Greek weather talk uses several constructions rather than one translation of English it is. Some conditions are verbs by themselves—βρέχει, χιονίζει, φυσάει. Temperature commonly uses κάνει + noun, while visible conditions often use έχει + noun. None needs an empty pronoun corresponding to English dummy it.
Ask with Τι καιρό κάνει;
Ο καιρός means “the weather.” The standard broad question is Τι καιρό κάνει;, literally “What weather is it making?” Add a place or time phrase as needed.
Τι καιρό κάνει στη Θεσσαλονίκη αυτή την εβδομάδα;
ti keró káni sti Thesaloníki aftí tin evdhomádha;
What's the weather like in Thessaloniki this week?
Ο καιρός σήμερα είναι ήπιος, αλλά λίγο άστατος.
o kerós símera íne ípios, alá lígho ástatos
The weather today is mild but a little unsettled.
The first is a content question, so τι asks for a description. A yes/no follow-up such as Θα βρέξει; normally has Greek’s low–rise–fall polar contour rather than an automatically imported English final rise.
Θα βρέξει το απόγευμα ή μπορούμε να πάμε παραλία;
tha vréksi to apóyevma i borúme na páme paralía;
Will it rain this afternoon, or can we go to the beach?
Weather verbs stand alone
The third-person singular forms βρέχει “it is raining,” χιονίζει “it is snowing,” and βροντάει “it is thundering” can make a complete clause with no subject.
Βρέχει ασταμάτητα από τα ξημερώματα.
vréchi astamátita apó ta ksimerómata
It has been raining nonstop since dawn.
Στα ορεινά χιονίζει από νωρίς το πρωί.
sta oriná chionízi apó norís to proí
It has been snowing in the mountains since early morning.
Βροντάει προς τα δυτικά· μάλλον έρχεται καταιγίδα.
vrondái pros ta dhitiká; málon érchete kateyídha
It's thundering to the west; a storm is probably coming.
Greek verb endings normally identify a subject, but these weather uses describe an event without a participant that speakers need to name. Adding αυτό would make it a genuine demonstrative “this/that,” not a grammatical placeholder.
Past and future are ordinary verb forms: έβρεχε “it was raining,” χιόνισε “it snowed,” θα βρέξει “it will rain.” Their paradigms belong on impersonal and weather verbs.
φυσάει is a verb
Φυσάει is often translated “it is windy,” but grammatically it is the verb φυσάω “blow.” In the ordinary subjectless weather use, the understood condition is wind blowing. It can also occur with overt ο άνεμος as an actual subject.
Φυσάει πολύ στην παραλία και σηκώνει άμμο.
fisái polí stin paralía ke sikóni ámo
It's very windy on the beach, and the wind is lifting sand.
Ο βόρειος άνεμος φυσάει δυνατά από το μεσημέρι.
o vórios ánemos fisái dhinatá apó to mesiméri
The north wind has been blowing hard since midday.
κάνει + weather noun
Temperature and general atmospheric feel commonly use impersonal κάνει plus a noun or fixed complement:
- κάνει κρύο — it is cold
- κάνει ζέστη — it is hot
- κάνει λιακάδα — it is sunny / there is bright sunshine
- κάνει καλό/κακό καιρό — the weather is good/bad
Το βράδυ κάνει κρύο στο χωριό, ακόμη και τον Ιούνιο.
to vrádhi káni krío sto chorió, akómi ke ton Iúnio
It is cold in the village at night, even in June.
Τον Αύγουστο κάνει πολλή ζέστη στο κέντρο της Αθήνας.
ton Ávghusto káni polí zésti sto kéndro tis Athínas
In August it is very hot in central Athens.
Μετά τη βροχή έκανε λιακάδα και βγήκαμε βόλτα.
metá ti vrochí ékane liakádha ke vyíkame vólta
After the rain it turned sunny, and we went for a walk.
Κρύο, ζέστη, and λιακάδα are nouns here. English adjective syntax therefore does not predict the Greek phrase.
έχει + visible condition
Subjectless έχει presents something as present in the sky or atmosphere: έχει ήλιο, έχει σύννεφα, έχει ομίχλη, έχει συννεφιά. English may translate it with there is, it is, or the sky is.
Έχει ήλιο, αλλά η θερμοκρασία παραμένει χαμηλή.
échi ílio, alá i thermokrasía paraméni chamilí
It's sunny, but the temperature remains low.
Πάνω από τα βουνά έχει μαύρα σύννεφα.
páno apó ta vuná échi mávra sínefa
There are dark clouds above the mountains.
Το πρωί έχει συχνά ομίχλη κοντά στο ποτάμι.
to proí échi sichná omíchli kondá sto potámi
In the morning there is often fog near the river.
Seasons and typical conditions
Season names function as bare accusative time expressions: την άνοιξη, το καλοκαίρι, το φθινόπωρο, τον χειμώνα.
Την άνοιξη ο καιρός αλλάζει γρήγορα στο νησί.
tin ániksi o kerós alázi ghríghora sto nisí
In spring, the weather changes quickly on the island.
Το καλοκαίρι έχει συνήθως ήλιο και φυσάει το απόγευμα.
to kalokéri échi siníthos ílio ke fisái to apóyevma
In summer it is usually sunny, and it gets windy in the afternoon.
Το φθινόπωρο βρέχει συχνότερα, ενώ τον χειμώνα χιονίζει στα βουνά.
to fthinóporo vréchi sichnótera, enó ton chimóna chionízi sta vuná
It rains more often in autumn, while in winter it snows in the mountains.
These are useful descriptions, not universal climate claims. Greece and other Greek-speaking regions vary sharply by altitude, coast, and locality.
A mini forecast
Everyday forecasts combine θα with weather verbs or θα έχει/κάνει. The future does not create a dummy subject.
Αύριο το πρωί θα έχει συννεφιά στα δυτικά.
ávrio to proí tha échi sinefiá sta dhitiká
Tomorrow morning it will be cloudy in the west.
Από το μεσημέρι θα φυσάει δυνατά στο Αιγαίο.
apó to mesiméri tha fisái dhinatá sto Eyéo
From midday, strong winds will blow in the Aegean.
Το βράδυ θα βρέξει τοπικά και η θερμοκρασία θα πέσει.
to vrádhi tha vréksi topiká ke i thermokrasía tha pési
In the evening, it will rain locally and the temperature will fall.
For an annotated broadcast-style text, see a weather report.
Common Mistakes
Adding an English-style dummy subject
The weather verb itself is a complete predicate.
✅ Χιονίζει πυκνά και οι δρόμοι έχουν κλείσει.
chionízi pikná ke i dhrómi échun klísi
It is snowing heavily, and the roads have closed.
Combining φυσάει with είναι
Use the finite verb directly or name ο άνεμος as its real subject.
✅ Σήμερα φυσάει λιγότερο από χθες.
símera fisái lighótero apó chthes
Today it is less windy than yesterday.
Using one construction for every condition
Learn the collocations: βρέχει, κάνει κρύο, έχει σύννεφα.
✅ Κάνει ζέστη, έχει ήλιο και δεν φυσάει καθόλου.
káni zésti, échi ílio ke dhen fisái kathólu
It is hot and sunny, with no wind at all.
Confusing καιρός with χρόνος
Καιρός names weather or, in other constructions, an opportune/extended time; clock and measured time normally use χρόνος/ώρα.
✅ Ο καιρός χάλασε, αλλά έχουμε χρόνο να περιμένουμε.
o kerós chálase, alá échume chróno na periménume
The weather turned bad, but we have time to wait.
Key Takeaways
- Use subjectless verbs for events: βρέχει, χιονίζει, βροντάει, φυσάει.
- Φυσάει is already a verb meaning that wind is blowing; it is not an adjective after είναι.
- Learn the collocations κάνει κρύο/ζέστη/λιακάδα and έχει ήλιο/σύννεφα/ομίχλη.
- Ask broadly with Τι καιρό κάνει; and build forecasts with θα plus the same subjectless patterns.
Related Topics
- Impersonal and Weather VerbsB1 — The inventory of Greek verbs that live in the third person singular with nobody behind them: βρέχει, χιονίζει, φυσάει, αστράφτει, νυχτώνει, ξημερώνει, plus πρόκειται να, συμβαίνει and τυχαίνει. Includes their two pasts (έβρεχε against έβρεξε), the subjects that do turn up when there is one to name (Φυσάει βοριάς), and the personal lives these same verbs lead elsewhere (Φύσα τη σούπα, Βράχηκα).
- Impersonal ConstructionsB1 — Map Greek impersonal frames by the complement they select: bare weather predicates, modal and evaluative να-clauses, factual που-clauses, and propositional ότι/πως-clauses.
- Text: A Weather ReportB1 — Read an original broadcast-style Greek forecast through its impersonal weather constructions, future viewpoints, temperature ranges, wind directions, and semi-formal register.