothers or hinders.
Pleasant weather	It is used to express that the temperature is comfortable.
Heavy and constant rain	It is used to say that the rain doesn't stop and falls with force.

To locate the weather in the day, use by early morning, in the morning, in the afternoon and at night. You can say in the morning it is cool or at night it rains. The word time can mean weather when you talk about the state of the day: the weather is changing or tomorrow the weather will improve. In the same day, the weather can change a lot: at dawn it was clear, but by the afternoon it became overcast. This way of speaking often appears when you describe a route, a trip or a scene that also involves Landscapes and Animals.

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En esta variedad, tiempo suele significar estado del clima cuando se habla del díaEn esta variedad, tiempo se usa mucho para hablar del clima actualEn esta variedad, tiempo puede referirse al clima en una parte del díaEn esta variedad, tiempo también puede significar clima del día en contextos cotidianos

Usage of time by time of day

Region	Variant	Definition	Example
Spain	tiempo	In this variety, tiempo usually means weather condition when talking about the day.	Por la mañana el tiempo estaba tranquilo y muy claro.In the morning the weather was calm and very clear.
Mexico	tiempo	In this variety, tiempo can also mean the day's weather in everyday contexts.	Por la tarde el tiempo se volvió nublado y juguetón.In the afternoon the weather turned cloudy and playful.
Argentina	tiempo	In this variety, tiempo is widely used to talk about the current weather.	De noche el tiempo refrescó y la calle respiró mejor.During night the weather cooled and the street breathed easier.
Colombia	tiempo	In this variety, tiempo can refer to the climate at a part of the day.	En la madrugada el tiempo estaba fresco y silencioso.In the early morning the weather was cool and quiet.

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