Talking About Weather in English – phrases + dialogue

Talking about the weather is a great way to start a conversation in English. Whether it’s sunny, rainy, or freezing, people often discuss the weather to connect with others.

In this post, you’ll learn useful phrases to describe different kinds of weather and – how they make you feel!

Talking about the weather: example dialogue

In this dialogue, Kim and Jim talk about the rainy weather today, the sunny weather yesterday, and what they hope for tomorrow.

Listen!

Listen to Jim and Kim talking about the weather. Listen to the dialogue without reading the transcript. Answer the questions:

• What kind of weather is Kim complaining about today?
• How does Jim describe the weather forecast for today?
• What kind of weather are Kim and Jim hoping for tomorrow?

Phrases for talking about the weather

Here are some natural English phrases to describe the weather and share your feelings about it. Each section includes phrases from the dialogue and additional useful expressions.

Describing bad weather

In the dialogue, Kim and Jim use these phrases:

• What a miserable day! = This is a very unpleasant day.
• It’s tipping down. = It’s raining very hard.
• It looks pretty blustery. = It looks very windy.
• I bet it’s freezing out there. = I think it’s very cold outside.

Other useful phrases:

• What miserable weather! = The weather is very unpleasant.
• It’s drizzling. = There’s light rain falling.
• It’s spitting. = It’s raining lightly, but you won’t get very wet.
• It’s overcast. = The sky is completely covered with clouds.

Talking about good weather

In the dialogue, Kim and Jim use these phrases:

• Yesterday was such a lovely day. = Yesterday was very nice.
• It was boiling, wasn’t it? = It was very hot, wasn’t it?
• I even caught the sun. = I got a light tan.

Other useful phrases:

• It’s scorching. = It’s extremely hot.
• It’s sweltering. = The heat is intense and uncomfortable.
• Wow, what a lovely day! = This is a beautiful day.
• It’s roasting. = It’s very warm outside.

Expressing hopes and reactions

In the dialogue, Kim and Jim use these phrases:

• Hard to believe yesterday was so lovely, isn’t it? = It’s surprising how much the weather has changed.
• Let’s hope it brightens up tomorrow. = Let’s hope the weather gets better tomorrow.

Other useful phrases:

• It looks like it’s gonna rain. = It seems like rain is coming soon.
• It’s brightened up now. = The weather was cloudy or rainy, but now it’s sunny.
• It looks like it’s gonna be a nice day. = The weather seems like it will be good later.

Talking about the weather: dialogue transcript

Try to follow the transcript while you’re listening to the dialogue. This will help you pick up each speaker’s stress, intonation, and timing.

• Kim: Urggh! What a miserable day!
• Jim: Is it pouring with rain again?
• Kim: Yeah, it’s tipping down. And it looks pretty blustery, as well. I bet it’s freezing out there.
• Jim: I don’t get it. They said it was gonna be a nice day today.
• Kim: Well, at least it’s not snowing, eh?
• Jim: Hard to believe yesterday was such a lovely day, isn’t it?
• Kim: Yeah, it was boiling, wasn’t it? I even caught the sun.
• Jim: Yeah, me too. I got burnt to a crisp! And now look at it.
• Kim: Mind you, the day before yesterday wasn’t that nice, was it? This kind of weather makes me want to stay in bed all day.
• Jim: Yeah, gloomy, isn’t it? Let’s hope it brightens up a bit tomorrow.

Extra vocabulary from the dialogue

Here are some useful phrases and idioms from the dialogue. These will help you sound more natural when talking about the weather or in casual conversations.

• I don’t get it = I don’t understand.
  • Example: “I don’t get it. They said it was gonna be a nice day.” = I don’t understand why the weather isn’t nice.
• Mind you = However / that’s true but..
  • Example: “Mind you, the day before yesterday wasn’t that nice, was it?” = But the day before yesterday wasn’t great either.
• Burnt to a crisp = Badly sunburned.
  • Example: “I got burnt to a crisp!” = I got severely sunburned.
• Let’s hope = I hope / we should pray for..
  • Example: “Let’s hope it brightens up tomorrow.” = I hope the weather gets better tomorrow.

Other phrases for talking about the weather

These phrases are helpful for different weather situations, like describing conditions, sharing opinions, or making small talk.

How is the weather right now?

Native speakers often use these phrases to ask what the weather is like:

• What’s it like outside? Is it nice or bad weather?
• Isn’t it lovely today? The weather is nice today, don’t you think?

Describing rain

Here are some different ways to say “it’s raining”:

• It’s spitting. It’s raining lightly, but you won’t get very wet.
• It’s drizzling. There is light rain falling, but you’ll get very wet without noticing!
• It’s pouring (down) = it’s raining heavily
• It’s tipping down / pissing down = it’s raining very heavily

Talking about heat and sun

We use these phrases very often to describe very hot and sunny weather:

• It’s scorching!
• It’s boiling!
• It’s sweltering!
• It’s roasting!

Talking about wind

• It’s breezy = the weather is a little windy.
• It’s blowing a gale. = It’s very windy.

Describing changes in the weather

• It looks like it’s gonna rain. = It looks like it will rain soon.
• It’s brightened up now. = The weather was bad, but now it’s sunny.

Saying how weather makes you feel

• I’m soaked (to the skin). I am completely wet from the rain.
• I’m (absolutely) freezing! I feel extremely cold.

Language focus: “It’s rainy” vs. “It’s raining”

We use “It’s rainy” and “It’s raining” to talk about wet weather, but they mean slightly different things.

It’s Rainy

This describes the type of weather. Rainy is an adjective, so it tells us about the general weather situation.

• Examples:
  • “It’s a bit rainy today.” (The weather is wet and gloomy, but it might not be raining right now.
  • “Tomorrow will be rainy.” (The day will feel wet and unpleasant.)

It’s Raining

It’s raining means that the rain is falling right now. We’re focusing on what’s happening at the moment – not the general weather situation.

• Examples:
  • “It’s raining outside.” (Rain is falling right now.)
  • “It was raining earlier.” (Rain was falling earlier.)

And we can use the same pattern for snowy / snowing:

• It’s snowy / It’s snowing:
  • “It’s snowy today.” (The weather feels wintry.)
  • “It’s snowing outside.” (Snow is falling now.)