Breakdown of tiānqìyùbào shuō huì xiàyǔ.
Questions & Answers about tiānqìyùbào shuō huì xiàyǔ.
How is this sentence put together grammatically?
It breaks down like this:
- 天气预报 = the weather forecast
- 说 = says
- 会下雨 = will rain / is going to rain
So the structure is:
[noun] + 说 + [clause]
Very literally, it is The weather forecast says [it will rain].
Chinese often uses 说 to introduce reported information, much like English say.
Why is 说 used here? A weather forecast cannot literally speak.
In Chinese, 说 is often used more broadly than just for a person speaking out loud. It can also be used for things like:
- reports
- signs
- notices
- forecasts
- messages
So 天气预报说…… is perfectly natural and works like English the weather forecast says...
A slightly more formal alternative would be 据天气预报 = according to the weather forecast.
What does 会 mean here?
Here, 会 is a modal verb showing a predicted future event. In this sentence, it means something like:
- will
- is expected to
- is likely to
So 会下雨 means it will rain.
This is not the 会 that means can / know how to in sentences like 我会说中文.
Why is there no subject like it before 下雨?
Chinese does not use a dummy subject like English it in weather expressions.
English says:
- It is raining
- It will rain
Chinese just says:
- 下雨
- 会下雨
So there is no need for a word corresponding to English it.
This is very common in Mandarin with weather verbs, for example:
- 下雪 = to snow
- 刮风 = to be windy / the wind blows
What exactly is 下雨? Is 下 a verb by itself here?
下雨 is best learned as a fixed weather expression meaning to rain.
Historically and literally, 下 has the idea of falling downward, so 下雨 is roughly rain falls. But for learners, the easiest approach is to treat 下雨 as a single verb phrase meaning to rain.
The same pattern appears in:
- 下雪 = to snow
- 下冰雹 = to hail
So in this sentence, 会下雨 is simply will rain.
Can I leave out 会 and say 天气预报说下雨?
You may hear shortened expressions like that in very casual or compressed speech, but 天气预报说会下雨 is more standard and clearer.
Why? Because 会 marks the prediction clearly. Without it, the sentence can sound a bit clipped.
So for a learner, 天气预报说会下雨 is the safer and more natural choice.
Why can’t I say 天气预报会下雨?
Is 天气预报 one word, or is it just 天气 plus 预报?
It is a compound noun made from:
- 天气 = weather
- 预报 = forecast
Together, 天气预报 means weather forecast.
So yes, it is built from two parts, but it functions as one noun phrase in the sentence.
How does 会 here differ from 要 in weather sentences?
This is a very common question.
会下雨 = it will rain / it is expected to rain
This is a neutral prediction.要下雨了 = it is about to rain
This usually suggests the signs are already visible and the rain seems imminent.
So in a forecast sentence, 会下雨 is the normal choice. 要下雨了 sounds more like someone looking at the sky and saying rain is coming soon.
How should I pronounce this sentence naturally?
The pronunciation is:
tiānqì yùbào shuō huì xiàyǔ
Tones:
- 天 tiān — 1st tone
- 气 qì — 4th tone
- 预 yù — 4th tone
- 报 bào — 4th tone
- 说 shuō — 1st tone
- 会 huì — 4th tone
- 下 xià — 4th tone
- 雨 yǔ — 3rd tone
A natural rhythm is:
天气预报 / 说 / 会下雨。
You can make a small pause after 天气预报, because that whole part is the subject.
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