Weather in Italian – Che tempo fa?

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Talking about weather in Italian

As you probably know, Italians love having long chats with friends or even with people they meet on the streets. Talking about the weather in Italian, or il tempo,  can be a good idea to break the ice when you are going to start a conversation with an Italian person, or just to avoid embarrassing silence.

Sure enough if you are at the bus stop, or waiting in line, or in the elevator it would be very common to say something like:

Fa caldo oggi, eh?  – It’s hot today, isn’t it?
Come piove! – It’s raining a lot!

Before going to check the vocabulary and the main expressions to refer to Italian weather, it is interesting to say something about the weather in Italy.

Weather in Italy

Generally, Italian weather is mild in spring and autumn, cold in winter and warm in summer.

However, the climatic conditions can vary from North to South Italy: in most mountain areas of North and South-Central Italy, winters can be cold or even freezing while summers are cool and breezy.

On the contrary, in coast areas, winters are mild, sometimes rainy and windy whereas summers are hot and sweltering.

The hottest Italian cities are usually Bologna, Florence, Milan, Naples, Palermo and Rome, while the coldest cities are Aosta, Bolzano, L’Aquila, Torino and Trento.

Now that you know more about the weather situation in Italy, let’s go to see the different ways to talk about the weather in Italian.

Asking for information about the weather in Italian

The most used expressions to ask for information about weather in Italian are:

Quali sono le previsioni del tempo per oggi / domani / questa settimana?
What’s the weather forecast for today / tomorrow / this week?

Com’è il tempo?
How’s the weather?

Che tempo fa?
What’s the weather like?

Che tempo fa fuori?
What is it like outside?

As you can see, in the last two questions there’s the Italian irregular verb fare (to do) whereas in English we use to be.

Giving information about weather in Italian

In this paragraph, you will learn four options to answer to the question che tempo fa?

Please note that Italians usually use sentences built with the verb fare much more than the other solutions.

Weather in Italian – Fare + adjective 

Stamattina fa davvero caldo!
This morning it’s really hot!

Ieri ha fatto molto freddo.
Yesterday it was very cold.

Mi sa che farà cattivo tempo domani.
I think tomorrow’s weather is bad.

Se piovesse, farebbe più fresco.
If it rained, it would be cooler.

Weather in Italian – Essere + adjective

Oggi è soleggiato, per fortuna!
Fortunately, today it is sunny!

In Italia lo scorso inverno è stato davvero piovoso!
In Italy the last winter was really rainy!

Mi auguro non sarà nuvoloso in montagna come l’ultima volta.
I hope it won’t be cloudy in the mountains as it was last time.

Se non fosse così afoso, andrei a fare una corsetta.
If it wasn’t so muggy, I would go for a jog.

Weather in Italian – c’è / ci sono + noun

Ci sono molte nuvole in cielo oggi!
There are a lot of clouds in the sky today!

Potremmo andare a fare una passeggiata. C’è bel tempo oggi!
We might go out for a walk. It’s nice weather today!

C’era un vento forte quando siamo tornati a casa!
There was a gale while we were coming back home!

Se ci sarà la nebbia, temo sarà piuttosto difficile ritornare alla baita.
If there is fog, I fear that it will be pretty hard to come back to the cottage.

Weather in Italian – “weather verbs”

Sta piovendo da ieri mattina!
It has been raining since yesterday morning!

Ieri ha grandinato mentre invece oggi fa caldo… che tempo strano!
Yesterday it hailed. Today it’s warm… what weird weather!

Credo proprio che nevicherà.
I really think it will snow.

Troppo rischioso uscire in questo momento! Potrebbe diluviare da un momento all’altro.
It’s too risky to go out at this moment. It might pour at any moment.

Describing nice weather in Italian

Nice Weather in Italian

Here are some expressions which can help you to describe a nice and sunny day:

English Italian
It’s chilly / cool Fa fresco.
It’s  clear È sereno.
It’s drizzling Pioviggina.
It’s dry È secco.
It’s good / nice weather C’è bel tempo.
It’s sleeting Nevischia.
It’s sunny È soleggiato. / C’è il sole.
It’s warm Fa caldo.

Describing bad weather in Italian

Bad weather in italian

There are now those expressions you need when you want to describe an awful and rainy day:

English Italian
It’s awful / terrible weather Fa un tempo orribile.
It’s bad / miserable Fa cattivo tempo.
It’s clammy / close / muggy C’è afa. / è afoso.
It’s cloudy È nuvoloso.
It’s cold Fa freddo.
It’s foggy / misty C’è (la) nebbia.
It’s gloomy È uggioso.
It’s hot Fa caldissimo.
It’s humid È umido.
It’s icy / frosty Fa freddissimo. / Si gela. / C’è il gelo.
It’s rainy È piovoso.
It’s stormy È burrascoso / tempestoso.
It’s ugly (weather) È brutto (tempo)
It’s windy È ventoso. / C’è il vento.

Weather verbs in Italian

Here are the most common verbs to discuss weather in Italian:

Italian English
congelare / gelare to freeze
diluviare to pour
grandinare to hail
nevicare to snow
nevischiare to sleet
piovere to rain
piovigginare to drizzle
schiarirsi to clear up
tuonare to thunder

Vocabulary for the weather in Italian

Here below we have a list of Italian words you can hear when checking the weather forecast on TV:

Italian English
Acquazzone Cloudburst
Afa Mugginess
Arcobaleno Rainbow
Brezza Breeze
Brina Frost
Chicco di grandine Hailstone
Diluvio Downpour
Disgelo Thaw
Fanghiglia Slush / Mud
Fiocco di neve Snowflake
Folata di vento Gust of wind
Foschia Haze
Fronte freddo Cold front
Fulmine Lighting / bolt
Ghiaccio Ice
Grandinata Hailstorm
Grandine Hail
Nebbia Fog
Neve Snow
Nevicata Snow shower

weather in Italian

And even more vocabulary…

Italian English
Nevischio Sleet
Nube temporalesca Thundercloud
Nuvola Cloud
Ondata di caldo Heatwave
Ondata di freddo Cold snap
Pioggia Rain
Rovescio Downpour / Shower
Rovesci sparsi Scattered showers
Rugiada Dew
Sole Sun
Tempesta Storm
Temporale Thunderstorm
Terremoto Earthquake
Tormenta Blizzard /Snow storm
Tornado Tornado
Tromba d’aria Whirlwind / Windstorm
Tuono Thunder / Thunderclap
Uragano Hurricane
Vento Wind
Vento forte Gale

Idioms related to the weather in Italian

Do you know Italians use a lot of idioms related to the weather when they talk to each other? Are you curious to find out which ones are the most popular? Let’s see them together!

Italian English Meaning
Speriamo che il tempo tenga. Let’s hope the weather holds out. Used when you really hope it won’t rain suddenly.
Piove sempre sul bagnato. When it rains, it pours. Used when you want to say that good things keep happening to lucky people while bad things to unlucky people.
Il maltempo ci perseguita. The bad weather is still with us. Ironically used during a rainy day whereit seems that bad weather is following you wherever you are going.
Vedere le stelle To see the stars Used when you experience a huge physical pain after getting hurt with something.
  • Piove a catinelle.
  • Piove a dirotto.
  • Piove che Dio la manda!
  • Sta piovendo a secchiate!
  • It’s raining like from the basins. / It’s raining cats and dogs.
  • It’s raining excessively.
  • It’s raining (as if) God sends!
  • It’s raining buckets!
 These four expressions are mainly used in informal contexts when you want to describe a strong and heavy rain.
  • Essere al settimo cielo.
  • Toccare il cielo con un dito.
  • To be over the moon.
  • To touch the sky with a finger.
Funny expressions used when you state to be extremely happy!
Cielo a pecorelle, pioggia a catinelle. Mackerel sky, not twenty-four hours dry. According to this famous Italian idiom, conventionally translated with an old and obsolete English saying, if there is a sky with clouds in the shape of little sheep, probably it will rain a lot.
Non ci piove! There’s no doubt about it! Used when you have no doubt about something, when you know something for sure.
  • Si muore dal caldo qui dentro!
  • C’è un sole che spacca le pietre!
  • Fa un caldo da morire!
  • It’s way too hot in here!
  • The sun is splitting the rocks! / The sunshine is hot enough to fry eggs!
  • It’s deadly hot!
 These three common idioms are used when you want to express frustration and discomfort caused by excessive heat.
Avere la luna storta. To be in a bad mood. Used when you are nervous and you get easily angry.
  • Fa un freddo cane!
  • Si muore dal freddo!
  • It’s cold as hell!
  • It’s deadly cold!
 These two expressions are used when you say that it is extremely cold out. The reference to the dog in the first idiom is unclear: probably it recalls the image of a dog shivering due to the cold.
Avere la pelle d’oca. To get goose bumps. Used when you have shivers due to the cold and your skin looks like that of a goose.
Come un fulmine a ciel sereno! Like a bolt from the blue. Used when it happens something unexpected and almost negative.
Avere un colpo di fulmine. Love at first sight! Used to say that you fell in love with someone at first sight.

Celsius vs Fahrenheit

Celsius Farenheit

Probably you already know that Italy – as most of the countries in the world! – uses the Celsius scale to measure the temperature. On the contrary, the USA and few other countries opted for the Fahrenheit scale.

To convert Fahrenheit to Celsius, subtract 32 and divide by 1.8.

Example of conversion: 86 degrees Fahrenheit = 30 degrees Celsius.

In addition, I suggest you revise Italian numbers.

Here are some examples which can help you ask for the temperature:

Quanti gradi ci sono oggi?
What’s the temperature today? / How many degrees are there today?

La temperatura è di 30 gradi (Celsius / centigradi). / Ci sono 30 gradi.
The temperature is 30 degrees. / There are 30 degrees.

Please note that the use of the terms Celsius or centigradi (singular: centigrado) is optional when replying.

How and where Italians check the weather forecast

Italians usually search for information about the weather on the main channels of Italian television (for example: Rai 1, Canale 5, Italia1) or on their own mobile phone.

https://youtu.be/8wRjZCYrW1k

In addition, if you want to have some information about Italian weather on your own mobile phone, you can look at these 5 websites:

Conclusion

Sunny, rainy, hot, cold… check the weather and plan your next trip to Italy!

Finally, you can give information about the weather in Italy, use the right words to ask and answer questions about Italian weather, use typical Italian idioms related to the weather in informal contexts, convert Fahrenheit to Celsius and vice versa.  Also, you will be able to consult Italian websites where to find the daily weather report.

What else? Now you are ready to start a small talk about weather in Italian!

How Long Does It Take To Learn Italian?

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If you are considering starting to learn Italian probably one of the questions that you are asking yourself is how long does it take to learn Italian?

If you are a real learner you know that you never stop learning. This applies to everything in life, doesn’t it?

The good news is that along with Spanish, Dutch and Norwegian, Italian is one of the easiest and fastest languages for English speakers to learn, because of the similarities in the structure.

Even though it is not simple to calculate one hundred percent accurately how much time you will need to learn Italian, official sources, such as the Italian Language Academy (AIL) and the U.S. Foreign Service Institute (FSI), show that it can take 50 to 650 hours to learn Italian, depending on the level of proficiency that you want to reach.

Now, these numbers do not necessarily reflect the actual time you will need to learn Italian. It could be less, it could be more, depending on a lot of different factors.

Variables that can influence how much time it takes to learn Italian

  • Level of fluency you want to reach
  • Motivation
  • Prior knowledge of other foreign languages
  • Learning Strategy
  • Perseverance and Regularity
  • Personality
  • Attitude
  • Language Aptitude
  • Intelligence
  • Environment
  • Personal circumstances
  • Age

Let’s take a closer look at each of them.

What level of fluency do you want to reach in Italian?

Do you just want to be able to order your food in Italian or do you want to speak and understand Italian like a native?

The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) presents three main levels of fluency (A, B, C), each of them composed of two further levels (1 , 2). Each level includes speaking, reading, understanding of the written and spoken language.

Let’s see how much time you will need to learn Italian for each level.

Basic User (Level A1 – A2)

A basic user is able to talk about familiar topics of relevance for him using simple structures and limited vocabulary.

You will need only 50 – 60 hours to reach A1 level, and around 100 – 120 hours of study to get to level A2.

With this level you could maybe get by on a trip in Italy.

Independent User (Level B1 – B2)

If your goal is to be able to hold more complex conversations with Italian native speakers without too much of an effort from either party, you want to get to this level.

Suggested preparation time to pass B1 level is 240-300 hours, and for B2 320 – 400 hours.

Proficient User (Level C1 – C2)

If you are ambitious you will want to reach the level of proficiency.

By this time you will be able to talk fluently and correctly about any topic.

You will need 450-500 hours to reach C1 level, 600-650 hours for C2.

What is your motivation?

What is your ‘why’ to learn Italian?

There will be times where just liking the language will not be enough, you will need to have a stronger motivation.

Since almost everyone speaks English, English native speakers don’t really need to learn another language in order to communicate to the world, so having a strong motivation is fundamental to commit to learning Italian.

As an adult one can have different reasons to learn Italian, such as:

  • Personal interest in the Italian culture (music, literature, art,…)
  • Planning on studying, working or retiring in Italy
  • Work or school requirement
  • Upcoming travel to Italy
  • Reconnecting with Italian relatives
  • Truly understand your Italian lover
  • Keeping in touch with Italian friends

The stronger your motivation is, the faster you will learn Italian.

The motivation of a person moving to Italy could be stronger than the one of a summer traveler.

If you want to communicate with your new Italian partner, friend or your relatives in Italy who do not speak English, then you will more likely be studying harder and taking less time to learn to be able to express yourself and, finally, feel part of the conversation.

Do you already speak other foreign languages?

The previous acquisition of other languages can speed the learning process a lot, because you will already know how to learn a language and what is the best method for you to learn.

This factor can really give you an extra oomph, especially if you already speak a Romance language, such as Spanish, French or Portuguese, since they come from Latin and therefore have the same grammar structure and even similar vocabulary.

If you don’t know any other language besides your native English, it will probably take a bit longer to click in the beginning.

Also, when learning another language, you will have to deal with English language structure first in order to really understand Italian or any other language.

What is your learning strategy?

Especially if Italian will be the first foreign language that you are learning, you will need to take some time to figure out what learning strategy suits you the best. Some strategies can be more effective than others depending also on your specific cognitive style.

A combination of those strategies can certainly help you learning Italian faster than others:

Perseverance and Regularity

How often and how long are you planning to study Italian?

Forming the habit of learning Italian is one of the keys to speaking Italian faster.

It is more effective and faster to practice Italian twenty minutes to one hour a day every day, than 10 hours in a row once every two months.

Same as for going to gym, right?

What is your personality like?

Personality characteristics that can reduce the time it will take to learn Italian are:

  • Extroversion
  • Low anxiety
  • Empathy
  • Positivity
  • High self esteem
  • Positive reaction to criticism

All the above can be crucial in determining how long you will need to learn Italian.

An introverted or shy person could take longer to learn the language, would be more hesitant to start speaking, would be more anxious to make mistakes, would be more sensitive to the native speaker’s corrections.

A person suffering from a high language anxiety will be slower to start speaking in public.

Self esteem is important to know that you CAN achieve the goal of speaking Italian. Thinking ‘’I will never be able to learn Italian’’ will certainly not help you learn Italian faster.

Attitude

Your attitude towards the Italian language, culture and people is one of the decisive factors in how much time you will take to learn Italian.

Are you going to lose time complaining and arguing about the nonsense of having feminine or masculine words in Italian or are you going to accept that in Italian language an apple (la mela) is feminine, but the flower (il fiore) is masculine?

Are you going to be ok knowing that you will make tons of mistakes, that you will feel lost in a conversation in Italian before getting to a comfort point with the language, or are you going to feel frustrated?

It doesn’t matter how hard or easy a language can be, what really matters is how hard YOU think it is.

A positive attitude towards the Italian language learning process will certainly help you learn at a faster pace.

woman writing in italian journal

Language Aptitude

Although everyone can learn a foreign language, the Modern Language Aptitude Test shows that people with a high language aptitude can learn faster than others.

Language aptitude is the innate ability to learn a foreign language. It has nothing to do with how intelligent or educated a person is, it’s a physical factor.

Language abilities that can speed the learning process are:

  • Ability of recognizing the sounds, associating them to a written form and memorizing them
  • Ability of identifying the function of the words in the structure of the sentence
  • Ability of catching the rules of the language by listening or reading the language

Intelligence

Like every other cognitive activity, a high IQ can affect positively how much time you will need to learn Italian.

Environment

In what kind of environment are you learning? For the environment we mean the kind of language exposure that you get.

Ideally it should be both formal, with an Italian teacher, and informal, by listening Italian and talking to Italians. In both cases it should be engaging and interesting to you.

You will probably learn very little and slower if you are not interested in the topics discussed, but if you are learning or talking in Italian about something that you love, you will pay more attention to it and learn faster.

Part of the learning environment is also the kind of feedback you receive from your teacher or the Italian native speaker you are talking to.

Positive feedback such as compliments, friendly corrections, tips on your pronunciation, can help you to learn Italian faster than not receiving any feedback at all.

Keeping a positive and engaging learning environment is fundamental to become confident in Italian.

Personal Circumstances

Personal circumstances can get in the way and slow the learning process.

A person with three jobs and kids could find it harder to make time and really focus on the language than a retired person, for example.

However this is also related to how strong your motivation is. As the saying goes ‘’where there is a will there’s a way’’, or ‘’volere è potere’’ in Italian.

Age

I am too old to learn Italian? No!

It’s never too late to learn Italian and, despite many dissenting voices, Krashen (1979) actually shows that adults can learn a foreign language faster than children, especially when it comes to the correct structure of the sentence.

Conclusion

Now you know what are all the different factors that can speed up or slow down Italian language learning!

A real learner knows that you will never stop learning a language, like you never stop learning your own language. How many times have you heard or read an English word that you never heard or used before?

Imagine you meet a beautiful woman, or a handsome man, and you start flirting till you fall deeply in love, do you look at your clock when you are together, or do you enjoy his/her company and wish this moment will never end?

The truth is, when you start learning Italian you will never want to stop, just like a true love story!

So what are you waiting for? Start learning Italian NOW!