Today, the weather is perfect for learning Portuguese! Let’s learn how to talk about the weather in Portuguese. One of the best ways to start a conversation is by talking about the weather! Do you know how to say rain in Portuguese? And you can talk about the hot weather in Portuguese? We’ll start with some simple questions that you can use:
Asking About the Weather in Portuguese
So let’s start with some simple questions to introduce a conversation about the weather:
| Como está o tempo hoje? | How is the weather today? | |
| Como está o clima hoje? | What is the weather like today? | |
| Como está o tempo lá fora? | How is the weather outside? | |
| Qual é a previsão do tempo para hoje? | What is the weather forecast for today? | |
| Qual é a previsão do tempo para esta semana? | What is the weather forecast for this week? |
Great, we can already start a conversation in Portuguese, but to talk about the weather in Portuguese, we need to know with which verbs we need to do sentences. First, Let’s see the most common verbs we use to talk about the weather in a daily conversation.
Verbs to Talk about the Weather
When discussing the current weather in Portuguese, we mainly use the verbs Fazer and Estar. Let’s see two examples:
- Hoje o dia está ensolarado.
Today is sunny. - Hoje faz sol.
Today is sunny.
Be careful if you are an English speaker, as estar translation is the verb to be, but we can’t use the verb ser (which is also to be) on these day-by-day uses talking about the current weather. It is an important matter, especially when you are starting to learn Portuguese, so learn more about the verb to be in Portuguese in our dica about it!
While fazer and estar are the most common verbs, other verbs such as haver, ter, nevar, chover, and ventar can also be used depending on the context. But let’s start our lesson with fazer and estar, and later on, we will show you those other verbs.
Vocabulary for Weather in Portuguese
Now, let’s learn and listen to some weather vocabulary in Portuguese, so we can use the verbs we’ve just learned. Pay attention to these rules! When we use the verb estar, we can refer to an adjective or a noun. When we use fazer, we are mainly talking about a name. What may be confusing is that for some of the words, the adjective and the noun are just the same ones. To start making sentences, let’s see a list of adjectives to talk about the weather.
Adjectives Used with “Estar”
| Bom | Good / Nice | |
| Ruim | Bad | |
| Feio | Ugly | |
| Bonito | Beautiful | |
| Aberto | Clear | |
| Fechado | Cloudy | |
| Quente | Hot | |
| Frio | Cold | |
| Gelado | Freezing | |
| Agradável | Pleasant / Mild | |
| Ensolarado | Sunny | |
| Chuvoso | Rainy | |
| Nevoso | Snowy | |
| Nublado | Cloudy | |
| Ventoso | Windy | |
| Úmido | Humid | |
| Seco | Dry | |
| Fresco | Cool | |
| Abafado | Muggy / Stifling |

Some Adjectives Examples for Weather in Portuguese
Here are some example sentences for adjectives using the verb estar, demonstrating how estar is used to describe the current state of the weather:
- Ensolarado
- Está ensolarado hoje.
It’s sunny today.
- Está ensolarado hoje.
- Chuvoso
- O dia está chuvoso.
It’s rainy right now.
- O dia está chuvoso.

- Nublado
- O céu está nublado hoje de manhã.
The sky is cloudy this morning.
- O céu está nublado hoje de manhã.
- Gelado
- Está gelado lá fora.
It’s freezing outside.
- Está gelado lá fora.
These examples show that estar + adjective is consistently used when describing the current or temporary state of the weather in daily conversations. These examples should give you a clearer understanding of how to use the adjectives in everyday conversation!
Nouns to talk about the Weather in Portuguese
So as we said, we can use estar or fazer to talk about weather with nouns. However, the verb “fazer” is often used to describe general weather conditions or states that are perceived as an ongoing situation. It’s common in sentences where the weather is seen as “making” a particular state or condition.
| Clima | Climate | |
| Sol | Sun | |
| Nuvem | Cloud | |
| Calor | Heat | |
| Mormaço | Sultry weather (hot and humid) | |
| Frio | Cold | |
| Chuva | Rain | |
| Pancadas de chuva | Rain showers | |
| Tempestade | Storm | |
| Neve | Snow | |
| Vento | Wind | |
| Vendaval | Gale | |
| Granizo | Hail | |
| Garoa | Drizzle | |
| Neblina | Fog | |
| Frescor | Coolness | |
| Umidade | Humidity | |
| Onda de calor | Heatwave |
Some examples with fazer with weather
- Sol
- Faz sol hoje.
- Está sol hoje.
It’s sunny today.
- Calor
- Faz calor.
- Está calor.
It’s hot.
- Frio
- Faz frio esta noite.
- Está frio esta noite.
It’s cold tonight.
- Vento
- Faz muito vento hoje.
- Está com muito vento hoje. *
It’s very windy today.
- Tempestade
- Faz uma tempestade forte.
- Está uma tempestade forte.
There’s a strong storm.
*Sometimes we use ‘estar com’ to talk about the presence of certain weather phenomena. Learn more about Estar com in our Dica about it.

Other Verbs that we can use instead of Estar and Fazer
In addition to “fazer” and “estar,” there are several other verbs that can be used depending on the noun or adjective describing the weather:
| Chover | To rain | |
| Chuviscar / Garoar | drizzle | |
| Nevar | To snow | |
| Ventar | To be windy | |
| Trovejar | To thunder | |
| Relampejar | To Flash/Strike Lightning | |
| Gear | To Frost | |
| Haver** | To Have/There is/are | |
| Ter** | To Have |
- Ontem choveu em São Paulo.
Yesterday it rained in São Paulo.

- Já nevou no Brasil?
Has it ever snowed in Brazil? - Quando chuvisca, a gente faz bolinho de chuva.
When it drizzles, we make Brazilian bolinho de chuva.
- Durante o outono venta muito.
It’s very windy during the fall.
- Noite passada trovejou e relampejou bastante.
Last night it thundered and flashed a lot.
- Vai gear amanhã cedo.
It will frost early tomorrow. - Há uma tempestade lá fora.
There‘s a storm outside. - Tem muita neblina hoje.
There’s a lot of fog today.
**The verbs Ter and Haver are used in sentences with the same meaning as to exist. Learn more about the verbs Haver e Ter in our Dicas about it.
Ser to talk about the Weather
In Portuguese, the verb ser is rarely used to describe specific weather conditions, since estar and fazer are more appropriate for temporary, current states. However, ser can be used in certain cases, usually to describe general characteristics of the climate or to refer to unchanging or long-term weather patterns. Here are a few key contexts in which ser is appropriate in Portuguese:
Talking about the past
When we’re talking about a past observation of the weather in Portuguese, we can switch between the verbs ‘estar’ and ‘ser’ or keep ‘estar’ depending on which past tense we’re using. When we’re talking in the pretérito perfeito (the tense for completed actions), we switch to ‘ser’.
- Hoje, está um dia quente.
Today, it’s a hot day. - Ontem foi um dia quente.
Yesterday was a hot day.
But when using the pretérito imperfeito (for ongoing or interrupted actions in the past), we stick with ‘estar’.
- O dia está frio hoje.
Today, the day is cold. - Ontem, o dia estava frio.
Yesterday, the day was cold.
Describing General Climate Characteristics
When talking about the general nature of the climate in a place, you can use ser to describe how the weather typically is.
- O clima do Nordeste do Brasil é quente e seco.
The climate in the Northeast of Brazil is hot and dry.
Here, you’re stating a fact about the climate, which is a permanent or consistent characteristic, not a temporary condition.
Talking about Seasons of the Year in Portuguese
You can use ser to describe the weather during a specific season or time of year in general.
- O verão aqui é muito quente.
The summer here is very hot.
This refers to the general pattern for summer, not just the current weather.
So, as you see for general situations such as the seasons of the year we use the verb ser in Portuguese. If you also want to learn about the seasons in Brazil, don’t forget to check out our other Dica about seasons in Portuguese.

Summary:
- Use “ser” for permanent or long-term descriptions of weather or climate.
- Use “estar” and “fazer” for current or temporary weather conditions.
This distinction helps keep your weather conversations natural and aligned with how native speakers use these verbs in context!
Natural Disasters in Portuguese
Natural disasters are often discussed in terms of their occurrence or impact. Here’s a list of this vocabulary and how to correctly use these verbs:
| Tempestade de neve | Snowstorm | |
| Ciclone | Cyclone | |
| Furacão | Hurricane | |
| Tornado | Tornado | |
| Avalanche | Avalanche | |
| Tsunami | Tsunami | |
| Enxurrada | Flash Flood | |
| Inundação | Flood | |
| Deslizamento de terra | Landslide | |
| Tempestade de areia | Sandstorm | |
| Terremoto |
| Earthquake |
| Seca | Drought | |
| Erupção vulcânica | Volcanic eruption | |
| Granizo | Hailstorm |
- Está nevando muito durante a tempestade de neve.
It’s snowing heavily during the snowstorm. - Um ciclone está se formando no oceano.
A cyclone is forming in the ocean. - O furacão está se aproximando da costa.
The hurricane is approaching the coast. - Está se formando um tornado no campo.
A tornado is forming in the field. - Uma avalanche está descendo a montanha.
An avalanche is coming down the mountain. - Um tsunami está se aproximando das ilhas.
A tsunami is approaching the islands. - A cidade está sofrendo com uma enxurrada depois da chuva forte.
The city is dealing with a flash flood after the heavy rain. - Uma inundação está afetando as áreas baixas da cidade.
A flood is affecting the low-lying areas of the city. - Aconteceu um deslizamento de terra na Rocinha.
A landslide occurred in Rocinha. - No deserto, sempre tem tempestades de areia.
There are always sandstorms in the desert. - Um terremoto atingiu a cidade ontem à noite, mas ninguém ficou ferido.
An earthquake hit the city last night, but no one was injured. - A seca prolongada está afetando as plantações.
The prolonged drought is impacting the crops. - Tem uma erupção vulcânica em atividade.
There is an active volcanic eruption happening. - Está caindo granizo durante a tempestade.
Hail is falling during the storm.
Practice a Bit More
Now we know how to talk about the hot weather and the rain in Portuguese. So, here are some questions for you to answer and practice, for when you come to learn Portuguese in Brazil:
- Como está o clima na sua cidade hoje?
What’s the weather like in your city today? - Qual é o seu clima favorito?
What type of weather is your favorite? - O que você gosta de fazer em dia de sol?
What do you like to do on a sunny day? - O que você gosta de fazer em dia de chuva?
What do you like to do on a rainy day?
Now It’s Your Turn!
Come rain or shine, we will curtir (enjoy) Rio de Janeiro in Portuguese! Come and enjoy it with us!
We are waiting for you here.
Kisses!
Click on the links below to see more related Dicas:
City in Portuguese
Seasons in Brazil
Weather in Rio de Janeiro
Brazilian Trees
Online Academic Coordinator at Rio & Learn Portuguese School.
Experienced educational coordinator and teacher since 2007, adept in curriculum development, creating physical and digital educational materials, and leveraging online platforms to enhance learning outcomes