Chinese · Elementary (A2) · Chapter 6 of 12
Weather and seasons
天气和季节Tiānqì hé jìjié
Talk about the weather and the seasons in Chinese: what it's doing now, what it will be like, temperatures below zero and what to bring.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Describe the weather and the seasons
- Say what the weather will be like with 会 (huì) and 要…了 (yào… le)
- Say what's happening right now with 正在…呢 (zhèngzài… ne)
- Give advice with 如果…就… (rúguǒ… jiù…)
Listen
Zhu Lin, in Harbin, phones her brother Zhu Tao in Kunming before she visits him next week. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Zhu Lin
哥，我下个星期去昆明。那儿天气怎么样？
Gē, wǒ xià ge xīngqī qù Kūnmíng. Nàr tiānqì zěnmeyàng?
Hey, it's me. I'm coming to Kunming next week. What's the weather like there?
Zhu Tao
很好。今天气温二十度，很暖和。
Hěn hǎo. Jīntiān qìwēn èrshí dù, hěn nuǎnhuo.
Lovely. It's twenty degrees today, nice and warm.
Zhu Lin
二十度？哈尔滨天冷了，今天零下十五度。外面正在下雪呢。
Èrshí dù? Hā'ěrbīn tiān lěng le, jīntiān língxià shíwǔ dù. Wàimiàn zhèngzài xià xuě ne.
Twenty degrees? It's got cold in Harbin. It's minus fifteen today, and it's snowing outside right now.
Zhu Tao
昆明冬天不冷，夏天也不热，所以也叫“春城”。
Kūnmíng dōngtiān bù lěng, xiàtiān yě bú rè, suǒyǐ yě jiào “Chūnchéng”.
In Kunming, winter isn't cold and summer isn't hot either. That's why it's also called the “City of Spring”.
Zhu Lin
太好了。你看天气预报了吗？下个星期会下雨吗？
Tài hǎo le. Nǐ kàn tiānqì yùbào le ma? Xià ge xīngqī huì xià yǔ ma?
Great. Have you seen the weather forecast? Will it rain next week?
Zhu Tao
看了。星期一和星期二可能会下雨，然后是晴天。
Kàn le. Xīngqīyī hé xīngqī'èr kěnéng huì xià yǔ, ránhòu shì qíngtiān.
Yes. It might rain on Monday and Tuesday, and then it'll be sunny.
Zhu Lin
那我要带伞吗？
Nà wǒ yào dài sǎn ma?
So should I bring an umbrella?
Zhu Tao
如果你星期一来，就带一把伞吧。
Rúguǒ nǐ xīngqīyī lái, jiù dài yì bǎ sǎn ba.
If you come on Monday, bring an umbrella.
Zhu Lin
好。昆明常常刮风吗？
Hǎo. Kūnmíng chángcháng guā fēng ma?
OK. Is it often windy in Kunming?
Zhu Tao
春天常常刮风，现在风不大。你那儿还在下雪吗？
Chūntiān chángcháng guā fēng, xiànzài fēng bú dà. Nǐ nàr hái zài xià xuě ma?
It's often windy in spring, but it isn't very windy now. Is it still snowing where you are?
Zhu Lin
不下了。天气预报说晚上要下大雪了。
Bú xià le. Tiānqì yùbào shuō wǎnshang yào xià dà xuě le.
It's stopped. The forecast says there's going to be heavy snow tonight.
Zhu Tao
哈尔滨的冬天太冷了。来昆明吧，这儿很暖和。
Hā'ěrbīn de dōngtiān tài lěng le. Lái Kūnmíng ba, zhèr hěn nuǎnhuo.
Winter in Harbin is too cold. Come to Kunming, it's warm here.
Understand
What will the weather be like?
Chinese has no future tense: the time word does most of the work. For predictions, put (huì), will (probably), before the verb: (míngtiān huì xià yǔ), it'll rain tomorrow. (kěnéng), maybe, makes it less sure: (kěnéng huì xià yǔ), it might rain. The negative is (bú huì), won't.
(yào… le) means something is about to happen: (yào xià xuě le), it's going to snow (soon). The verb goes between 要 and 了.
| Chinese | Meaning |
|---|---|
| (Míngtiān huì xià yǔ.) | It'll rain tomorrow. |
| (Míngtiān bú huì xià yǔ.) | It won't rain tomorrow. |
| (Xiàwǔ kěnéng huì guā fēng.) | It might be windy this afternoon. |
| (Yào xià xuě le.) | It's going to snow. |
It's snowing now: 正在…呢
To say something is happening right now, put (zhèngzài) or just (zài) before the verb. (ne) at the end is often added in speech: (wàimiàn zhèngzài xià xuě ne), it's snowing outside (, wàimiàn) right now. Ask with (zài… ma?): (Hái zài xià xuě ma?) Is it still snowing?
(le) at the end shows a change, as in chapter 3: (tiān lěng le), it's got cold; (bú xià le), it's stopped (raining or snowing); (chūntiān lái le), spring has come.
- 外面在下雨呢。Wàimiàn zài xià yǔ ne.It's raining outside.
- 天暖和了。Tiān nuǎnhuo le.It's got warmer.
- 雨不下了。Yǔ bú xià le.The rain has stopped.
Seasons, temperatures and “if”
Temperatures use (dù), degree; below zero is (língxià): (língxià shíwǔ dù), minus fifteen. (lěng) is cold, (rè) hot, and (tiān) on its own often means the weather: (tiān lěng le), it's got cold. The seasons are in the table. Weather verbs have 下 or 刮 before them: (xià yǔ), to rain, literally “rain falls”; (guā fēng), to be windy, “wind blows”.
(rúguǒ… jiù…) means “if…, then…”. (rúguǒ) starts the condition and (jiù) comes before the verb of the result: (rúguǒ xià yǔ, wǒ jiù bú qù), if it rains, I won't go.
| Chinese | English |
|---|---|
| (chūntiān) | spring |
| (xiàtiān) | summer |
| (qiūtiān) | autumn |
| (dōngtiān) | winter |
| (qíngtiān) | a sunny day |
| (yīntiān) | a cloudy day |
More in the grammar: Joining sentences: connectors · Talking about the future · 了 at the end: change and new situations · 在, 正在 and 着
New words
- 气温qìwēntemperature (of the air) · (tiānqì), weather
- 暖和nuǎnhuowarm (pleasantly)
- 零下língxiàbelow zero · (língxià wǔ dù), minus five degrees
- 下雪xià xuěto snow · (xià dà xuě), to snow heavily
- 冬天dōngtiānwinter · (dōngtiān hěn lěng), winter is cold
- 夏天xiàtiānsummer · (xiàtiān hěn rè), summer is hot
- 春天chūntiānspring
- 天气预报tiānqì yùbàoweather forecast
- 下雨xià yǔto rain
- 可能kěnéngmaybe, possibly · (kěnéng huì xià yǔ), it might rain
- 晴天qíngtiānsunny day, fine weather
- 带dàito bring, to take along
- 伞sǎnumbrella · measure word (bǎ): (yì bǎ sǎn)
- 刮风guā fēngto be windy · (fēng), wind; (fēng hěn dà), it's very windy
Practise
1.Match the seasons and the weather.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
2.Look out of the window: it's raining right now. What do you say?
3.The thermometer shows −10 °C. How do you say it?
4.Put the words in order: it's raining outside right now.
Tap the words below in the right order.It's raining outside right now.
5.Put the words in order: if it rains, bring an umbrella.
Tap the words below in the right order.If it rains, bring an umbrella.
0 of 5 exercises done.
Say it out loud
今天天气怎么样？
Jīntiān tiānqì zěnmeyàng?
What's the weather like today?
Listen, then say it out loud, as close to the recording as you can.
Check
Five questions on this chapter. Then mark it as finished to add its words to your review deck.
0 of 5 answered.