In Spanish, there are a series of verbs that are called climatic or meteorological. These are those are used to name atmospheric phenomena.

These verbs are defective, that is, they are not fully conjugated, and in this case only the third person singular is used.

Examples:

llover / llueve / llovía / llovió / lloverá

amanecer / amanece / amanecía / amanecerá

nublarse / se nubla / se nublaba / se nublará

Sentences with climatological verbs don’t have a subject (they are impersonal sentences).

Examples:

Ayer nevó muy fuerte.

En invierno oscurece temprano.

Esta noche ha helado.

Here you are the 23 most used climate verbs in Spanish, with their translations into English, Portuguese and French:

 

 

amanecer / to dawn / amanhecer / se lever le jour

clarear / to clear up / clarear / s’éclaicir

atardecer / to get dark / entardecer / tomber le jour

anochecer / to get dark / anoitecer / tomber la nuit

oscurecer / to get dark / escurecer / s’obscurcir

llover / to rain / chover / pleuvoir

lloviznar / to drizzle / chuviscar / bruiner

chispear / to drizzle / chuviscar / pleuviner

granizar / to hail / chover granizo / grêler

diluviar / to pour with rain / diluviar / pleuvoir à verse

jarrear / to rain in torrents / diluviar / pleuvoir à torrents

escampar / to stop raining / desanuviar o céu / cesser de pleuvoir

nublarse / to become cloudy / nublar / se couvrir de nuages

aclarar / to clear up / aclarar / s’éclaicir

ventear / to be windy / estar vento / faire du vent

ventiscar / to snow with a strong wind / nevascar / y avoir une tempête de niege

nevar / to snow / nevar / neiger

helar / to freeze / gelar / geler

rociar / to be a dew / orvalho / se déposer la rosée

escarchar / to frost / escarchar / geler blanc

tronar / to thunder / troar / tonner

relampaguear / to lighten / relampejar / y avoir des éclairs

rielar / to shimmer / espelhar a lua no mar / brasiller

 

Alberto Gómez Font/Practica Español