Japanese · Elementary (A2) · Chapter 6 of 12
Weather and seasons
天気と季節Tenki to kisetsu
Talk about the weather, the seasons and the future in Japanese: でしょう, と思う, かもしれない, ～くなる and temperatures.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Talk about the weather and the four seasons
- Say what you think will happen with と思う (to omou)
- Say what might happen with かもしれない (kamo shirenai)
- Say that something is getting warmer or colder
Listen
In February, Nomura Shun in Tokyo phones his sister Ai in Sapporo before his visit. They speak casually, as family do. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Shun
愛、今ちょっといい？
Ai, ima chotto ii?
Ai, have you got a minute?
Ai
うん、いいよ。何？
Un, ii yo. Nani?
Yes, sure. What is it?
Shun
来週札幌に行くけど、天気はどう？寒い？
Raishū Sapporo ni iku kedo, tenki wa dō? Samui?
I'm coming to Sapporo next week. What's the weather like? Is it cold?
Ai
うん、寒いよ。今日はマイナス五度だった。
Un, samui yo. Kyō wa mainasu godo datta.
Yes, it's cold. Today it was minus five.
Shun
マイナス五度！東京は今日、十度だったよ。
Mainasu godo! Tōkyō wa kyō, jūdo datta yo.
Minus five! In Tokyo it was ten degrees today.
Ai
来週も寒いと思う。雪も降るかもしれない。
Raishū mo samui to omou. Yuki mo furu kamo shirenai.
I think it'll be cold next week too. It might snow as well.
Shun
天気予報は？
Tenki yohō wa?
What does the forecast say?
Ai
ちょっと待って。…「来週は雪が降るでしょう」。
Chotto matte. … “Raishū wa yuki ga furu deshō.”
Hang on… (reading) “Snow is expected next week.”
Shun
わかった。暖かいコートを持っていくよ。
Wakatta. Atatakai kōto o motte iku yo.
OK. I'll bring a warm coat.
Ai
うん。夜はマイナス十度になるかもしれないよ。
Un. Yoru wa mainasu jūdo ni naru kamo shirenai yo.
Good. At night it might get down to minus ten.
Shun
え、マイナス十度？東京は先週から少し暖かくなったよ。
E, mainasu jūdo? Tōkyō wa senshū kara sukoshi atatakaku natta yo.
What, minus ten? In Tokyo it's got a bit warmer since last week.
Ai
いいね。札幌はまだ冬だよ。
Ii ne. Sapporo wa mada fuyu da yo.
Lucky you. In Sapporo it's still winter.
Understand
Talking about the future
Japanese has no separate future tense: the present form with a time word does the job. (raishū Sapporo ni iku), I'm going to Sapporo next week. Other future time words: (raigetsu), next month; (rainen), next year. (Between family, the te-form on its own is a casual request, as in Ai's (chotto matte), hang on.)
Weather forecasts say (deshō), “will probably”, after a plain form or a noun: (ashita wa yuki deshō), tomorrow it will probably snow. For your own opinion, put (to omou), or politely (to omoimasu), after a plain form; nouns and な-adjectives add (da): (samui to omoimasu), (yuki da to omoimasu). This is a plain form inside a polite sentence.
For “maybe, might”, add (kamo shirenai), or politely (kamo shiremasen), to a plain form, without after nouns: (yuki kamo shiremasen), it might snow.
- 明日は晴れでしょう。Ashita wa hare deshō.Tomorrow will probably be sunny.
- 来週も寒いと思います。Raishū mo samui to omoimasu.I think it'll be cold next week too.
- 午後は雨が降るかもしれません。Gogo wa ame ga furu kamo shiremasen.It might rain in the afternoon.
Becoming: ～くなる and ～になる
(naru) means “to become”. With an い-adjective, drop -i and add -ku naru: (samui) → (samuku naru), to get cold; (atatakaku natta), it got warm. With nouns and な-adjectives, use (ni): (ame ni naru), to turn to rain; (mainasu jūdo ni naru), to go down to minus ten.
- 東京は少し暖かくなりました。Tōkyō wa sukoshi atatakaku narimashita.It's got a bit warmer in Tokyo.
- 夜は雪になるでしょう。Yoru wa yuki ni naru deshō.It will probably turn to snow in the night.
Weather words and the four seasons
The basic weather words are nouns: (hare), sunny; (kumori), cloudy; (ame), rain; (yuki), snow. Rain and snow “fall”: (ame ga furu), it rains. Temperatures take -度 (-do): (jūdo), ten degrees; (mainasu godo), minus five.
Japan has four clear seasons, (kisetsu), and a rainy season, (tsuyu), from June to July in most of the country.
| Season | The weather is… |
|---|---|
| (haru), spring | (atatakai), warm |
| (natsu), summer | (atsui), hot |
| (aki), autumn | (suzushii), cool |
| (fuyu), winter | (samui), cold |
New words
- 寒いsamuicold (weather) · さむい; い-adjective
- マイナスmainasuminus
- ～度-do… degrees · ど; (jūdo), ten degrees
- 思うomouto think · おもう; after a plain form + (to): (samui to omou)
- 雪yukisnow · ゆき
- 降るfuruto fall (rain, snow) · ふる; u-verb: (furimasu)
- かもしれないkamo shirenaimight, maybe · polite: (kamo shiremasen)
- 天気予報tenki yohōweather forecast · てんきよほう
- でしょうdeshōwill probably (in forecasts)
- 暖かいatatakaiwarm · あたたかい; い-adjective
- コートkōtocoat
- 夜yorunight · よる
- なるnaruto become, to get · u-verb: (narimasu), (natta)
- 冬fuyuwinter · ふゆ
Practise
1.Which sentence sounds like a weather forecast: “It will probably snow tomorrow”?
2.How do you say “It got cold”?
3.Put the words in order: say you think it'll be cold next week too.
Tap the words below in the right order.I think it'll be cold next week too.
4.Match the seasons.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
5.Which sentence means “It might snow”?
6.Put the words in order: say it might go down to minus ten at night.
Tap the words below in the right order.At night it might go down to minus ten.
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
天気はどう？寒い？
Tenki wa dō? Samui?
What's the weather like? Is it cold?
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.