The weather (AQA GCSE Spanish): Revision Notes
The weather
Understanding how to talk about weather in Spanish is essential for travel and tourism conversations. Weather discussions come up frequently when planning trips, describing experiences, and making small talk with locals.
Weather conversations are among the most common topics when travelling. Mastering these expressions will help you understand local forecasts, plan activities, and engage in natural small talk with Spanish speakers.
Key vocabulary
| Spanish | English | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| ¿Qué tiempo hace? | What's the weather like? | el grado | degree (temperature) |
| hace buen tiempo | good weather | la temperatura | temperature |
| hace mal tiempo | bad weather | el clima | climate |
| hace sol | sunny | el cielo | sky |
| hace calor | hot | gris | grey |
| hace frío | cold | el riesgo | risk |
| hace viento | windy | la lluvia | rain |
| fresco/a | cool, fresh | bajar | to go down |
| el norte | north | llover | to rain |
| el sur | south | subir | to go up |
| el este | east | la nube | cloud |
| el oeste | west |
These core vocabulary terms form the foundation of weather discussions in Spanish. Focus on memorising the "hacer" expressions first, as they're used most frequently in everyday conversation.
Using "hacer" in different tenses
The verb "hacer" is absolutely crucial when discussing weather in Spanish. Unlike English, which typically uses "to be" (it is sunny), Spanish uses "hacer" (it makes sun) for most weather expressions.
Key Grammar Difference: Spanish weather expressions use "hacer" (to make/do) while English uses "to be." This is one of the most important distinctions to remember when learning Spanish weather vocabulary.
Present tense
When describing current weather conditions, use the present tense of "hacer":
- Hace sol hoy - It's sunny today
- Hace mucho frío en invierno - It's very cold in winter
- ¿Qué tiempo hace? - What's the weather like?
Past tenses
For weather in the past, you have two main options depending on the context:
Preterite tense - Use this when talking about weather on a specific occasion:
- Hizo frío ese día - It was cold that day
- Ayer hizo mucho calor - Yesterday it was very hot
When to use Preterite: Choose preterite for weather events that happened at a specific time or on a particular day. Think of it as describing weather "facts" that occurred.
Imperfect tense - Use this when describing ongoing weather conditions or setting a scene:
- Hacía sol y salimos al campo para pasear - It was sunny and we went into the country for a walk
- Cuando era niño, hacía mucho viento en mi pueblo - When I was a child, it was very windy in my town
When to use Imperfect: Use imperfect for weather that was ongoing, habitual, or serves as background information in a story. It creates the "scene" rather than stating a fact.
Future tense
When discussing upcoming weather, you can use either the simple future or the immediate future:
- Mañana hará viento - Tomorrow it will be windy
- Va a hacer calor este fin de semana - It's going to be hot this weekend
Grammar and pronunciation tips
Understanding these grammatical and pronunciation details will help you sound more natural when discussing weather in Spanish.
Essential Grammar Points:
- Weather expressions with "hacer" are always in the third person singular (hace, hizo, hacía, hará)
- The word "tiempo" can mean both "time" and "weather" - context will make it clear
- When describing temperature, you can use "hace calor/frío" (it's hot/cold) or "está caliente/frío" (it is hot/cold)
- Compass directions are masculine: el norte, el sur, el este, el oeste
- "Lluvia" (rain) is a noun, whilst "llover" is the verb "to rain"
Common Mistake to Avoid: Don't try to translate English weather expressions directly. Spanish uses "hacer" where English uses "to be", so "It is sunny" becomes "Hace sol," not "Es soleado."
Pronunciation tips:
- "Hace" is pronounced "AH-theh" (in Spain) or "AH-seh" (in Latin America)
- The "j" in "lluvia" is silent - it's pronounced "YOO-vee-ah"
- "Viento" has a soft "v" sound, almost like a "b"
Example sentences
Here are practical examples showing how weather expressions work in different contexts and tenses:
Present Tense Examples:
- Hace buen tiempo para ir a la playa - The weather's good for going to the beach
- No hace sol, está nublado - It's not sunny, it's cloudy
Past Tense Examples:
- Ayer hizo mal tiempo durante todo el día - Yesterday the weather was bad all day
- Cuando visitamos Madrid, hacía mucho calor - When we visited Madrid, it was very hot
Future Tense Examples:
- El próximo fin de semana va a hacer frío en el norte - Next weekend it's going to be cold in the north
- ¿Crees que hará sol mañana? - Do you think it will be sunny tomorrow?
Translation practice
Test your understanding with these translation exercises:
Translation Practice:
Spanish to English:
- Mañana habrá cielos grises en el oeste
- Hacía mucho viento cuando llegamos al hotel
English to Spanish: 3. It's going to rain this afternoon 4. The temperature was very high yesterday
Answers:
- Tomorrow there will be grey skies in the west
- It was very windy when we arrived at the hotel
- Va a llover esta tarde
- La temperatura estaba muy alta ayer / Hacía mucho calor ayer
Key Points to Remember:
- Weather expressions in Spanish typically use "hacer" (to make/do) rather than "ser/estar" (to be)
- Tense matters - use preterite for specific past occasions, imperfect for ongoing conditions or scene-setting
- "Tiempo" means weather in the context "¿Qué tiempo hace?" but can also mean "time"
- Compass directions are essential vocabulary for weather forecasts and travel descriptions
- Practice listening to Spanish weather forecasts to familiarise yourself with natural speech patterns and regional variations