Apart from the fact that it can be a very good reason to start a conversation with someone you know or someone you don’t know and want to approach, discussing the weather is an essential part of any casual conversation. The words and phrases needed to describe the current weather conditions, the state of the weather at the moment, or the forecast for the next few hours or days, should be part of the lexical baggage of anyone learning a foreign language. Well, this article aims to do just that: to familiarise you with the terms you need in a conversation about the weather.
The four seasons in the Romanian language
Beyond the other extraordinary aspects that make Romania such an attractive place for foreigners, it should also be mentioned that Romania is a country with four full seasons, each of them well-defined and with specific elements, which makes Romania a tourist attraction all year round. But first of all, perhaps it is best to learn the names of the four seasons in Romanian from the very beginning:
- Spring – primăvară (a very interesting word, comSposed of two separate elements that would translate individually as “the first summer”)
- Summer – vară
- Fall – toamnă
- Winter – iarnă
Unlike in other places where either not all four seasons are explicitly present, or some of them are longer or shorter in relation to the others, in Romania – as I said – they are all very well defined. Spring means the return of all nature to life, with flowers suddenly appearing everywhere and delighting the senses. Summer means strong sunshine and the happiness of enjoying both the beaches and the sea and hiking in the mountains. Autumn means both rain and the wonderful colours that greet you in parks and forests, and winter means snow, mountains and the warmth of Christmas.
What’s the weather like? Words in Romanian to talk about the weather
Let’s face it, any conversation can easily start with this question.
- What is the weather like today? – Cum este vremea astăzi?
This question is so common that even voice assistants on smart phones, such as Siri or Alexa, easily recognise it and immediately provide relevant information. Now let’s see what words and phrases we can use to answer this question?
- The weather is great today – vremea este minunată astăzi
- It’s sunny – este soare
- It’s cloudy – este înnorat
- It’s foggy – este ceață
- It’s warm – este cald
- It’s cold – este frig
- It’s raining – plouă
- It’s snowing – ninge
- It’s hot – este caniculă ( este foarte cald)
Romanian words and phrases for the weather forecast
Beyond the basic expressions, it will be easier to describe, answer questions or ask for information if we know other elements that help us develop the topic. First of all, it would be good to be able to correctly recount the reference moments in terms of their location in time:
- The day before yesterday – alaltăieri
- Yesterday – ieri
- Today – astăzi
- Tomorrow – mâine
- The day after tomorrow – poimâine
- Last week – săptămâna trecută
- This week – săptămâna aceasta
- Next week – săptămâna viitoare
The times of day are also very important in a conversation:
- Morning – dimineață
- Noon – prânz (also used for ,,lunch”)
- Afternoon – după-amiază
- Evening – seară
- At night – noaptea
In addition to these, we can add some vocabulary items to help us give or ask for advice and give more complex information. These important words name different objects or elements that can easily be introduced in a conversation about the weather:
- Umbrella – umbrelă
- Shadow/shade – umbră
- Water – apă
- Liquids – lichide
- Tea – ceai
- Shorts – pantaloni scurți
- T-shirt – tricou
- Cap – șapcă
- Hat – pălărie
- Coat – geacă
- Overcoat – palton
Using and combining all these words, we can already imagine a short conversation about the weather that might sound like this:
- – Hi, how are you?
- – Hi! I’m fine. I want to go to the park. What will the weather be like today?
- – It’s raining a bit at noon, you need an umbrella. But in the afternoon it’s very hot. It’s good to wear shorts, drink lots of water and stay in the shade.
- – Thanks for the information. You’re very kind.
- – You’re welcome.
- – Do you know what the weather will be like tomorrow?
- – I don’t think it’ll be hot. Tomorrow will be a very good day for a walk or a hike.
- – That’s great! See you tomorrow at 10:00 in the park?
- – Sure. Have a nice day.
- – Bye, bye.
- Bună, ce faci?
- Salut! Sunt bine. Vreau sa merg în parc. Cum va fi vremea astăzi?
- La prânz plouă puțin, îți trebuie o umbrelă. Dar după-amiază este foarte cald. E bine să ai pantaloni scurți, să bei multă apă și să stai la umbră.
- Mulțumesc pentru informații. Ești foarte amabil.
- Pentru puțin.
- Știi cum va fi vremea mâine?
- Nu cred că va fi caniculă. Mâine va fi o zi foarte bună pentru o plimbare sau pentru o drumeție.
- Super! Ne vedem mâine la 10 în parc?
- Desigur. O zi plăcută.
- La revedere!
Join our Romanian online courses to learn more
As you can see, in Romanian – as in any foreign language, in fact – a conversation about the weather is developed like any other discussion, on any topic, trying to use in speech, in different combinations, vocabulary elements you already know. Besides, by mastering a few basic words and expressions you can relatively easily formulate different questions and answers and engage in conversation. As you progress and new words are added to your lexical knowledge, these conversations will become more and more complex as you become more and more confident and fluent in the words of the language you are studying.
With this in mind, the online Romanian language courses on romanianonline.com will help you more than you can imagine. And that’s because the syllabus of the courses is designed in such a way that you constantly accumulate both grammar concepts and new words at an appropriate pace. That’s why, after just a few lessons, it will be very easy for you to carry on a conversation like the one above and, before you know it, you’ll be wowing your new Romanian friends with the way you speak to them in their language.