Praten over het weer
Talking about the weather · a free Dutch immersion capsule
Useful sentences · 10
Phrases you'll actually use today. Tap Explain for the why behind each one.
Het weer is vandaag erg wisselvallig.
The weather is very changeable today.
Literal The weather is today very changeable.
A common opener when weather is unpredictable. 'Wisselvallig' captures the typical Dutch unsettled sky in one word.
- 'Het weer' takes the neuter article 'het'
- 'Erg' intensifies the adjective, equivalent to 'very'
Regent het al de hele ochtend?
Has it been raining all morning?
Literal Rains it already the whole morning?
A yes/no question formed by inverting subject and verb. 'Al de hele ochtend' emphasises ongoing duration.
- Yes/no questions invert subject and verb: 'Regent het'
- 'Al de hele ochtend' = all morning long (duration)
Nee, maar het wordt wel snel bewolkt.
No, but it does get cloudy quickly.
Literal No, but it becomes indeed quickly cloudy.
'Wel' adds mild emphasis, like 'though' or 'I must say'. 'Wordt' is the present tense of 'worden' (to become).
- 'Wordt' = present tense of 'worden' (to become/get)
- 'Wel' softly emphasises the statement without changing its meaning
Ik heb mijn paraplu meegenomen, gelukkig.
I brought my umbrella, luckily.
Literal I have my umbrella taken-along, luckily.
Present perfect to describe a completed action. 'Gelukkig' placed at the end adds a relieved, conversational tone.
- Present perfect: 'heb … meegenomen'
- 'Meegenomen' is the past participle of 'meenemen' (to bring along)
Morgen schijnt de zon de hele dag.
Tomorrow the sun will shine all day.
Literal Tomorrow shines the sun the whole day.
Dutch uses the present tense for near-future predictions. After the fronted adverb 'morgen', the verb and subject invert.
- Present tense used for near-future prediction
- Verb–subject inversion after fronted adverb 'morgen'
Het voelt een stuk kouder aan dan gisteren.
It feels quite a bit colder than yesterday.
Literal It feels a piece colder at than yesterday.
'Een stuk' + comparative means 'quite a bit'. 'Aanvoelen' is separable: the particle 'aan' moves to the end of the clause.
- 'Aanvoelen' is a separable verb: 'voelt … aan'
- 'Een stuk + comparative' = quite a bit colder
Hoe is het weer bij jou in de buurt?
How is the weather where you are?
Literal How is the weather by you in the neighbourhood?
The standard Dutch weather question extended with 'bij jou in de buurt' to ask about someone else's location. Very natural in small talk.
- 'Hoe is het weer?' is the fixed weather opener
- 'Bij jou in de buurt' = near you / in your area
Bij ons waait het behoorlijk hard vandaag.
It is blowing quite hard here today.
Literal By us blows it quite hard today.
'Bij ons' = where we are / at ours. 'Behoorlijk' means 'quite/rather'. 'Waaien' is the standard verb for wind blowing.
- Impersonal weather construction: 'waait het'
- 'Behoorlijk' intensifies the adjective 'hard'
Denk je dat het straks gaat regenen?
Do you think it will rain later?
Literal Think you that it later is going to rain?
'Gaat regenen' is the near-future construction (gaan + infinitive). 'Straks' means later the same day. The subordinate clause puts the verb at the end.
- Near future: 'gaat + infinitive' (gaat regenen)
- In the 'dat'-clause the verb moves to the end: 'gaat regenen'
Ik hoop dat het droog blijft voor het weekend.
I hope it stays dry for the weekend.
Literal I hope that it dry stays for the weekend.
Expresses a weather wish. In Dutch subordinate clauses, the verb moves to the end: 'droog blijft' instead of 'blijft droog'.
- Subordinate clause after 'dat': verb moves to end
- 'Droog blijven' = to stay dry
New words · 10
Themed vocabulary, each with an example you can borrow.
regen
rain
De regen klettert op het dak.
The rain patters on the roof.
Also used as verb: regenen (to rain)
zonnig
sunny
Het is een zonnige dag vandaag.
It is a sunny day today.
Gains '-e' before a noun: zonnige dag
bewolkt
cloudy
De hemel is erg bewolkt.
The sky is very cloudy.
wisselvallig
changeable / unsettled
Het weer in de herfst is wisselvallig.
The weather in autumn is changeable.
A quintessential Dutch weather word
waaien
to blow (of wind)
Het waait hard langs de kust.
It blows hard along the coast.
paraplu
umbrella
Vergeet je paraplu niet mee te nemen.
Don't forget to bring your umbrella.
Borrowed from French 'parapluie'
straks
later / in a little while
Straks gaat het onweren.
It is going to thunder in a little while.
Refers to later the same day, not the distant future
droog
dry
Blijft het droog morgen?
Will it stay dry tomorrow?
schijnen
to shine
De zon schijnt de hele dag.
The sun shines all day.
temperatuur
temperature
De temperatuur daalt vanavond tot vijf graden.
The temperature drops to five degrees tonight.
Short reading
A tiny story stitched from today's words. Translation is hidden, tap to peek.
Anna en haar buurman staan buiten voor het huis. De lucht is bewolkt en het waait zacht. 'Denk je dat het straks gaat regenen?' vraagt Anna. Haar buurman kijkt naar de lucht en haalt zijn schouders op. 'Misschien, maar morgen schijnt de zon weer. Neem toch maar je paraplu mee.'
Sentence by sentence
De lucht is bewolkt en het waait zacht.
The sky is cloudy and there is a gentle breeze.
'De lucht' = the sky or air. 'Waait zacht' uses 'waaien' in the impersonal weather construction with the adverb 'zacht' (gently).
Denk je dat het straks gaat regenen?
Do you think it will rain later?
'Gaat regenen' is the near-future structure (gaan + infinitive). In the subordinate 'dat'-clause the verb cluster moves to the end.
Haar buurman kijkt naar de lucht en haalt zijn schouders op.
Her neighbor looks at the sky and shrugs.
'Schouders ophalen' (to shrug) is a separable verb phrase. The particle 'op' detaches and moves to the end of the clause.
Morgen schijnt de zon weer.
Tomorrow the sun will shine again.
Present tense used as near-future prediction. The fronted adverb 'morgen' triggers verb–subject inversion: 'schijnt de zon'.
Neem toch maar je paraplu mee.
Take your umbrella just in case.
'Toch maar' softens the imperative into a friendly suggestion. 'Mee' is the separable particle of 'meenemen' (to bring along).
Pattern of the day
One grammar move, explained once, that unlocks dozens of sentences.
Impersonal Weather Verbs with 'het'
In Dutch, weather events use 'het' (it) as an impersonal subject. The verb conjugates in the third-person singular. This covers rain, snow, wind, and sunshine — the four core Dutch weather verbs.
Het + [weather verb, 3rd person singular] + (adverb / complement)
Het regent buiten.
It is raining outside.
Het sneeuwt in de bergen.
It is snowing in the mountains.
Het waait hard aan de kust.
It is blowing hard on the coast.
De zon schijnt de hele dag.
The sun shines all day.
Mini practice · 5
Low-pressure, never graded. Just enough to make it stick.
Translate to Dutch: 'Has it been raining all morning?'
Hint Dutch uses 'het' as an impersonal subject for weather verbs.
What does this sentence mean? 'Het voelt een stuk kouder aan dan gisteren.'
Complete the sentence: 'Bij ons ______ het behoorlijk hard vandaag.' (to blow)
Hint Conjugate 'waaien' for third person singular with 'het'.
Your friend asks about the weekend forecast. Which reply fits best?
Rewrite using 'maar': 'Het regent niet. Het wordt wel snel bewolkt.'
Hint 'Maar' means 'but' and connects contrasting ideas. 'Wel' adds mild emphasis.
That’s today’s phraseberry.
Nice work, you understood something real today. Come back tomorrow for a fresh one.
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