38 phrases · Levels: A1A2B1B2
Che bel tempo oggi!
What lovely weather today!
Use as a conversation opener on a sunny or pleasant day. One of the most natural ice-breakers in Italian, usable with anyone — neighbours, shopkeepers, strangers.
Che caldo fa oggi!
How hot it is today!
Use on hot days, especially in summer. In Italy, complaining about heat is a social ritual — particularly in the south and in humid Po Valley cities like Milan and Bologna.
Che freddo! Sembra inverno!
How cold! It feels like winter!
Use in autumn or spring when temperatures drop unexpectedly. Italians feel cold acutely — even temperatures that northerners find mild can prompt strong cold-weather complaints.
Sta per piovere.
It's about to rain.
Use when clouds are gathering and rain seems imminent. Practical and useful — it prompts people to get an umbrella or move inside.
Piove a dirotto!
It's pouring with rain!
Use during heavy, heavy rainfall — more intense than regular rain. Particularly vivid expression that perfectly captures Italian weather-related drama.
Oggi c'è un sole splendido.
Today there's splendid sunshine.
Use to comment on beautiful sunny weather, which in Italy is a cause for celebration — especially after a rainy period.
Che tempaccio!
What terrible weather!
Use on grey, rainy, or unpleasant days. The '-accio' suffix transforms 'tempo' (weather) into something strongly negative — a very Italian linguistic trick.
Fa un freddo cane!
It's dog-cold! / It's freezing cold!
Use in informal contexts to express very cold weather with vivid, colourful language. 'Freddo cane' is a fixed expression — animal comparisons intensify expressions in Italian.
C'è una nebbia fitta stamattina.
There's a thick fog this morning.
Use in northern Italy (especially Po Valley — Milan, Padua, Turin) during autumn and winter when fog is a genuine daily phenomenon that affects traffic and daily life.
C'è un vento fortissimo oggi.
There's a very strong wind today.
Use on very windy days — common along Italian coasts and in mountainous regions. Wind in Italy is often associated with named winds like Tramontane, Scirocco, and Mistral.
Finalmente arriva il sole!
Finally the sunshine is coming!
Use when sunshine appears after a period of bad weather. 'Finalmente' (finally) perfectly captures Italian impatience with grey weather.
Hai visto le previsioni del tempo?
Have you seen the weather forecast?
Use to start a weather conversation or to plan activities based on the forecast. Very common before weekends, holidays, or outdoor events.
C'è troppa umidità, si soffoca!
There's too much humidity, you can't breathe!
Use in humid conditions — common in coastal areas, the Po Valley, and anywhere in Italy during summer. Humidity is a distinct complaint from dry heat.
Sta nevicando!
It's snowing!
Use when snow is falling. In most Italian cities, snow is rare and causes excitement or chaos — or both. In mountain areas and northern cities it's more expected.
Sta arrivando un temporale.
A storm is coming.
Use when you can see or feel a storm approaching — darkening skies, rising wind, or dropping pressure. Practical and often urgent communication.
C'è il sole, ma fa fresco.
The sun is out, but it's cool.
Use on days when the sun shines but the temperature is mild — common in spring and autumn in Italy. 'Fresco' (cool) is a positive term, unlike 'freddo' (cold) which is a complaint.
È lo scirocco, viene dall'Africa.
It's the sirocco, it comes from Africa.
Use when explaining the hot, dry, sandy wind that blows from North Africa into Sicily, Sardinia, and southern Italy. It's a named phenomenon that Italians immediately understand.
Sta grandinando!
It's hailing!
Use during a hailstorm — more dramatic than rain and genuinely alarming for Italian farmers. Hail causes significant agricultural damage and is taken very seriously.
Tira tramontana, copritevi bene.
The tramontane wind is blowing, wrap up well.
Use in central and northern Italy when the cold northerly wind blows. The tramontana is associated with clear but freezing conditions — bone-chilling cold.
In settimana arriva il bel tempo.
Good weather is coming during the week.
Use to share positive weather news — especially when current weather is bad and improvement is forecast. Weather hope is socially valuable in Italy.
C'è troppo vento per andare al mare.
There's too much wind to go to the sea.
Use in coastal areas when wind prevents beach activities. In Italy, going to the sea is one of the most important summer activities and weather conditions are analysed carefully.
Con questo tempo non si può stare in montagna.
In this weather you can't be in the mountains.
Use when bad weather makes mountain activities dangerous or unpleasant — relevant for the many Italians who hike, ski, or holiday in the Alps or Apennines.
È la giornata ideale per una passeggiata!
It's the ideal day for a walk!
Use on pleasant days to suggest outdoor activities. Links weather to an activity — a very Italian way of using good weather as a prompt for social engagement.
Stai attento/a al colpo di sole!
Watch out for sunstroke!
Use to warn someone about the dangers of sun exposure — particularly relevant for children, the elderly, and fair-skinned people at the beach or during outdoor events.
Aprile, dolce dormire! Non si capisce mai il tempo.
April, sweet sleeping! The weather is never predictable.
Use in April when weather is unpredictable — switching between sun, rain, and cold. Quoting this proverb shows cultural knowledge and generates instant recognition.
Questa nebbia padana è opprimente.
This Po Valley fog is oppressive.
Use in northern Italian cities (Milan, Turin, Padua, Ferrara) during autumn and winter when the famous Po Valley fog settles for days or weeks. Very regional and specific.
È l'estate di San Martino!
It's an Indian summer! (literally St Martin's summer)
Use in early November (around November 11th, St Martin's Day) when unseasonably warm and sunny weather returns after the first cold. Very culturally specific and appreciated.
Quanti gradi fa?
How many degrees is it?
Use to ask about the temperature — one of the most basic weather questions. Italy uses Celsius exclusively.
Dopo la pioggia viene sempre il sereno.
After the rain the clear sky always comes.
Use as a comforting expression during bad weather — both literal (the rain will pass) and metaphorical (things will get better). This proverb works on both levels.
Il clima è cambiato, non ci sono più le stagioni di una volta.
The climate has changed, the seasons aren't like they used to be.
Use when commenting on unusual weather patterns, extreme events, or the changing of traditional Italian seasonal rhythms — a very common topic in contemporary Italian conversation.
Che meraviglia questo cielo stellato!
What a marvel this starry sky is!
Use on clear nights when the stars are visible — particularly in countryside or mountain areas away from city light pollution. A moment of shared wonder.
Guarda, c'è un arcobaleno!
Look, there's a rainbow!
Use when a rainbow appears after rain. In Italian culture, rainbows prompt immediate collective attention and sharing — particularly on social media or simply pointing them out to people nearby.
Si sente l'aria di mare.
You can smell the sea air.
Use in coastal areas or when the wind carries the scent of the sea — a sensory weather observation that's particularly Italian in its appreciation of the sea's presence.
Senti come è cambiata l'aria? È arrivata la primavera.
Can you feel how the air has changed? Spring has arrived.
Use in late February or March when the first true spring warmth arrives — a moment of collective relief after winter that Italians savour and comment on extensively.
Agosto è insopportabile in città.
August is unbearable in the city.
Use to express the oppressive heat of Italian cities in August — a universal Italian complaint. August is the month most Italians escape to the sea, mountains, or hometown.
Dicembre è grigio e umido, mi pesa.
December is grey and damp, it weighs on me.
Use to express the psychological weight of grey winter weather — particularly in northern Italy where December can be relentlessly grey and damp without even providing the consolation of snow.
Al sud d'estate si muore di afa.
In the south in summer you die of humidity.
Use when discussing the specific heat conditions of southern Italy in summer — Palermo, Catania, Naples, Bari. The combination of high temperatures and humidity is specific to Mediterranean coastal cities.
Che bella notte d'estate!
What a beautiful summer night!
Use on warm summer evenings when the night air is pleasant and people are out socialising late — an Italian speciality, particularly in the south and coastal areas.