Weather in Catalan

Overview

Talking about the weather is a universal conversation starter, and in Catalan it involves a mix of verbs and impersonal expressions. At the A1 level, you need to know how to describe basic weather conditions using fer (to make/do), estar (to be), and specific weather verbs like ploure (to rain) and nevar (to snow).

The most common pattern uses fer in impersonal constructions: Fa sol (It's sunny, literally "It makes sun"), Fa fred (It's cold), Fa calor (It's hot). For other conditions, Catalan uses estar (Està ennuvolat — It's cloudy) or standalone verbs (Plou — It rains, Neva — It snows).

The question Quin temps fa? (What's the weather like?) opens the door to these expressions and is one of the most natural conversation starters in Catalan.

How It Works

Weather Expressions with "Fer"

Catalan	English
Fa sol.	It's sunny.
Fa fred.	It's cold.
Fa calor.	It's hot.
Fa vent.	It's windy.
Fa bon temps.	The weather is nice.
Fa mal temps.	The weather is bad.

Weather Verbs

Catalan	English
Plou.	It rains. / It's raining.
Neva.	It snows. / It's snowing.
Trona.	It thunders.

Weather with "Estar"

Catalan	English
Està ennuvolat.	It's cloudy.
Està net (el cel).	The sky is clear.
Està boirós.	It's foggy.

Examples in Context

Catalan	English	Note
Fa molt de sol.	It's very sunny.	Intensified with "molt de"
Avui plou.	Today it's raining.	Weather verb
Fa fred a l'hivern.	It's cold in winter.	Season + fer
Quin temps fa?	What's the weather like?	Common question
Fa calor a l'estiu.	It's hot in summer.	Season + fer
Està ennuvolat però no plou.	It's cloudy but it's not raining.	Combined description
Demà nevarà.	Tomorrow it will snow.	Future weather
Fa molt de vent avui.	It's very windy today.	Wind with fer
No fa gaire fred.	It's not very cold.	Negated weather
A Barcelona fa bon temps quasi sempre.	In Barcelona the weather is usually nice.	General statement

Common Mistakes

Using "ser" or "estar" for temperature

• Wrong: És fred. or Està fred. (for weather)
• Right: Fa fred.
• Why: Weather temperature uses "fer," not "ser" or "estar." Reserve "estar" for conditions like cloudiness.

Forgetting "de" in intensified expressions

• Wrong: Fa molt sol.
• Right: Fa molt de sol.
• Why: When intensifying weather expressions with "molt," you need "de" before the noun: molt de sol, molt de vent, molt de fred.

Conjugating impersonal weather verbs with a subject

• Wrong: El temps plou.
• Right: Plou. (It rains — impersonal, no subject)
• Why: Weather verbs are impersonal and do not take a subject in Catalan.

Practice Tips

1. Check the weather forecast daily and describe it in Catalan: "Avui fa sol i fa calor. Demà plourà."
2. Learn the four seasons and associate them with weather: "A la primavera plou. A l'estiu fa calor. A la tardor fa vent. A l'hivern fa fred."
3. Practice the question-and-answer pattern: "Quin temps fa?" → "Fa sol i fa una mica de vent."

Related Concepts

• Ser and Estar — the distinction between ser/estar and the use of fer for weather
• Time and Dates — seasons and temporal expressions used with weather