Che tempo fa? Essential Italian Weather Expressions for Beginners (A1)

Planning a coffee in Rome or a stroll in Milan? Italians love a quick chat about the weather. In this lesson, you’ll learn the most common A1 phrases to ask and describe the weather naturally: fa caldo, c’è il sole, piove, nevica, and more. We’ll keep it practical with mini-exercises and everyday examples.

How to ask about the weather

Two easy ways to ask are:

Italian
Che tempo fa oggi?
What’s the weather like today?
Italian
Com’è il tempo?
How’s the weather?
il meteo
the weather forecast
noun
Guardo il meteo prima di uscire.
I check the forecast before going out.
le previsioni (del tempo)
the weather forecast (predictions)
noun (plural)
Le previsioni dicono pioggia.
The forecast says rain.

Che tempo oggi?

Time words you’ll hear a lot

Italian
oggi, domani, stasera, questa mattina
today, tomorrow, tonight, this morning

Fa caldo vs È caldo: temperature talk

When talking about how hot or cold it is outside, Italian uses fa (it makes/does):

Italian
Oggi fa caldo.
Lit: Today it makes hot.
It’s hot today.
Italian
In inverno fa freddo.
Lit: In winter it makes cold.
In winter it’s cold.
È caldo oggi. → Fa caldo oggi. Use "fa" for general outside temperature.

In inverno freddo.

fare presente Irregular
Pronoun Conjugation
io faccio
tu fai
lui/lei fa
noi facciamo
voi fate
loro fanno

Note: for weather temperature, you’ll mostly use "fa" (3rd person) as a set phrase: "fa caldo/freddo".

Sun, clouds, wind, fog

To describe common conditions:

c’è il sole
it’s sunny / the sun is out
expression
Oggi c’è il sole.
It’s sunny today.
è nuvoloso
it’s cloudy
expression
Domani è nuvoloso.
Tomorrow it’s cloudy.
c’è vento
it’s windy
expression
Qui c’è vento.
It’s windy here.
c’è nebbia
it’s foggy
expression
Stamattina c’è nebbia.
It’s foggy this morning.
È sole. → C’è il sole. With "sole" (a noun), use "c’è".

Oggi il sole.

Rain and snow (impersonal verbs)

Two super useful verbs for weather are impersonal: they don’t use "io/tu/lui", just the verb.

Italian
Piove.
Lit: Rains.
It’s raining.
Italian
Nevica.
Lit: Snows.
It’s snowing.

A Torino .

Italian
In montagna nevica e fa freddo.
In the mountains it’s snowing and it’s cold.
🔠 Put the words in order

Build: Today there’s a lot of fog.

Seasons and small talk

Weather is perfect small talk in Italy. Quick mini-conversation:

💬 Put the chat in order
Italian
Che bella giornata!
What a beautiful day!
Italian
Che brutto tempo!
What awful weather!

You can also mention seasons: la primavera (spring), l’estate (summer), l’autunno (autumn), l’inverno (winter).

Italian
In estate c’è spesso il sole.
In summer it’s often sunny.

Quick practice

🧠 Choose the best Italian

Culture corner: weather talk in Italy

Small talk about the weather is common, especially when meeting someone or waiting in line. You’ll often hear exclamations without a verb:

Italian
Che caldo! / Che freddo!
So hot! / So cold!

Italy’s climate changes by region. In the north (Milano, Torino), winters can be cold and foggy: "C’è nebbia" and "Fa freddo" are common. In the south (Napoli, Palermo), expect more sun: "C’è il sole" and many "Che bella giornata!" The TV forecast is "il meteo"—you’ll hear "Le previsioni parlano di pioggia" (The forecast talks about rain).

Wrap‑up phrases you can use today

  • Che tempo fa oggi?
  • Com’è il tempo?
  • Oggi fa caldo / Oggi fa freddo
  • C’è il sole / È nuvoloso
  • C’è vento / C’è nebbia
  • Piove / Nevica

Try them in real situations: ask a barista, text a friend, or comment on the day with a neighbor. A little weather chat is a friendly way to connect.

Final mini‑check

Domani a Roma .

È vento oggi. → C’è vento oggi. Use c’è + noun for wind.

Great job! Keep listening for these phrases in conversations, radio, and TV forecasts. The more you notice them, the more natural your Italian will sound.