Llover Conjugation In Spanish
The rain verb looks dramatic in full charts, but real-life Spanish usually keeps it blessedly simple.
The first time I heard a taxi driver in Mexico City say, “Está por llover, joven”, I had already stared at enough verb charts to feel very educated and still weirdly unprepared. That tiny sentence taught me the useful truth about llover: this is not a verb you learn by collecting every possible form like shiny Pokémon cards. You learn the forms people actually say.
That is the win here. You will learn why llover is mostly an impersonal verb, which tenses matter most, how to use them in normal conversation, and when the verb suddenly gets a little fancy and starts doing metaphor tricks. Rain, but make it manageable.
Yak Tip
For everyday weather Spanish, focus first on the third-person singular forms: llueve, llovió, llovía, lloverá, llovería, and llueva. That is where the real action is. Your brain can unclench now.
Why Llover Feels Odd
Llover means to rain. In normal weather talk, it is usually impersonal, which means there is no real subject doing the action. Spanish does not normally say yo lluevo for weather, because, well, you are probably not personally raining. That would be a different kind of emergency.
Llover also follows the pattern of mover, so the stem changes in stressed forms. That is why you get llueve and llueva, not llove and definitely not whatever your tired brain invents before coffee.
| Form | English Meaning | When You Use It | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| llueve | it rains / it’s raining | general present or current weather | Hoy llueve en Puebla. It’s raining in Puebla today. |
| llovió | it rained | finished rain event in the past | Anoche llovió muy fuerte. It rained very hard last night. |
| llovía | it was raining / it used to rain | background or repeated past rain | Cuando salimos, llovía. When we left, it was raining. |
| lloverá | it will rain | future, often a bit more formal or predictive | Mañana lloverá en la sierra. It will rain in the mountains tomorrow. |
| llovería | it would rain | hypothetical or reported forecast | Dijeron que llovería por la noche. They said it would rain at night. |
| llueva | it may rain / let it rain | subjunctive after doubt, hope, or emotion | Espero que no llueva. I hope it doesn’t rain. |
The Forms You Will Actually Use
Llueve
English meaning: it rains / it’s raining
Example: Si llueve, nos quedamos en casa.
If it rains, we’re staying home.
Está Lloviendo
English meaning: it’s raining right now
Example: Cierra la ventana; está lloviendo.
Close the window; it’s raining.
Llovió
English meaning: it rained
Example: Ayer llovió todo el camino.
It rained the whole way yesterday.
Llovía
English meaning: it was raining / it used to rain
Example: Cuando era niño, llovía mucho en verano.
When I was a kid, it used to rain a lot in summer.
Va A Llover / Lloverá
English meaning: it’s going to rain / it will rain
Example: Mira esas nubes; va a llover.
Look at those clouds; it’s going to rain.
Llueva
English meaning: it may rain / I hope it rains
Example: Ojalá que llueva esta tarde.
I hope it rains this afternoon.
Llueve Vs Está Lloviendo
These often overlap, and native speakers use both naturally. Llueve is the simple present and can describe current weather or general conditions. Está lloviendo zooms in on the action happening right now.
Llueve en Monterrey en junio.
It rains in Monterrey in June.Está lloviendo ahora mismo.
It is raining right now.
In casual speech, va a llover is often the everyday forecast form, while lloverá can sound a little more formal, more written, or more “I am now pretending to be the weather app.” Both are correct.
Useful Phrases And Real-Life Sentences
| Spanish | English Meaning | Example Sentence | English Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| está por llover | it’s about to rain | Apúrate, está por llover. | Hurry up, it’s about to rain. |
| va a llover | it’s going to rain | Lleva paraguas; va a llover. | Take an umbrella; it’s going to rain. |
| ha llovido mucho | it has rained a lot | Ha llovido mucho este mes. | It has rained a lot this month. |
| no creo que llueva | I don’t think it will rain | No creo que llueva hoy. | I don’t think it will rain today. |
| ojalá que llueva | I hope it rains | Ojalá que llueva pronto. | I hope it rains soon. |
| si llueve | if it rains | Si llueve, pedimos un taxi. | If it rains, we’ll get a taxi. |
| aunque llueva | even if it rains | Aunque llueva, iremos al concierto. | Even if it rains, we’ll go to the concert. |
| después de que llueva | after it rains | Después de que llueva, salimos a caminar. | After it rains, we’ll go for a walk. |
A especially handy everyday phrase in Spanish is está por llover. You hear it when the clouds are piling up, the air feels suspicious, and everyone suddenly starts pretending they definitely remembered where they left the umbrella.
Can Llover Ever Be Personal?
Yes. This is the sneaky advanced bit. In ordinary weather talk, llover stays impersonal. But Spanish can also use it in personal or figurative ways.
| Spanish | English Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| han llovido 30 milímetros | 30 millimeters of rain have fallen | Han llovido 30 milímetros esta noche. Thirty millimeters of rain have fallen tonight. |
| le llovieron críticas | criticism rained down on him/her | Después de la entrevista, le llovieron críticas. After the interview, criticism rained down on her. |
| me llovieron mensajes | messages poured in on me | Cuando anuncié la noticia, me llovieron mensajes. When I announced the news, messages poured in. |
So yes, full conjugation charts exist. But for weather, the smart move is still to master the usual third-person singular forms first. Learn the normal use before the metaphor party starts.
Practice Section
- Choose the right past form: Cuando salimos del restaurante, ____. (llovió / llovía)
- Choose the right past form: Anoche ____ muy fuerte durante una hora. (llovió / llovía)
- Complete with the subjunctive: Espero que no ____ mañana.
- Say it naturally: “It’s about to rain.”
- Say it naturally: “Even if it rains, we’re going.”
Show Answer Key
1. llovía — this is background action in progress: Cuando salimos del restaurante, llovía.
When we left the restaurant, it was raining.
2. llovió — this is a finished event: Anoche llovió muy fuerte durante una hora.
It rained very hard for an hour last night.
3. llueva — after espero que, use the subjunctive: Espero que no llueva mañana.
I hope it doesn’t rain tomorrow.
4. Está por llover.
It’s about to rain.
5. Aunque llueva, vamos.
Even if it rains, we’re going.
Common Mistakes And Fixes
- Mistake: Yo lluevo.
Fix: Use llueve for normal weather talk. Hoy llueve mucho.
It’s raining a lot today. - Mistake: Treating llueve and está lloviendo as totally identical every time.
Fix: Both can work, but está lloviendo feels more “right now.” Está lloviendo desde la mañana.
It’s been raining since morning. - Mistake: Using the indicative after expressions of doubt or hope.
Fix: Use the subjunctive: No creo que llueva.
I don’t think it will rain. - Mistake: Forgetting the simple everyday forecast option.
Fix: Va a llover is wonderfully natural. Mira el cielo; va a llover.
Look at the sky; it’s going to rain. - Mistake: Ignoring figurative llover when you hear it.
Fix: It can mean “to pour in” or “to rain down on.” Me llovieron preguntas.
Questions poured in on me.
Quick Reference Summary
- llueve = it rains / it’s raining
- está lloviendo = it’s raining right now
- llovió = it rained
- llovía = it was raining / it used to rain
- va a llover or lloverá = it’s going to rain / it will rain
- llueva = subjunctive form after hope, doubt, emotion, or certain connectors
- está por llover = it’s about to rain
- le llovieron críticas = criticism rained down on him/her
Final Yak
If you remember only a small rainy handful — llueve, llovió, llovía, va a llover, llueva, and está por llover — you can already understand and say most of what real people use with llover. Which is honestly a much better deal than memorizing a giant chart just to never say yo lluevo in public.
