How to Say "It Is Raining" in Italian

piove

/ˈpjɔ.ve/

In Italian, "it is raining" is translated as piove.

The phrase is used to state that water is falling from the sky in the form of rain.

Which one should you use?

While piove is the most common way to say it is raining, sta piovendo uses the progressive form to emphasize that the action is happening right now.

The verb is impersonal, meaning it does not have a subject like "it" in English. It is a single-word form used to describe the weather.

The word has 2 syllables, with the stress on the 1st syllable. The IPA is /ˈpjɔ.ve/.

To describe rain so heavy it feels like a flood, Italians use the idiom piove a catinelli, which literally means 'it is raining bowls'.
The phrase piove sul bagnato literally means 'it rains on the wet', but it is used as an idiom to describe someone who already has plenty of something and gets even more.
The word piove is closely related to the English word 'pluviophile', which describes someone who finds joy and peace of mind during rainy days.

Piove che Dio la manda.
It is raining cats and dogs.
This sentence shows an idiomatic way to say it is raining very heavily using piove.
Tatoeba #1568320 by Guybrush88, translation #2573472 by VirtuOZ
Sta piovendo forte fuori.
It is raining hard outside.
This sentence uses the verb to describe heavy rain occurring outside.
Tatoeba #2820620 by Guybrush88, translation #620050 by ulyssemc1
Se domani piove, restiamo a casa.
If it is raining tomorrow, we stay at home.
This sentence uses piove in a conditional clause about the weather tomorrow.
Tatoeba #2188859 by Guybrush88, translation #2188846 by freddy1
Oggi piove.
Today it is raining.
Non posso uscire, piove a catinelle.
I can't go out, it is pouring.
Si prega di prestare attenzione, sta piovendo e il pavimento è scivoloso.
Please be careful, it is raining and the floor is slippery.
Che tempo orribile! Piove a dirotto!
What awful weather! It is pouring!
Non ho portato l'ombrello, sto bagnandomi, piove a dirotto.
I didn't bring an umbrella, I'm getting wet, it is pouring.
Oggi non possiamo andare in montagna, piove a catinelle.
Today we can't go to the mountains, it's pouring.
Piove a catinelle, dobbiamo prendere l'ombrello.
It's pouring, we need to take an umbrella.
22 more sentences on Tatoeba

Giulia and Matteo are looking out the window at the garden.

Sources

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