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Learning the Russian vocabulary needed to make small talk and engage in casual conversation is an important part of learning the language. Russians like talking about the weather almost as much as British people do, and one often hears conversations about the weather, anywhere from the grocery store to the hospital waiting room. In this post, we learn how to start and conduct a conversation about the weather in Russian.
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How to Describe the Weather in Russian
The first word you need to know is the word “weather”: “погода” (pogoda).
Какая сегодня погода? (Kakaya segodnya pogoda?) – What is the weather like today?
Погода сегодня хорошая. (Pogoda segodnya khoroshaya.) – The weather is nice today.
In many parts of Russia, winter is the longest season, so let’s start by learning how to talk about the cold and snowy weather. Look at the phrases that might be used to describe the weather in winter:
Идет снег. (Idyot sneg.) – It is snowing.
Вчера в Москве был сильный снегопад. (Vchera v Moskve byl sil’nyi snegopad.) – There was a heavy snowstorm in Moscow yesterday.
На дорогах гололед. (Na dorogakh gololyod.) – The roads are slippery.
На улице сильный мороз. (Na ulitse silnyi moroz.) – It’s freezing outside.
На улице холодно. (Na ulitse kholodno.) – It is cold outside.
The phrase “на улице” (na ulitse) can be used to describe other types of weather, since it means “outside.”
На улице жарко. (Na ulitse zharko.) – It is hot outside.
На улице ветер.(Na ulitse veter.) – It is windy outside.
На улице светит солнце. (Na ulitse svetit solntse.) – The sun is shining outside.
To describe hot weather, use the following phrases:
На улице теплая и солнечная погода.(Na ulitse tyoplaya i solnechnaya pogoda.) – It is warm and sunny outside.
Сегодня жаркий день. (Segodnya zharkii den’.) – It’s a hot day today.
Сегодня жарко. (Segodnya zharko.) – Today is hot.
Сегодня ясно. (Segodnya yasno.) – Today is clear.
Today and Yesterday
You can also describe any kind of weather by starting with the phrase “сегодня…” (segodnya …), which means “today.” Just make sure you use it to talk about today’s weather.
Сегодня пасмурно. (Segodnya pasmurno.) – Today is cloudy.
Change “сегодня” (segodnya – today) to “вчера” (vchera – yesterday) to describe the previous day’s weather:
Вчера весь день шел дождь. (Vchera ves’ den’ shyol dozhd’.) – Yesterday it rained all day.
Weather Types
You can also talk about other types of weather:
Туман (tuman) – fog
Град (grad) – hail
Туча (tucha) – storm cloud
Гроза (groza) – thunderstorm
Гром (grom) – thunder
Молния (molniya) – lightning
Лужи (luzhi) – puddles
Let’s use these Russian vocabulary words in sentences:
Сегодня утром был густой туман. Днем на небе появились тучи, а к вечеру пошел сильный ливень, который превратился в град. (Segodnya utrom byl gustoi tuman. Dnyom na nebe poyavilis’ tuchi, a k vecheru poshuol sil’nyi liven’t, kotoryi prevratilsya v grad.) There was a heavy fog today in the morning. At midday, storm clouds appeared in the sky, and in the evening, it started to rain heavily. The rain turned into hail.
После дождя на дорогах появились лужи. (Posle dozhdya na dorogakh poyavilis’ luzhi.) Puddles appeared on the roads after the rain.
Хорошо, что не было грозы. Я боюсь грома и молнии. (Khorosho, shto ne bylo grozy. Ya bouis’ groma i molnii.) It’s good there was no thunderstorm. I’m afraid of lightning and thunder.
How to Start a Conversation about the Weather
When people don’t know what to talk about, they usually talk about the weather. They begin the conversation by asking a question:
Ты знаешь, какая завтра будет погода? (Ty znaesh’ kakaya zavtra budet pogoda?) – Do you know what the weather will look like tomorrow?
Когда наступит весна? (Kogda nastupit vesna?) – When does spring start?
На неделе будут дожди? (Na nedele budut dozhdi?) – Is it going to rain this week?
You can also start the conversation by saying something about the weather:
Вчера выпал первый снег. (Vhera vypal pervyi sneg.) – The first snow fell yesterday.
Правда? (Pravda?) – Really?
If you want to impress Russians, say the following when rain clouds start gathering:
Кажется, дождь собирается. (Kazhetsya, dozhd’ sobiraetsya.) – It looks like it’s going to rain.
This is the Russian translation of “Tut, tut, it looks like rain,” the well-known quotation from Winnie the Pooh. The cartoon series was popular in both the USSR and Russia, and the quotation is widely known and often used to describe rainy weather.
How to Absorb New Russian Vocabulary about the Weather
To remember the words and phrases you’ve learned, look out of the window and try to describe the weather in Russian. If you find this difficult, order a Russian lesson and work with one of our tutors.