New here? This is lesson 2 of a free 238-lesson Spanish course.
Free Spanish CourseLesson 2 of 238
What's it like out in Spanish
Amanda stops Justin on the sidewalk outside Café Laurel and asks about the sky. Yako is there too, holding an umbrella he never opens.
You'll learn how to say it's hot, cold, raining, windy, or cloudy, how to ask what it's like out, and how to call it a nice day.
Weather is the easiest way to start a chat in Mexico City, from a taxi to a sidewalk table.
Yako, meanwhile, has decided it won't rain, and he's holding a closed umbrella to prove it.
By the end of this lesson
Ask what the weather is like and say if it's hot, cold, raining, windy, cloudy, or a nice day.
- Hace calor.It's hot
- Hace frío.It's cold
- Está lloviendo.It's raining
- Hace viento.It's windy
- Está nublado.It's cloudy
- ¿Qué clima hace?What's it like out?
- Qué buen clima hace hoy.What a nice day
Scene — on the sidewalk
It's morning on the sidewalk outside Café Laurel, with the café behind them and the sky still undecided.
Amanda asks Justin about the weather, and Yako walks up with a closed umbrella, looking very sure of himself.
Learn — weather words
Here are today's seven lines. Press Play, listen, then say each one out loud.
They're short. Don't worry about perfect yet, because the story uses them right away.
Hace calor.
It's hot
When to use it: When the sun is strong and you want to say it's hot out.
Hace is the usual verb for weather: hace calor, hace frío, hace viento.
Hace frío.
It's cold
When to use it: When you need a sweater and the air feels cold.
Está lloviendo.
It's raining
When to use it: When rain is falling right now.
Está lloviendo is happening now. Hace calor describes the day in general.
Hace viento.
It's windy
When to use it: When the wind is blowing and papers fly off the table.
Está nublado.
It's cloudy
When to use it: When the sky is grey and the sun is hiding.
¿Qué clima hace?
What's it like out?
When to use it: When you look outside and ask what the weather is like.
In Mexico people often say clima for the weather outside.
Qué buen clima hace hoy.
What a nice day
When to use it: When the weather is pleasant and you want to say so.
Story — Yako and the umbrella
Watch Amanda open with the weather, and listen for how Yako answers for everyone.
The highlighted words are the lines you just learned. Tap ▶ to play the scene, and turn on Show English if you get stuck.
- It's a cloudy morning, and Amanda has stopped Justin on the sidewalk outside Café Laurel.
AmandaHola, Justin. ¿Qué clima hace?Hi, Justin. What's it like out?
JustinBuenos días. Hmm… hace frío.Good morning. Hmm… it's cold.
YakoNo. Hace calor. Yo ya lo arreglé.No. It's hot. I already fixed it.- He hugs a closed umbrella like a trophy.
- AmandaHace frío, ¿eh?It's cold, huh?
- JustinSí. Ahorita está lloviendo un poquito.Yeah. It's raining a little right now.
- AmandaEstá nublado, ¿no?It's cloudy, right?
- YakoNo. Qué buen clima hace hoy.No. What a nice day.
- Justin¿Dentro o afuera?Inside or outside?
- AmandaAdentro. Hace viento afuera.Inside. It's windy outside.
- The umbrella stays closed. They head in anyway.
Practice — talk about the weather
Eleven quick exercises, each one a little weather report. Pick an answer and press Check.
Keep trying until it's right, or use the skip button and come back. After the right answer, you'll see why.
0 of 11 done
What did you hear?
What did you hear?
Match the pairs
Spanish
Hace calor.Drop the English hereHace frío.Drop the English hereEstá lloviendo.Drop the English hereEstá nublado.Drop the English hereEnglish
What does it mean?
What does it mean?
¿Qué clima hace?
What do you say?
What do you say?
Rain is falling on the café awning right now.
Fill the gap
Fill the gap
It's windy
Hace ____.
True or false?
True or false?
You say “Hace frío” when it's a hot afternoon.
Pick the reply
Amanda says:
Pick the reply
¿Qué clima hace?
What's it like out?
And you reply with:
Build the line
Build the line
What a nice day
.
Tap the words in order.
What does it mean?
What does it mean?
Buenos días.
What do you say?
What do you say?
You want to greet Amanda before you talk about the sky.
Which picture fits “Está nublado”?
Which picture fits “Está nublado”?
Say it — pick a table
You play Justin on the sidewalk. Amanda speaks first, and you answer out loud.
Tap the microphone and your device checks you. Nothing is uploaded. Tap ▶ to hear the line, or the skip button to move on.
- Amanda¡Hola! ¿Qué clima hace?Hi! What's it like out?
- Justin (you)Say it's hot.
Say it's hot.
Hace calor.
It's hot
0 of 4 said
Recap — what you can say now
| Spanish | English | Play |
|---|---|---|
| Hace calor. | It's hot | |
| Hace frío. | It's cold | |
| Está lloviendo. | It's raining | |
| Hace viento. | It's windy | |
| Está nublado. | It's cloudy | |
| ¿Qué clima hace? | What's it like out? | |
| Qué buen clima hace hoy. | What a nice day |
Save your progress — it’s free
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Keep practicing with Yak Cards
Weather lines from the sidewalk are in Yak Cards next to your first hellos.
Look out a window today and say hace calor or está nublado to yourself.
Open Yak Cards