Weather in Romanian

Overview

Weather is a universal conversation topic, and at the A1 level, Romanian weather expressions are both practical and grammatically instructive. Romanian uses impersonal constructions for most weather descriptions — there is no "it" subject as in English "it rains." Instead, verbs like "a ploua" (to rain) and "a ninge" (to snow) stand alone, and temperature or conditions are expressed with "e" (short for "este" — it is) plus an adjective or noun.

These impersonal constructions are among the simplest in Romanian grammar because they do not require subject-verb agreement with a person. You simply learn fixed phrases: "E cald" (It's warm), "Plouă" (It's raining), "Ninge" (It's snowing). This makes weather vocabulary accessible even for absolute beginners.

Weather expressions also introduce useful adverbs of time and intensity: "azi" (today), "mâine" (tomorrow), "foarte" (very), "puțin" (a little). Combined with seasonal vocabulary, you can describe climate and conditions throughout the year, which is particularly relevant given Romania's continental climate with distinct seasons.

How It Works

Basic Weather Expressions

Romanian	English	Type
E cald.	It's warm/hot.	e + adjective
E frig.	It's cold.	e + noun (cold)
E soare.	It's sunny.	e + noun (sun)
E nori. / E înnorat.	It's cloudy.	e + noun / adjective
E vânt. / E vântos.	It's windy.	e + noun / adjective
E ceață.	It's foggy.	e + noun
Plouă.	It rains / It's raining.	impersonal verb
Ninge.	It snows / It's snowing.	impersonal verb
Tună și fulgeră.	It's thundering and lightning.	impersonal verbs

Temperature Expressions

Romanian	English
E foarte cald.	It's very hot.
E destul de frig.	It's quite cold.
Sunt douăzeci de grade.	It's twenty degrees.
Sunt minus zece grade.	It's minus ten degrees.
E răcoare.	It's cool / chilly.

Seasons

Romanian	English	Typical Weather
primăvara	in spring	"E cald și plouă."
vara	in summer	"E foarte cald și e soare."
toamna	in autumn	"E răcoare și e vânt."
iarna	in winter	"E frig și ninge."

Asking About the Weather

Romanian	English
Cum e vremea?	How is the weather?
Cum e afară?	How is it outside?
Ce temperatură e?	What's the temperature?
Plouă afară?	Is it raining outside?
Va ploua mâine?	Will it rain tomorrow?

Examples in Context

Romanian	English	Note
Afară e frig.	It's cold outside.	"Afară" = outside
Astăzi plouă.	It rains today.	Impersonal verb
E soare și e cald.	It's sunny and warm.	Two conditions joined
Iarna ninge mult.	In winter it snows a lot.	Season as time adverb
Cum e vremea la București?	How is the weather in Bucharest?	Question form
Ieri a fost cald.	Yesterday it was warm.	Past tense weather
Mâine va fi frig.	Tomorrow it will be cold.	Future tense weather
Vara e foarte cald în România.	In summer it's very hot in Romania.	General statement
Plouă de dimineață.	It has been raining since morning.	Duration
E un vânt puternic.	There is a strong wind.	With adjective
Cerul este senin.	The sky is clear.	Descriptive
Ia umbrela, plouă!	Take the umbrella, it's raining!	Practical command
Ninge puțin.	It's snowing a little.	Adverb of degree
E frumos afară.	It's nice outside.	General weather comment

Common Mistakes

Adding a subject pronoun

• Wrong: "El plouă" or "Ea ninge"
• Right: "Plouă" / "Ninge"
• Why: Weather verbs in Romanian are impersonal — they have no subject. Unlike English, which uses the dummy "it" (it rains), Romanian uses the bare verb.

Confusing "e frig" and "mi-e frig"

• Wrong: Using "E frig" when you mean "I am cold"
• Right: "E frig" = It is cold (weather). "Mi-e frig" = I am cold (personal feeling).
• Why: "E frig" describes the weather. "Mi-e frig" (literally, "to me it is cold") describes your personal sensation. The dative pronoun "mi" makes it personal.

Using "cald" and "frig" as nouns and adjectives interchangeably

• Wrong: "E un frig" (with article, in casual speech — acceptable) vs. formal writing
• Right: "E frig" (standard). "E o zi friguroasă" (It's a cold day — with adjective form).
• Why: "Frig" in "E frig" functions as a predicative noun. When modifying a noun, use the adjective form "friguros/friguroasă": "vreme friguroasă" (cold weather).

Forgetting seasonal definite articles

• Wrong: "În primăvară plouă mult"
• Right: "Primăvara plouă mult" (with definite article as adverb)
• Why: When seasons function as time adverbs, they take the definite article without a preposition: "vara" (in summer), "iarna" (in winter). With "în," you use the indefinite: "în primăvară."

Usage Notes

Weather is a safe, universal conversation starter in Romanian culture, just as in English-speaking countries. "Cum e vremea?" or the more casual "Cum e afară?" are standard greetings between acquaintances.

Romania's climate varies significantly by region: the Black Sea coast is milder, Transylvania and the mountains are colder with heavy snowfall, and the Danube plain can be extremely hot in summer. These regional differences frequently come up in conversation, so knowing weather vocabulary has real cultural utility.

In informal speech, Romanians use many weather-related expressions figuratively: "E frig" can mean a situation is unfriendly, "E cald" can mean you are getting close to something (as in a guessing game). These figurative uses come naturally once you master the literal meanings.

Practice Tips

1. Check the weather daily in Romanian. Look up the forecast for a Romanian city and describe it aloud: "Astăzi la Cluj e soare și douăzeci de grade. Mâine va ploua." This builds both weather vocabulary and number skills.
2. Describe each season in three sentences. For example: "Vara e cald. E soare. Mergem la mare." This connects weather with activities and reinforces seasonal vocabulary.
3. Practice the personal vs. impersonal distinction. Say both "E frig" (weather) and "Mi-e frig" (personal) back to back. Add "E cald" / "Mi-e cald," "E foame" / "Mi-e foame" to build the pattern across related expressions.

Related Concepts

• Parent concept: Verb 'A Fi' (To Be) — the foundation for impersonal weather constructions with "e/este"