Weather: Grammar and Phonics (AQA GCSE Spanish): Revision Note

Weather: grammar

The specific grammar point for this topic is the use of impersonal verbs. These verbs describe conditions or states that do not have a specific human subject.

Impersonal verbs: 'hace' + noun

To describe weather conditions in Spanish, the verb hacer (to do/make) is used impersonally in the third person singular (hace). It is followed by a noun to convey the idea of "It is [noun]".

• Hace calor / frío (It is hot / cold)

• Hace sol / viento (It is sunny / windy)

• Hace 20 grados (It is 20 degrees). Used for general temperature

Other impersonal verbs

For rain and snow, the verbs llover (to rain) and nevar (to snow) are used directly in the third person singular.

• Llueve mucho en el norte (It rains a lot in the north)

• Mañana nevará en la montaña (Tomorrow it will snow in the mountain)

Weather: phonics

Practicing these sounds is essential to ensure your pronunciation is clear and comprehensible, which is key for the Speaking and Listening papers.

• The [ll] sound: This is an important sound to master when pronouncing words related to rain, such as the verb llover (to rain)

• The [r] sounds: Mastery of the distinction between the single 'r' (-r- or -r) and the strong, rolled 'r' sound (rr or r-) is crucial. This distinction helps in clearly pronouncing words like frío (cold)

  • Example: Tengo que cerrar la ventana porque hace frío (I have to close the window because it is cold)

• The [ñ] sound: Since it is a Spanish-specific sound, be sure to pronounce it properly in words like otoño (autumn)