Learn French: En hiver, il y avait beaucoup de neige. - In winter, there was a lot of snow.

Il y avait is the imparfait form of the impersonal expression il y a (there is/there are). We use the imparfait here because we are describing a general past situation, a habit, or a recurring state in the past, rather than a single, completed event.

Why do we say en hiver instead of using dans or à?

To say 'in' a season, French uses the preposition en with no article for seasons starting with a vowel or silent 'h': en hiver (in winter), en été (in summer), and en automne (in autumn). The only exception is spring, which uses au printemps.

Why isn't it beaucoup de la neige since snow is a specific noun?

After expressions of quantity like beaucoup (a lot), un peu (a little), or trop (too much), you always use just de (or d'). The definite article (la, since neige is feminine) is dropped, making it simply beaucoup de neige.

Do I need to pronounce a liaison in en hiver?

Yes! Because hiver starts with a silent 'h', it acts like a vowel for pronunciation. You must make a mandatory liaison with the 'n' in en, so it is pronounced 'ah-nee-vair'.