01 · The ice-breaker
Hace buen tiempo hoy, ¿no?
The weather's nice today, isn't it?
This single line opens conversations anywhere in Latin America — the ¿no? tag invites agreement, not a real answer.
andbefluent.com/spanish/weather-talk
Weather Talk
Describe today's weather, compare seasons, and plan a weekend around the forecast — out loud.
Spanish weather runs on hace, not ser: hace sol, hace calor, hace frío — never es frío. For weather happening right now, switch to está + -ndo: está lloviendo, está nevando. Seasons always keep their article — la primavera, el verano, el otoño, el invierno — and the whole topic doubles as Latin America's favorite ice-breaker: hace buen tiempo hoy, ¿no? opens a conversation anywhere.
Below: the weather phrases lesson by lesson, how rain and heat sound in Mexico and Argentina, the hace-vs-está mistakes that mark a beginner — and a coffee-machine chat to rehearse it all out loud.
The warm-up pack
How Spanish speakers actually talk about the weather — hace, está, and the small talk it opens up.
01 · The ice-breaker
Hace buen tiempo hoy, ¿no?
The weather's nice today, isn't it?
This single line opens conversations anywhere in Latin America — the ¿no? tag invites agreement, not a real answer.
02 · Describe it with hace
Hace sol. Hace calor.
It's sunny. It's hot.
Weather takes hacer, never ser — hace sol, hace calor, hace frío. Saying es sol is the tell of a beginner.
03 · When it's happening right now
Está lloviendo.
It's raining.
Ongoing weather switches to está + -ndo. Hace lloviendo doesn't exist — this is the one exception worth memorizing early.
04 · Ask what's coming
¿Va a llover?
Is it going to rain?
The practical question before you make any plan — pairs naturally with checking a forecast on your phone.
05 · Or ask it more casually
¿Cómo está el clima?
How's the weather? — At least as common across Latin America as the textbook ¿qué tiempo hace?
Either version works everywhere; this one just sounds a touch more conversational.
06 · Name your season
Mi estación favorita es el verano.
My favorite season is summer.
Seasons always keep their article — el verano, la primavera — dropping it is the other common beginner slip.
07 · Compare two seasons
En verano hace calor. En invierno hace frío.
In summer it's hot. In winter it's cold.
The pattern en + season + hace + condition works for describing any season you're asked about.
08 · React out loud
¡Qué frío! Me encanta cuando hace sol.
So cold! I love when it's sunny.
Reactions like this carry a conversation on their own — no full sentence required, just the feeling.
09 · Say what you'd rather have
Prefiero la primavera. Odio el frío.
I prefer spring. I hate the cold.
Strong opinions about weather are a normal, easy way to keep small talk going — no need to hedge.
10 · Turn it into a plan
Si hace sol, vamos a la playa.
If it's sunny, let's go to the beach.
The si + weather + plan pattern is how weekend plans actually get made — swap in any activity.
11 · Or the backup plan
Mejor quedamos en casa. Necesitas un paraguas.
Better we stay in. You need an umbrella.
The rain-check version of the same pattern — and a practical warning to send a friend before they leave the house.
FLUENT
Finally, someone to talk to in Spanish.
Ten-minute spoken lessons. A teacher who answers back — and gently fixes what you got wrong.
First 10 lessons freeandbefluent.com/spanish/weather-talkRegional Spanish
Textbooks teach one word. Locals use several — pick your region's and stay consistent.
| English | Mexico | Argentina |
|---|---|---|
| it's drizzling | está chispeando | está garuando |
| it's so hot! | ¡qué calorón! | ¡qué calor, che! |
| what's the weather like? | ¿cómo está el clima? | ¿qué onda el tiempo? |
Watch out
The part no phrase list can do
Isabella
Your conversation teacher for this pack
In the Weather Talk pack, the final lesson is Monday-morning small talk — and Isabella plays your coworker at the office coffee machine, cheerful, tag-questioning everything with ¿no?, and checking the forecast on her phone mid-sentence. You break the ice about today's weather, she asks which season you prefer and why — and then the forecast flips: rain on Saturday, so the beach plan is off and you have to pivot out loud with mejor quedamos en casa. If it's cold out, she'll even want a wardrobe call: necesitas un paraguas or hace frío, necesitas abrigo. And she talks back.
Blank mid-sentence and nothing bad happens — she waits. That's the practice, without unnecessary judgement.
Finish the 6 lessons and Weather Talk is yours — earned, not given.
First 10 lessons free · 10-minute spoken lessons · your AI coaching team remembers you
Quick answers
Hace frío. Weather takes hacer — hace calor, hace sol, hace viento — so es frío or está frío about the weather is the single most common beginner slip. As a pure exclamation, drop the verb: ¡qué frío!
Está lloviendo — ongoing weather uses está + gerund, never hace lloviendo. For lighter rain, Latin Americans say está lloviznando; Mexicans say está chispeando; and a downpour is está cayendo un palo de agua.
La primavera (spring), el verano (summer), el otoño (autumn), el invierno (winter) — always with the article. In Mexico you'll often hear en época de lluvias (rainy season) instead of autumn.
The textbook form is ¿qué tiempo hace?, but across Latin America ¿cómo está el clima? is at least as common. For plans, ask ¿va a llover? — is it going to rain?
Open with hace buen tiempo hoy, ¿no? — the ¿no? tag invites agreement. From there, react (me encanta cuando hace sol) or turn it into a plan: si hace sol, vamos a la playa.