The weather in Dutch

Lesson content

The weather is one of the most popular small talk topics of the Dutch. A conversation in Dutch usually starts with sentences such as: 'Mooi weer vandaag!' (Nice weather today!) In this chapter you will learn about the different weather conditions and you will learn how to talk about the weather in Dutch.

Lesson outline

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1.Dutch weather
2.Describing the weather in Dutch
3.Questions about the weather
4.Exercises
4.1.Describe the weather of the picture in Dutch
4.2.Translating the weather conditions in Dutch
4.3.Talking about the weather in Dutch
4.4.Translate the weather condition sentences to Dutch

Dutch weather

The Netherlands has a temperate maritime climate with cool summers and moderate winter. Its climate is influenced by the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. An average temperature during the day in winter is between 2°C and 6°C and in summer between 17°C and 20°C. Sometimes there are periods in summer when it can be over 25°C. If there are 5 days in a row with temperatures of over 25°C, including 3 days with temperatures of over 30°C, one is talking about a 'hittegolf' (heatwave).

In the table below, you will find the nouns and verbs of different weather conditions in Dutch.

Weather condition	Noun	Verb
	De regen (the rain)	Regenen (raining)
	De sneeuw (the snow)	Sneeuwen (snowing)
	De mist (the fog)	Misten (It is foggy)
	Het onweer (the thunderstorm)	Onweren (thunder)
	De bewolking (overcast)	Het is bewolkt (It is cloudy)
	De zon (the sun)	De zon schijnt (the sun is shining)
	De vorst (the frost)	Vriezen (freezing)
	De hagel (the hail)	Hagelen (hailing)
	De wind (the wind)	Waaien (the wind is blowing)

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Describing the weather in Dutch

The personal pronoun 'het' is used when talking about the weather.

English	Dutch
It is cold	Het is koud
It is raining	Het regent
It is snowing	Het sneeuwt
The weather is nice	Het is mooi weer
The weather is bad	Het is vies/slecht weer
It is hot	Het is warm
It is sunny	Het is zonnig
It is cloudy	Het is bewolkt
It is foggy	Het is mistig
It is rainy	Het is regenachtig
It is freezing	Het vriest
It is windy	Het waait
The sun is shining	De zon schijnt

Questions about the weather

The table below will provide you with questions you can ask when you want to talk about the weather.

Dutch	English
Question: Wat voor weer wordt het vandaag / morgen? Answer: Het wordt lekker weer vandaag / morgen.	What kind of weather is it going to be today/tomorrow? The weather is going to be nice today/tomorrow.
Question: Hoe is het weer daar? Answer: Het is hier lekker weer.	What is the weather like over there? The weather is nice over here.
Question: Gaat het regenen / sneeuwen / hagelen? Answer: Ja, het gaat regenen / sneeuwen / hagelen.	Is it going to rain / snow / hail? Yes, it is going to rain / snow / hail.
Question: Heeft het geregend / gesneeuwd / gehageld? Answer: Ja, het heeft geregend / gesneeuwd / gehageld.	Has it rained / snowed / hailed? Yes, it has rained / snowed / hailed.
Question: Waar gaat het regenen / sneeuwen / hagelen? Answer: Het is gaat regenen / sneeuwen / hagelen in Utrecht.	Where is it going to rain / snow / hail? It is going to rain / snow / hail in Utrecht.
Question: Wanneer gaat het regenen / sneeuwen / hagelen? Answer: Morgen gaat het regenen / sneeuwen / hagelen.	When is it going to rain / snow / hail? It is going to rain / snow / hail tomorrow.
Question: Wat is de weersverwachting? Answer: Het weerbericht zegt dat het gaat regenen.	What is the weather forecast? It is going to rain according to the weather forecast.
Question: Is het koud? Answer: Ja, het is koud / Nee, het is niet koud.	Is it cold? Yes, it is cold / No, it is not cold.
Question: Is het warm? Answer: Ja, het is warm / Nee, het is niet warm.	Is it hot? Yes, it is hot. / No, it is not hot.

The Dutch weather can be very unpredictable but the Dutch can always rely on one vehicle: their bicycle! Even when it is snowing...