Dutch weather vocabulary
In a country where the weather changes three times before lunch, talking about it is a national reflex. This page gives you the core weather words, the surprisingly large family of Dutch rain words, the language of forecasts, and the phrases that carry most weather small talk.
The single most useful sentence is Wat een weer! ("What weather!") — said with a sigh, it covers a downpour, a gale or a grey sky equally well. The noun for weather is het weer, and the verb for "to rain" is regenen. Note that Dutch uses het as a dummy subject the way English uses "it": het regent ("it is raining"), het waait ("it is windy"), het vriest ("it is freezing").
Core weather words
Nouns are given with their article (de or het) and plural, since that is how you should memorise them — see de or het for why the article matters.
| Dutch | Article / plural | English |
|---|---|---|
| weer | het (no plural) | weather |
| zon | de, zonnen | sun |
| wolk | de, wolken | cloud |
| regen | de (no plural) | rain |
| wind | de, winden | wind |
| sneeuw | de (no plural) | snow |
| hagel | de (no plural) | hail |
| ijs | het (no plural) | ice |
| mist | de (no plural) | fog, mist |
| onweer | het (no plural) | thunderstorm |
| bliksem | de (no plural) | lightning |
| donder | de (no plural) | thunder |
| temperatuur | de, temperaturen | temperature |
| graden | de (plural of graad) | degrees |
| lucht | de, luchten | sky, air |
| bui | de, buien | shower (of rain) |
| vorst | de (no plural) | frost |
| dooi | de (no plural) | thaw |
| regenboog | de, regenbogen | rainbow |
| druk (hoge-/lage-) | de (no plural) | (high/low) pressure |
Describing the weather (adjectives & verbs)
| Dutch | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| zonnig | sunny | Het is zonnig. — It is sunny. |
| bewolkt | cloudy | Het is zwaar bewolkt. — It is heavily overcast. |
| regenachtig | rainy | een regenachtige dag — a rainy day |
| winderig | windy | Het is erg winderig. — It is very windy. |
| mistig | foggy | Het is mistig op de weg. — It is foggy on the road. |
| warm | warm, hot | Het is lekker warm. — It is pleasantly warm. |
| koud | cold | Het is ijskoud. — It is freezing cold. |
| fris | chilly, fresh | Het is fris vanochtend. — It is chilly this morning. |
| zwoel | muggy, sultry | Het is zwoel. — It is muggy. |
| helder | clear | een heldere hemel — a clear sky |
| grijs | grey, overcast | Het is weer grijs. — It is grey again. |
| nat | wet | Ik ben helemaal nat. — I am soaked. |
| droog | dry | Het blijft droog. — It stays dry. |
| glad | slippery | Het is glad door de vorst. — It is slippery from the frost. |
Adjectives take the ending -e before a noun (een koude dag) but not after zijn (de dag is koud); the rule is set out on Dutch adjectives.
Rain, in all its forms
A grey, wet climate breeds a rich rain vocabulary, and the Dutch have a word for almost every intensity. Knowing the difference between a drizzle and a cloudburst is genuinely useful when you decode a forecast or decide whether to take the bike.
| Dutch | Article / plural | English |
|---|---|---|
| motregen | de (no plural) | fine drizzle |
| miezer / miezerregen | de (no plural) | light, misty drizzle |
| buitje | het, buitjes | a light shower |
| bui | de, buien | a shower (passing) |
| regenbui | de, regenbuien | a rain shower |
| plensbui | de, plensbuien | a heavy downpour |
| stortbui | de, stortbuien | a cloudburst, torrential rain |
| hoosbui | de, hoosbuien | a violent downpour |
| onweersbui | de, onweersbuien | a thundery shower |
| hagelbui | de, hagelbuien | a hail shower |
The idiom for really hard rain is het regent pijpenstelen — literally "it is raining pipe-stems", the equivalent of "it is raining cats and dogs". To get caught in the rain is in de regen belanden, and the verb plenzen ("to pelt down") stands on its own: het plenst.
Belgian usage: the core vocabulary is identical across the Netherlands and Flanders, but Flemish forecasts often favour opklaringen ("bright spells") and you will hear the Belgian broadcaster's beloved lentetemperaturen ("spring-like temperatures"). Both countries share the standard language — see Dutch vs Flemish.
The seasons
| Dutch | Article | English |
|---|---|---|
| lente / voorjaar | de / het | spring |
| zomer | de | summer |
| herfst / najaar | de / het | autumn |
| winter | de | winter |
Like the days and months, season names are not capitalised in Dutch: in de winter, volgende zomer. For the full set of time words see days, months and seasons.
The language of forecasts
The Dutch forecast is het weerbericht or de weersverwachting, delivered by het KNMI (the national meteorological institute). A few phrases recur constantly:
| Dutch | English |
|---|---|
| wisselvallig | changeable, unsettled |
| kans op regen | chance of rain |
| opklaringen | bright spells, clearing |
| in de loop van de dag | during the course of the day |
| plaatselijk | locally, in places |
| geleidelijk | gradually |
| een matige tot krachtige wind | a moderate to strong wind |
| code geel / oranje / rood | weather warning: yellow / orange / red |
| het vriest licht | there is a light frost |
| maxima rond de 20 graden | highs around 20 degrees |
Temperatures are always in Celsius: Het is achttien graden. ("It is eighteen degrees."). Below zero you say min vijf or vijf graden onder nul ("minus five / five degrees below zero").
Weather as small talk
Weather is the safest opener in Dutch, exactly as in English. These phrases keep a conversation going:
| Dutch | English |
|---|---|
| Lekker weer, hè? | Nice weather, isn't it? |
| Wat een weer! | What (awful) weather! |
| Het klaart op. | It is clearing up. |
| Het wordt kouder. | It is getting colder. |
| Volgens de weersverwachting gaat het regenen. | According to the forecast it is going to rain. |
| Neem een paraplu mee. | Take an umbrella with you. |
| Het valt wel mee vandaag. | It is not so bad today. |
| Het is om te zwemmen zo warm. | It is warm enough to go swimming. |
The tag hè? at the end invites agreement, the way English adds "isn't it?". For more openers and the reality of Dutch directness, see Dutch small talk.
Keep building your everyday vocabulary: work through days, months & seasons and colours, or step back to the vocabulary hub for the full set of topic lists.