Está or Hay? The weather. I just don't get it!

Lyn F.A2Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

Está or Hay? The weather. I just don't get it!

Está soleado         Literally "It is sunny."  (There is sun)   .

Hay niebla             Literally "there is fog"   (It is foggy)

  I have studied and studied this lesson but I keep getting it wrong. Grrr!

What is the rule, please?

Lyn

Asked 5 years ago
InmaNative Spanish expert teacher in Kwiziq

Hola Lyn

This lesson is about expressions when talking about the weather. It is idiomatic, so they don't have literal translations.

There is no specific rule. Some weather expressions use "hay", some "está", some "hace" (that is a different kwiziq lesson though) and some an impersonal verb like "llover" (to rain) or "nevar" (to snow) in the 3rd person singular, i.e "llueve" or "nieva".

Sometimes we can say the same thing using more than one structure, for example, you can say "it is sunny": 

1. Está soleado, or 2. Hace sol

There is a bit of memorising to do with this lesson.

We do give a little tip though in the lesson saying that if an expression uses "hay" a noun (in Spanish) needs to follow, for example "hay truenos". If an expression uses "está" then an adjective (in Spanish) will follow, for example "está nublado/soleado".

I hope it helped you understand it better.

Saludos

Inma

Lyn F.A2Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

Gracias Inma. 

Inez H.A2Kwiziq community member

I can't get it right either - how do I know if the word is an adjective or a noun? 

InmaNative Spanish expert teacher in Kwiziq

Hola Inez 

Please read answer to Lyn in this same thread. I hope it clarifies it for you.

Saludos

Lyn F. asked:

Está or Hay? The weather. I just don't get it!

Está soleado         Literally "It is sunny."  (There is sun)   .

Hay niebla             Literally "there is fog"   (It is foggy)

  I have studied and studied this lesson but I keep getting it wrong. Grrr!

What is the rule, please?

Lyn

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