Hoe is het weer vandaag?
Het regent, maar het is niet koud.
What is the weather like today?
It is raining, but it is not cold.
CHAPTER 5
Lesson 48 · The weather
What is the weather like?
Look, listen and describe the weather around you. Learn eight weather words and phrases, ask about tomorrow and talk about temperature.
Hoe is het weer vandaag?
What is the weather like today?
The audio could not start. Tap the listen button to try again.
See it. Say it.
Tap a picture to reveal the Dutch words and hear them. Tap again to practise from the picture.
Het is koud describes the temperature. It does not mean that it is snowing. Mist and onweer are nouns; you can say Er is mist and Er is onweer.
Start a conversation
Use these short exchanges when you meet someone or make plans.
Wat wordt het weer morgen?
Morgen gaat het regenen.
What will the weather be like tomorrow?
It is going to rain tomorrow.
Listen & practise
Four useful phrases
Read the Dutch sentence and its meaning. Listen, then say it aloud.
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01
Mooi weer vandaag.Nice weather today.
02
De zon schijnt.The sun is shining.
03
Slecht weer vandaag.Bad weather today.
04
Het regent.It is raining.
Talk about temperature
Dutch weather forecasts use degrees Celsius. These are example temperatures, not a live forecast.
Hoeveel graden is het?
Het is twintig graden.
How many degrees is it?
It is twenty degrees.
Het is drie graden onder nul.
Het vriest.
It is three degrees below zero.
It is freezing.
The weather or how you feel?
Het is koud buiten. → Ik heb het koud.
It is cold outside. → I feel cold.
Use Het is koud / warm for the temperature. Use Ik heb het koud / warm for how you feel.
Two more ways to describe the weather
Er is mist. → Het is mistig.
Er is onweer. → Het onweert.
There is fog. → It is foggy.
There is a thunderstorm. → It is thundering.
Four seasons, changeable weather
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Tap a picture to see and hear the Dutch season.
The Netherlands has a maritime climate. The weather can change from day to day: rain, wind and sunshine can occur in every season. Winter can bring frost and snow; summer can bring hot days. A season does not tell you exactly what the weather will be like.
For an outing, check the forecast: het weerbericht.
Weather background: KNMI.
Time and weather
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Tap a picture to turn the card and hear the Dutch words. Listen, repeat and try again.
Check your understanding
Say or write your answer before opening it. Then describe today’s weather in two Dutch sentences.
It is raining. Say it in Dutch.
Het regent.
The sun is shining. Say it in Dutch.
De zon schijnt.
It is windy. Say it in Dutch.
Het waait.
Ask what the weather will be like tomorrow.
Wat wordt het weer morgen?
Say the temperature: −3 °C.
Het is drie graden onder nul.
You feel cold. Complete: Ik ___ het koud.
Ik heb het koud.
There is fog. Complete: Het is ___.
Het is mistig.
Name the four seasons in Dutch.
De lente, de zomer, de herfst en de winter.