lloviendo
/ʝobjendo/from spelling rules
The Spanish word for 'raining' is lloviendo.
The term is used to describe water falling in drops from the clouds from the sky.
What does it mean word for word?
lloviendo is the gerund of the verb llover, which literally means 'to rain'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The gerund lloviendo is almost always used with the auxiliary verb estar to express the continuous action of raining. However, the simple present form llueve is frequently used to express that it is currently raining.
How do you pronounce it?
/ʝobjendo/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly try to use a subject like él (it) with weather verbs, but in Spanish, weather verbs like llueve are impersonal and do not take a subject.
When do people say it?
The idiomatic expression Llueve a cántaros is used to mean 'It's raining buckets'.
Did you know?
- The expression Llueve sobre mojado is used to describe a situation where something bad happens to someone who is already having a hard time.
- In poetic Spanish, authors often use llora el cielo meaning 'the sky is crying' as a romantic or melancholy substitute for saying it is lloviendo.
- The expression llueve a cántaros refers to cántaros, which are traditional large clay jugs used for transporting water.
Examples in context
- Está lloviendo otra vez.It's raining again!This sentence shows how to use lloviendo to say it is raining again.Tatoeba #5468796 by ecorralest101, translation #507341 by CM
- Creo que está lloviendo.I think it's raining.This sentence demonstrates using lloviendo to express a belief that it is raining.Tatoeba #10097472 by manufrutos, translation #10095807 by CK
- Está lloviendo a cántaros.It's raining cats and dogs.This sentence shows an informal way to say it is raining very heavily using lloviendo.Tatoeba #505848 by Shishir, translation #384559 by Dorenda
- Hoy está lloviendo fuertementeToday it's raining heavily
- ¡Mira afuera, está lloviendo a cántaros!Look outside, it's raining cats and dogs!
- No olvides el paraguas, está chispeandoDon't forget your umbrella, it's drizzling
- Por la mañana está lloviendo, pero luego habrá chubascosIn the morning, it's raining, but later there will be showers
- Hoy hay lluvia torrencialToday there is torrential rain
- Está lloviznando con truenosIt's drizzling with thunder
- 115 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucía and Javier are looking out the window.
- LucíaMira, Javier, sigue lloviendo muy fuerte.Look, Javier, it's still raining very hard.
- JavierTienes razón, no podemos salir ahora.You are right, we cannot go out now.
- Lucía¿Crees que dejará de estar lloviendo pronto?Do you think it will stop raining soon?
- JavierNo lo creo, el cielo está muy gris.I don't think so, the sky is very grey.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
