Lesson goal
After the lesson, the student will be able to describe the current weather and climate, talk about seasons, seasonal changes, and the influence of weather on everyday plans. The student will also learn to correctly use impersonal constructions with weather: det er, det regner, det blir.
Usage context
This vocabulary is needed in everyday conversations about the forecast, clothing, trips, commuting to work, weekends, vacations, and road conditions. Typical situations: discussing the forecast, complaining about rain or snow, comparing winter and summer, talking about the climate in a region, explaining why plans change because of the weather.
New vocabulary
vær — weather — a general word for describing weather conditions
årstid — season — used when comparing seasons
temperatur — temperature — often used with the verbs stige and synke
regnfull — rainy — usually about a day, week, summer, or autumn
vind — wind — often used in combinations about severe weather
snøfall — snowfall — often used in news, forecasts, and transport updates
mild — mild, unusually warm for the season — often about winter, an evening, or climate
mørk — dark — often about wintertime, morning, or evening
klima — climate — about long-term weather conditions, not today’s weather
glatt — slippery — often about roads and sidewalks in winter
skyet — cloudy — a neutral description of the sky
oppholdsvær — dry weather without precipitation — useful when planning walks
Useful phrases
Det blir kaldere utover kvelden. — It will get colder later in the evening. — when talking about a gradual change in the weather
Om vinteren er det ofte mørkt og glatt. — In winter it is often dark and slippery. — for a general description of winter conditions
Jeg liker best mildt vær. — I like mild weather best. — when talking about personal preferences
Snøfallet skaper problemer i trafikken. — The snowfall causes problems in traffic. — in conversations about transport and delays
Det er mye vind i dag. — It is very windy today. — for describing the current weather
Det regner fortsatt. — It is still raining. — when the weather is not changing
Det er mildt for årstiden. — It is mild for the season. — when comparing with the seasonal norm
Klimaet her er ganske fuktig. — The climate here is quite humid. — when talking about a region, not about today
Grammar
To describe weather in Norwegian, impersonal constructions are often used. The formal subject det is not translated separately, but it must be included in the sentence. The choice of construction depends on whether we are describing a state, a process, or a change.
det er + adjective/noun: used for a state or general characteristic: Det er kaldt., Det er mye vind.
det regner / det snør / det blåser: used when we say that precipitation or wind is happening now
det blir + adjective: used for a change of state: Det blir varmere.
With weather, people usually do not say vær er to mean “the weather is ...”; the impersonal model with det is more natural
After det er, the adjective often appears in the neuter form: kaldt, mørkt, mildt
det blir is often combined with time expressions: senere, utover dagen, i kveld
Examples with analysis
Det er kaldt ute i dag. — It is cold outside today. det er is used because this describes the current state.
Det regner mye i Bergen om høsten. — It rains a lot in Bergen in autumn. The verb regner shows the process of rain itself.
Det blir varmere i helgen. — It will get warmer at the weekend. Det blir shows a change in the weather in the future.
Om våren er været ofte ustabilt. — In spring the weather is often unstable. Here the word været itself can be used, but the description is still built with er.
Det er mildt for årstiden. — It is mild for the season. The adjective is in the neuter form: mildt.
Det snør, så vi må kjøre forsiktig. — It is snowing, so we have to drive carefully. The weather is linked to a practical consequence.
Det er mørkt allerede klokka fire. — It is already dark at four o’clock. The impersonal construction describes the general state of the surroundings.
Snøfallet skaper store problemer i trafikken. — The snowfall causes major problems in traffic. Here there is already a regular subject snøfallet, because the phenomenon is being discussed as a cause.
Klimaet i denne delen av landet er mildere enn i nord. — The climate in this part of the country is milder than in the north. For climate, the noun klimaet is used because it is a long-term characteristic.
Det blåser mye ved kysten, men det er oppholdsvær. — It is very windy on the coast, but there is no precipitation. In one sentence, the process det blåser and the state det er oppholdsvær are combined.
Typical mistakes
Er kaldt i dag → Det er kaldt i dag — in an impersonal construction, the formal subject det is needed
Det er regner → Det regner — with precipitation verbs, er is not needed
Det blir kaldt nå ute hele dagen → Det er kaldt ute nå — det blir is needed for change, not for an already existing state
Klimaet i dag er dårlig → Været i dag er dårlig — klima is not used for today’s weather
Det er mye vinder → Det er mye vind — usually vind is used as an uncountable word
Om vinteren er det ofte mørk og glatt → Om vinteren er det ofte mørkt og glatt — after det er, mørkt is needed in the neuter form
Mini-summary
det er — state: Det er kaldt.
det regner / det snør / det blåser — weather process happening now
det blir — change: Det blir kaldere.
vær — weather now or in the near future, klima — long-term conditions
After det er, the adjective form ending in -t is often needed: mildt, mørkt, kaldt