Confused about hay and está for the weather

Question

Hello. Can someone provide insight please? It says you use Hay in front of a noun so why is it used to say something is foggy. I am sure that foggy is an adjective just like the word sunny so why is esta used to say something is sunny but you can’t use it to say it is foggy?

Silvia Piriz · Accepted Answer

Hola Kim G.
Great question! The difference comes down to whether we are referring to a noun or an adjective.
"Hay" is used with nouns, which is why we say "Hay niebla" (There is fog) since 'niebla' is a noun. On the other hand, "está" is used with adjectives, which is why we say "Está soleado" (It is sunny), since "soleado" is an adjective. In Spanish, 'foggy' is typically expressed with "hay niebla" instead of using an adjective form like in English. Hope this helps!
Silvia