Weather vocabulary
Learn essential Swedish words and phrases to talk about the weather, like "Det är soligt" (It's sunny) and "Det regnar" (It's raining).
How It Works
Talking about the weather is a common conversation starter. In Swedish, there are two main patterns to learn.
1. Using "Det är" + Adjective
This is one ordinary way to describe general weather conditions. The structure is Det är followed by an adjective in its neuter form (usually ending in -t).
- Det är soligt. (It's sunny.)
- Det är kallt. (It's cold.)
- Det är varmt. (It's warm.)
- Det är molnigt. (It's cloudy.)
2. Using Impersonal Verbs
For actions like raining or snowing, Swedish uses special verbs where "det" is the subject. You don't need to say "är".
- Det regnar. (It's raining.)
- Det snöar. (It's snowing.)
- Det blåser. (It's windy / It's blowing.)
- Det åskar. (It's thundering.)
Asking about the weather:
The standard question is:
- Hur är vädret? (How is the weather?)
The det in these impersonal patterns does not refer to an earlier ett-noun. It supplies the subject position. In an ordinary full question, the finite verb comes first, Regnar det?; after an initial time phrase, it precedes det, I morgon blir det kallt. Weather can also have a lexical subject, Solen skiner (The sun is shining).
Examples (5)
- Det är soligt och varmt idag.
It is sunny and warm today.
Word by Word: It is sunny and warm today.
- Det regnar ute.
It's raining outside.
Word by Word: It rains outside.
- Hur är vädret i Göteborg?
How is the weather in Gothenburg?
Word by Word: How is the-weather in Gothenburg?
- I morgon blir det kallt och molnigt.
Tomorrow it will be cold and cloudy.
Word by Word: Tomorrow becomes it cold and cloudy.
- Solen skiner men det blåser mycket.
The sun is shining but it's very windy.
Word by Word: The-sun shines but it blows much.
Common Mistakes
Adding är to an already finite weather verb.
Det är regnar.Det regnar.Regnar is a finite verb and does not need är. Det är regnigt is the adjective pattern. A noun can also occur after är, for example Det är regn på väg (Rain is on the way).
How It Connects
Learn This First
To talk about the weather in Swedish, you need to understand how to use the dummy subject 'det' (it), how to conjugate basic verbs for actions like raining or snowing, and how to use the neuter form of adjectives to describe conditions.
- Basic pronouns
Weather expressions in Swedish use the formal subject 'det' (it), which requires an understanding of basic pronouns.
Foundations - Basic verb conjugation
Weather verbs like 'regnar' and 'snöar' follow standard present tense conjugation rules.
Foundations - Adjective agreement
Describing the weather with adjectives (e.g., 'det är varmt') requires knowing how to use the neuter form of adjectives to match the subject 'det'.
Level 1
Related Patterns
- det ärIt Is
This is the fundamental structure for describing weather with adjectives, as in 'Det är kallt' (It's cold).
Level 2 - det regnarImpersonal Weather Verbs
This pattern represents the impersonal verbs used for weather actions like raining, snowing, and thundering.
Level 1 - -tNeuter Adjective Form
Weather adjectives used with 'Det är' take the neuter '-t' ending because 'det' is a neuter pronoun. For example, 'varmt', 'soligt', 'molnigt'.
Level 1 - hurHow
This is the question word used to ask about the weather: 'Hur är vädret?' (How is the weather?).
Level 1
Practice Weather vocabulary in Bubblegum
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