A weather forecast is a tiny, self-contained grammar lesson. In a few sentences it combines three of the most useful structures in formal Romanian: the impersonal weather verbs that have no real subject (va ploua — "it will rain"), the voi-future that broadcasters favor (vor fi temperaturi scăzute — "there will be low temperatures"), and the impersonal se that keeps the forecaster invisible (se vor înregistra — "there will be recorded / will be measured"). On top of that, every temperature is a chance to apply the number-plus-de rule (20 de grade but 15 grade). Master a forecast and you have a portable toolkit for any impersonal, future-oriented formal Romanian.
This page presents an original national weather forecast, then annotates the meteorological grammar: impersonal verbs, the voi-future, the se-passive/impersonal, the temperature-number rule, and the standard meteo vocabulary.
The forecast
Prognoza meteo pentru ziua de mâine, valabilă pentru întreaga țară.
The weather forecast for tomorrow, valid for the whole country.
În cursul dimineții vremea va fi în general frumoasă, cu cer senin în cea mai mare parte a țării.
During the morning the weather will be generally fine, with clear skies in most of the country.
După-amiază se vor înregistra ploi slabe în zona de vest și averse izolate la munte.
In the afternoon, weak rains will be recorded in the western region and isolated showers in the mountains.
Spre seară va ploua în Transilvania, iar în zonele înalte va ninge slab.
Towards evening it will rain in Transylvania, and in the high areas it will snow lightly.
Vântul va sufla cu intensitate moderată, cu rafale de până la 50 de kilometri pe oră.
The wind will blow with moderate intensity, with gusts of up to 50 kilometers per hour.
Temperaturile maxime se vor situa între 15 și 20 de grade, iar cele minime vor scădea până la 4 grade.
The maximum temperatures will lie between 15 and 20 degrees, while the minimum ones will drop to 4 degrees.
Pe timpul nopții se anunță ceață densă în zonele joase și pe văile râurilor.
During the night, dense fog is forecast in the low-lying areas and in the river valleys.
Vremea se va răci treptat începând de joi, când sunt așteptate precipitații mai abundente.
The weather will cool gradually starting Thursday, when more abundant precipitation is expected.
Line by line
Va ploua / va ninge — impersonal weather verbs
Weather verbs in Romanian, like in English, have no real subject. Va ploua means "it will rain," but there is no Romanian word for that "it" — the verb simply stands in the impersonal 3rd-person singular. This is the defective/impersonal behavior of a ploua ("to rain"), a ninge ("to snow"), a tuna ("to thunder"), a fulgera ("to lightning"):
| Romanian | Tense | English |
|---|---|---|
| plouă | present | it's raining / it rains |
| a plouat | past | it rained |
| va ploua | future | it will rain |
| ninge / va ninge | present / future | it's snowing / it will snow |
Plouă de două zile fără oprire.
It's been raining for two days without stopping.
Mâine va ninge la munte.
Tomorrow it will snow in the mountains.
Va fi / vor fi / vor scădea — the formal voi-future
Forecasts are the natural home of the voi-future (voi, vei, va, vom, veți, vor + infinitive). Broadcasts and meteo bulletins use it consistently because the register is formal and written-to-be-read-aloud. Watch the number agreement: a singular subject takes va, a plural subject takes vor:
Vremea va fi frumoasă. (singular subject → va)
The weather will be fine.
Temperaturile vor scădea. (plural subject → vor)
The temperatures will drop.
Va fi cer senin dimineața și nori după-amiază.
There will be clear skies in the morning and clouds in the afternoon.
The existential va fi / vor fi is especially common: vor fi temperaturi scăzute ("there will be low temperatures"), where vor fi + a plural noun expresses "there will be." In speech a Romanian would say o să fie, but no forecaster does.
Se vor înregistra / se anunță / se va răci — the impersonal se
The second pillar of forecast grammar is the impersonal/passive se. It lets the forecaster state what will happen without naming who measures or announces it:
- se vor înregistra ploi — "rains will be recorded" (se-passive; ploi is plural, so vor).
- se anunță ceață — "fog is forecast/announced" (impersonal se; ceață is singular, so anunță).
- vremea se va răci — "the weather will cool" (here se is part of the inherently reflexive verb a se răci, "to cool down").
Se vor înregistra precipitații abundente în sud.
Abundant precipitation will be recorded in the south.
Se anunță vreme instabilă pentru weekend.
Unstable weather is forecast for the weekend.
Cerul se va înnora treptat.
The sky will gradually cloud over.
Crucially, the se-verb agrees in number with the thing happening (its grammatical subject): se anunță ceață (sg.) but se anunță ploi (pl. → se anunță stays, but se vor înregistra ploi shows the plural vor). This is the same agreement logic as the se-passive.
20 de grade / 15 grade — temperatures and the number + de rule
Every temperature is an application of the number-plus-de rule. Numbers 2 through 19 attach directly to the noun; numbers 20 and up insert de:
| Temperature | Romanian | de? |
|---|---|---|
| 4° | 4 grade | no de |
| 15° | 15 grade | no de |
| 20° | 20 de grade | de required |
| up to 50 km/h | de până la 50 de kilometri pe oră | de required (50 ≥ 20) |
So între 15 și 20 de grade shows the rule beautifully: 15 takes no de, but 20 does — and in the phrase the de attaches to the higher number that immediately precedes grade. The expression de până la ("of up to") is the standard forecast phrasing for maxima: rafale de până la 50 de kilometri ("gusts of up to 50 km").
Temperatura va urca până la 28 de grade la prânz.
The temperature will climb up to 28 degrees at noon.
Minimele vor fi de 7 grade în Capitală.
The lows will be 7 degrees in the Capital.
Cer senin / averse / precipitații / rafale — meteo vocabulary
A forecast runs on a fixed lexicon. The most useful terms:
| Romanian | English |
|---|---|
| cer senin / înnorat | clear / overcast sky |
| ploi slabe / averse | weak rains / showers |
| precipitații | precipitation |
| ceață densă | dense fog |
| rafale de vânt | wind gusts |
| temperaturi maxime / minime | maximum / minimum temperatures |
| vreme instabilă | unstable weather |
Se anunță averse cu descărcări electrice după-amiază.
Showers with electrical discharges (thunderstorms) are forecast in the afternoon.
Cerul va fi variabil, cu înnorări temporare.
The sky will be variable, with temporary cloud cover.
Note the time adverbs that segment the day: în cursul dimineții ("during the morning"), după-amiază ("in the afternoon"), spre seară ("towards evening"), pe timpul nopții ("during the night").
Common Mistakes
Inventing a pronoun for the "it" of weather verbs:
❌ Aceasta va ploua mâine.
Wrong — weather verbs are subjectless: Va ploua mâine.
✅ Va ploua mâine.
It will rain tomorrow.
Mismatching the future auxiliary with the subject's number:
❌ Temperaturile va scădea.
Wrong — plural subject needs vor: Temperaturile vor scădea.
✅ Temperaturile vor scădea.
The temperatures will drop.
Forgetting de with temperatures of 20 and above:
❌ Va fi 25 grade la prânz.
Wrong — 25 ≥ 20 needs de: Va fi 25 de grade la prânz.
✅ Va fi 25 de grade la prânz.
It will be 25 degrees at noon.
Adding de to temperatures below 20:
✅ Se vor înregistra ploi în vest.
Rains will be recorded in the west.
Key Takeaways
- Weather verbs (plouă, ninge, va ploua) are subjectless impersonals — no pronoun for English "it."
- Forecasts use the voi-future throughout, with the auxiliary matching subject number: va fi (sg.) vs. vor fi (pl.).
- The impersonal se keeps the forecaster invisible (se vor înregistra ploi, se anunță ceață); the verb agrees with the phenomenon.
- Temperatures follow the number + de rule: 15 grade but 20 de grade; the forecast phrase is de până la.
- Learn the meteo lexicon (cer senin, averse, precipitații, rafale, ceață) and the day-segmenting adverbs (spre seară, pe timpul nopții).
Now practice Romanian
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Start learning Romanian→Related Topics
- The Literary Future (voi + infinitive)B1 — How to form Romanian's formal future — the auxiliary voi/vei/va/vom/veți/vor plus the bare short infinitive — where it belongs (news, literature, officialdom), and how clitics attach to it.
- The Impersonal se (one/you/they)B1 — How Romanian uses se for fully generic statements with no specific subject — the natural rendering of English 'one', 'you', 'they', and 'people'.
- Choosing the Passive: se vs a fiB2 — A decision guide for Romanian's two passives — the se-passive for generic, agentless, habitual statements, and a fi + participle for a specific completed event with a nameable agent.
- Numbers in Age, Time, and MeasurementA2 — Romanian states age with 'a avea' + de + ani (Am treizeci de ani = 'I have thirty years'), not 'a fi'; clock time, distances, weights, and prices all obey the same number-plus-'de' threshold at twenty (cinci ani but douăzeci de ani).
- Journalistic RegisterB2 — Romanian journalism has a signature grammatical tic: the conditional used to mark unverified claims — the reportative conditional (Ministrul ar fi demisionat = 'The minister has reportedly resigned'), which distances the outlet from the assertion. So ar fi + participle in a news text means 'allegedly', not 'would'. Press style also leans on attribution (potrivit, conform, surse citate de), headline ellipsis that drops articles and verbs, a neologism- and quote-heavy structure, and lead-paragraph conventions — with a sharp split between tabloid sensationalism and broadsheet sobriety.
- Telling Dates and TimeA2 — Dates use plain cardinals plus a month (pe 5 martie) — except the 1st, which is the special ordinal 'întâi'; clock time uses 'și' for minutes past the hour (trei și zece) and 'fără' ('without') for minutes to the hour (patru fără cinci).