# to rain, to snow



## Dymn

Hi all,

There are some languages (e.g. Russian) which don't have (at least a colloquial) verb for "to rain" and "to snow" and use periphrastical constructions. How do you say "it's raining" and "it's snowing" in your language(s)?

English: _it's raining / it's snowing_
Catalan: _plou / neva_
Spanish: _llueve / nieva_
Russian: _идет дождь_ (_idet dožd'_, "rain goes") / _идет снег_ (_idet sneg_, "snow goes") (hope someone can confirm)

Thank you


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## Olaszinhok

Dymn said:


> Catalan: _plou / neva_


*Italian*: piove n*é*vica /sta piovendo/nevicando

*Hungarian*: "Esik az eső": it's raining or "Esik a hó" it's snowing - *esik *(rain/snow) *is falling*.
Native Hungarian speakers can correct me


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## ThomasK

I am sorry: "Het regent", "Het sneeuwt"...


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## Olaszinhok

ThomasK said:


> "Het regent", "Het sneeuwt"..


Out of curiosity, how would you say _it's raining and snowing (continuous tense) _in Dutch? _Es regnet/ schneit gerade_... something like this?


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## ThomasK

We would say: "Het is aan het regenen/ sneeuwen." (It is at snowing, something the like...)


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## apmoy70

Greek:

*«Βρέχει»* [ˈvre̞çi] --> _it rains/it's raininɡ_; it's the 3rd p. sing. form of MoGr v. *«βρέχω»* [ˈvre̞xo̞] --> _to wet, drench, send rain_ < Classical v. *«βρέχω» brékʰō*.

*«Χιονίζει»* [ço̞ˈniz̠i] --> _it snows/it's snowninɡ_; it's the 3rd p. sing. form of MoGr v. *«χιονίζω»* [ço̞ˈniz̠o̞] --> _to snow_ < Classical v. *«χιονίζω» kʰĭŏnízō* a denominative from the Classical feminine noun *«χιών» kʰĭṓn*.


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## elroy

Palestinian Arabic: عَمْ بِتْشَتِّي، عَمْ بِتْتَلِّجْ
Standard Arabic: إِنَّهَا تُمْطِر، إِنَّهَا تُثْلِج

Both use actual verbs (like English, Catalan, and Spanish), not periphrastic constructions. In Palestinian Arabic عَمْ بِتْشَتِّي تَلِجْ ("it's raining snow") is also possible.


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## Terio

Français :

Il pleut.
Il neige.


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## Awwal12

Dymn said:


> Russian: _идет дождь_ (_idet dožd'_, "rain goes") / _идет снег_ (_idet sneg_, "snow goes") (hope someone can confirm)


True, though "е" in "идет" actually stands for "ё", so it would be better to transcribe it as idyot/id'ot.


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## Armas

Finnish uses verb + noun, but for raining one can omit the noun:

*Sataa* "it's raining"
*Sataa vettä* "it's raining"
*Sataa lunta* "it's snowing"


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## Włoskipolak 72

Polish

deszcz = rain
it's raining = pada deszcz or simply pada or leje .
leje jak z cebra = it's raining cats and dogs.
padać = fall
ulewa = torrent , deluge 

śnieg = snow
pada śnieg = it's snowing
prószy =  prószyć = sift
ale prószy = it's snowing a lot
śnieżyca = blizzard


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## amikama

In Hebrew the nouns גשם (rain) and שלג (snow) go with the verb לרדת (to descend, to go down).

יורד גשם - rain is falling
יורד שלג - snow is falling


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## AndrasBP

Olaszinhok said:


> *Hungarian*: "Esik az eső": it's raining or "Esik a hó" it's snowing - *esik *(rain/snow) *is falling*.
> Native Hungarian speakers can correct me


Yes, that's correct but we also say "havazik" for "it's snowing". 


*Lithuanian*:

*lyja *= it rains / it's raining
*sninga *= it snows / it's snowing


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## Olaszinhok

AndrasBP said:


> *Lithuanian*:
> 
> *lyja *= it rains / it's raining
> *sninga *= it snows / it's snowing


Is there no difference between it rains and it is raining in Latvian and Lithuanian?


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## AndrasBP

Olaszinhok said:


> Is there no difference between it rains and it is raining in Latvian and Lithuanian?


No, they don't have a continuous tense. 
Hungarian "esik az eső" can have both meanings as well.


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## Olaszinhok

AndrasBP said:


> Hungarian "esik az eső" can have both meanings as well


Yes, but Hungarian can use some prefixes at times... Am I mistaken? Meg/ le for instance.


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## AndrasBP

Olaszinhok said:


> Am I mistaken? Meg/ le for instance.


I think you are. I can't think of any prefixes to express a progressive meaning.


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## Olaszinhok

AndrasBP said:


> I think you are. I can't think of any prefixes to express a progressive meaning.


You may be right. However, those prefixes express perfectiveness and they can be related to progressive/imperfective actions, particularly in the past. I mean, you can distinguish perfective vs imperfective actions thanks to those prefixes. This is just my opinion, perhaps.
P.S. An imperfective action can also be progressive to my mind.


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## AndrasBP

Olaszinhok said:


> they do have a relation to progressive/imperfective actions, particularly in the past.


Yes, that's right. 
However, those prefixes can't be used to express the difference between

"I drink tea" vs. "I'm drinking tea",
"he reads" vs. "he's reading",
"we sing" vs "we're singing", etc.

(Feel free to ask in the Hungarian forum! )


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## Welsh_Sion

*Cymraeg/Welsh

Mae (hi)'n bwrw (glaw)**
Is (she) PRED casting/throwing (rain)
It's raining/It rains

*It rains so often in Cymru/Wales the word for 'rain' is usually superfluous ...

*Mae (hi)'n bwrw eira*
Is (she) PRED casting/throwing snow

*Mae (hi)'n pluo eira*
Is (she) PRED feathering snow
It's snowing/It snows

And the one everyone learns (which I've been told resembles the Afrikaans expression):

*Mae (hi)'n bwrw hen wragedd a ffyn*
Is (she) PRED casting/throwing old SOFT MUTATION ladies and walking sticks
Approx. - It's raining cats and dogs/It rains cats and dogs

And one they don't:

*Mae (hi)'n bwrw cyllyll a ffyrc*
Is (she) PRED casting/throwing old  SOFT MUTATION knives and forks
Approx. - It's raining cats and dogs/It rains cats and dogs

And what is the difference between winter and autumn in Cymru?
- The rain is warmer in summer!


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## AutumnOwl

Swedish:
Regn - rain
Snö - snow
Att regna  - to rain
Att snöa - to snow
Det regnar - it rains
Det snöar  - it snows
Regnskur - rain shed/shower
Snöfall - snow fall

"Det regnar" is the most common way to say "it rains/it is raining", but there's also "det faller ett regn" (it falls a rain), "regnet faller" (the rain falls), "regnet föll" (the rain fell), which can be used in poetry, music, and also in more literary texts.

For snow, there is "det faller snö" (it falls snow), or "snön faller" (the snow falls) are common in music and in literary texts. "falla/föll i snön" (fall/fell in snow) is something else, it's when sombody falls because of, or into the snow.


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## Sobakus

Apart from the periphrastic expressions, Russian has the verbs *снежи́ть* _snežitь_ and *дожди́ть* _dožditь_ meaning "to snow/rain intermittently", but this nuance can sometimes be overlooked. Besides, one can use verbs like *льёт* _lьjot_ "it's pouring down" and *ва́лит* _valit_ "it's shovelling down".

For more rain-related vocabulary, Russian and otherwise, check out the thread It drizzles.


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## Awwal12

Sobakus said:


> but this nuance can sometimes be overlooked


I doubt I've ever encountered снежить. And дождить seems extremely limited in use.


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