Italian 103 · Lesson 28
Weather and Seasons
Make everyday weather conversation and adapt your plans.
Begin ↓01 / 08
Temperature outside
Fa caldo.
It’s hot.
Fa freddo.
It’s cold.
Italian uses fa for these weather phrases. Ho caldo describes your own feeling; fa caldo describes the weather.
02 / 08
Sun and wind
C’è il sole.
It’s sunny.
C’è vento.
It’s windy.
Use c’è because you are saying sun or wind is present. There is no single verb that works for every weather expression.
03 / 08
Rain
Piove.
PYOH-veh
It’s raining.
Non piove.
It isn’t raining.
Piove is a complete sentence without a subject. Italian does not add a word corresponding to English it here.
04 / 08
Ask about the weather
Che tempo fa oggi?
What’s the weather like today?
Che tempo fa is about weather, not the time on the clock. Che ore sono asks the time.
05 / 08
Tomorrow
Domani piove.
It’s going to rain tomorrow.
Forse domani piove.
Maybe it will rain tomorrow.
Present-tense weather verbs can be used with domani in everyday talk about the forecast. Say uncertainty when you mean it.
06 / 08
The seasons
in primavera, in estate
in spring, in summer
in autunno, in inverno
in autumn, in winter
Use in before the seasons in these common phrases. Primavera is spring, not early summer.
07 / 08
Change a plan
Se piove, restiamo a casa.
If it rains, we’ll stay at home.
C’è il sole. Andiamo al mare?
It’s sunny. Shall we go to the seaside?
Link the weather to your decision. Se introduces if; restiamo is we stay.
Remember this
Takeaway
Oggi fa freddo. Per me è meglio restare a casa.
It’s cold today. I think it’s better to stay at home.
Learn weather as short chunks: fa caldo, c’è il sole, piove. Then attach today, tomorrow or a plan.