Para Empezar III Grammar: Weather, Seasons & Colors
Weather:
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There are 7 weather expressions that you need to learn in this chapter.
Five of those expressions begin with the word "hace" which means "it makes or it’s
making." In Spanish we say that "it's making sun" outside. Sometimes the things that
you literally translate don't add up... ALWAYS translate words and expressions in a way
that will make sense to you when you say them in English (and vice versa).
Hace sol - It's sunny.
Hace calor - It's hot.
Hace frío - It's cold
Hace fresco – It’s cool
Hace viento - It's windy.
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The other two expressions do not use "hace” because they are verbs in their own right.
These two weather terms are the most difficult to remember for students.
Llueve - It's raining.
Nieva - It's snowing.
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The word "tiempo" means time but it can also mean weather. How will you know which
one they’re talking about? Context clues.
To ask how the weather is say, ¿Qué tiempo hace? Then answer with one of the
expressions that you learned above.
Seasons:
 Students also have difficulty remembering the seasons - particularly how to spell them.
 Note that there are 3 masculine seasons and one feminine season:
el verano - summer
el otoño - fall
el invierno - winter
la primavera - spring
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The word for season in Spanish is "estación" which means "station."
Colors:
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In this chapter you will become familiar with the colors and we will review them
throughout the year.
Remember that colors are adjectives so they must agree in number and gender with the
noun that they modify (describe) in Spanish.
There are several other colors and shades that we will not cover but one of the most
common debates is in regards to the color brown. In Spain they say "marrón" where as
in most other Spanish-speaking countries they say "café." Either way is correct but just
know that the textbook uses marrón so you need to be familiar with it.
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Here are the basic colors in Spanish:
amarillo, -a
anaranjado, -a
azul
blanco, -a
gris
marrón/café
morado, -a
negro, -a
rojo, -a
rosado, -a
verde
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yellow
orange
blue
white
gray
brown
purple
black
red
pink
green
Here are the words to an easy song that might help you remember your colors. Sing it
to the tune of Are You Sleeping?
Red is rojo
Green is verde
Blue, azul
Negro, black
Yellow, amarillo
Purple is morado
Gray is gris
Brown, café