qué tiempo hace
/ke tjempo aθe/from spelling rules
The English phrase "what the weather is" is translated into Spanish as qué tiempo hace.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "what weather it makes" because the verb hacer (to do/make) is used to describe weather conditions.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, ¿Qué tiempo hace? is used to ask what the weather is like, whereas in Mexico, ¿Cómo está el clima? is used to ask how the weather is.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase uses the third-person singular form of the verb hacer to refer to the weather as an impersonal subject.
Did you know?
- The word tiempo comes from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'to stretch', suggesting time and weather are both perceived as continuous extensions.
- While qué tiempo hace uses the verb 'to make' for weather, Spanish also uses hacer to describe the passage of time, such as saying hace dos años for 'two years ago'.
- The Spanish word tiempo refers to both the 'weather' and 'time', meaning the same word covers both concepts.
Examples in context
- Hace calorIt's hot
- Hace fríoIt's cold
- Está nubladoIt's cloudy
- Está soleadoIt's sunny
- Hay vientoIt's windy
- LlueveIt's raining
- ¿Cómo estará el tiempo mañana?How will the weather be tomorrow?
- ¿Cómo estaba el clima durante la tarde?How was the weather during the afternoon?
- No sé qué tiempo hace hoy.I don't know what the weather is like today.
- ¿Sabes qué tiempo hace en Madrid?Do you know what the weather is like in Madrid?
- Dime qué tiempo hace afuera.Tell me what the weather is like outside.
Example conversation
Daniel and Sofía are talking on the phone before a trip.
- DanielSofía, ¿sabes qué tiempo hace en la playa?Sofía, do you know what the weather is like at the beach?
- SofíaNo estoy segura de qué tiempo hace ahora.I am not sure what the weather is like right now.
- DanielVoy a mirar en internet.I am going to look it up on the internet.
- SofíaGracias, Daniel.Thanks, Daniel.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hace, qué, tiempo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
