The Weather

The Weather in English

In English, we usually use it is when we talk about the weather.
This is normally: It is + adjective OR It is + verb-ing

It is + adjective = A description of the weather

• It is sunny today.                     
• It’s hot and humid today.          
• It’sa nice day today.

We can also say:
It is a + adjective + day (or morning/afternoon/night)

• It’s a fine day.
• It’s a windy afternoon.

It is + verb-ing = This type of weather is happening now.

• It’s drizzling outside.
• It’s snowing.
• Take an umbrella, it’s raining.

You can also use it is in different tenses

• It was cold yesterday.
• It will be cloudy tomorrow.

When you are learning vocabulary about the weather, it is important to remember that some of the words have a noun form, a verb form and/or an adjective form. For example:

• Rain: (noun) The game was cancelled because of the rain.
• Rain: (verb) I think it is going to rain later.
• Rainy: (adjective) It’s a rainy day.

It pays to learn the different forms of each word and when they are used.

Nouns and Adjectives

Many times when we are talking about the weather, we can add the letter Y to the end of a noun to make it an adjective.

• rain (noun) - rainy (adjective)
• sun (noun) - sunny (adjective)
• wind (noun) - windy (adjective)
• cloud (noun) - cloudy (adjective)
• fog (noun) - foggy (adjective)

Questions about the weather

People commonly ask about the weather by saying:

• What’s it like out(side)?
• How’s the weather?
• What’s the weather like?
• What’s the temperature?
• What’s the weather forecast?