Heute ist das Wetter schlecht.

Today the weather is bad.

Breakdown of Heute ist das Wetter schlecht.

• sein: to be
• heute: today
• das Wetter: the weather
• schlecht: badly

Questions & Answers about Heute ist das Wetter schlecht.

Why does the sentence start with Heute? Could it also be Das Wetter ist heute schlecht?

Yes, you can also say Das Wetter ist heute schlecht. Both are correct and mean the same thing.

German has a verb‑second rule in main clauses: the conjugated verb must be in the second position.

• Heute ist das Wetter schlecht.
  
  • 1st element: Heute
  • 2nd element (verb): ist
• Das Wetter ist heute schlecht.
  
  • 1st element: Das Wetter
  • 2nd element (verb): ist

By putting Heute first, you emphasize today a bit more.
By putting Das Wetter first, you emphasize the weather more.
But in everyday speech they are almost interchangeable.

Why do we say das Wetter and not just Wetter?

In German, most singular countable and many uncountable nouns usually take an article, even when English does not.

English: Weather is bad today. (no article)
German: Das Wetter ist heute schlecht. (with article)

Wetter is treated like a specific thing in the situation, so German uses the definite article das.

Leaving it out (Heute ist Wetter schlecht) sounds clearly wrong to native speakers.

Why is it das Wetter and not der or die Wetter?

Every German noun has a grammatical gender that must simply be learned:

• der = masculine
• die = feminine
• das = neuter

Wetter happens to be neuter, so it always takes das in the singular:

• das Wetter – the weather

There is no logical reason; it is just part of the word’s dictionary entry: das Wetter.

Why is it schlecht and not schlechte, schlechter, or schlechtes?

In this sentence, schlecht is a predicate adjective (it comes after the verb ist and describes the subject).

Predicate adjectives in German do not take endings:

• Das Wetter ist schlecht.
• Das Essen war gut.
• Die Kinder sind müde.

Adjective endings (-e, -er, -es, -en, …) are used when the adjective stands in front of a noun (attributive position):

• das schlechte Wetter – the bad weather
• ein schlechtes Wetter – a bad weather (uncommon, but grammatically: adjective has ending)

So:

• After ist → schlecht (no ending)
• Before Wetter → schlechtes Wetter / schlechte Wetter (with ending, depending on article and case)

Could I also say Heute ist das Wetter nicht gut instead of schlecht?

Yes. Both are correct but slightly different in nuance:

• Heute ist das Wetter schlecht.
  → Direct, clearly negative: “The weather is bad today.”

• Heute ist das Wetter nicht gut.
  → Softer, more neutral: “The weather is not good today.”
  (Could be just mediocre, not necessarily really awful.)

Grammatically, both use a predicate adjective after ist, so the structure is the same.

Is Heute ist das Wetter schlecht more like “Today the weather is bad” or “The weather is bad today”?

It corresponds naturally to “Today the weather is bad.”, because Heute is at the beginning.

However, in German, changing the position like this is very flexible, and both:

• Heute ist das Wetter schlecht.
• Das Wetter ist heute schlecht.

can translate as “The weather is bad today.”, depending on what you want to emphasize.
The main thing is: the meaning is the same; only focus or emphasis can shift slightly.

Why is it ist and not hat, like “Today the weather has bad”?

German uses sein (ist) with adjectives in this type of sentence, similar to English “to be”:

• English: The weather is bad.
• German: Das Wetter ist schlecht.

The verb haben (hat) is used to express possession or “having” something:

• Das Wetter hat sich geändert. – The weather has changed.
• Wir haben gutes Wetter. – We have good weather.

So when simply describing a state (“is bad”), you use sein, not haben.

Can I say Heute ist es schlecht to mean “The weather is bad today”?

Yes, Heute ist es schlecht is grammatically correct, and in context it often does mean “The weather is bad today.”

Examples:

• You look out the window, see rain and dark clouds, and say:
  Heute ist es schlecht. → “It’s bad today.” (People will understand: the weather.)

However, es is very general (“it”), so without context it could also refer to:

• traffic
• your mood
• the situation at work etc.

Heute ist das Wetter schlecht is more explicit and clear, especially for learners.

Why is Heute capitalized? Are all time words capitalized in German?

In this sentence, Heute is capitalized only because it is the first word of the sentence.

Normally, heute is written with a lowercase h, because it is an adverb, and adverbs are not capitalized in German:

• Ich komme heute. – I’m coming today.
• Gestern war es kalt. – Yesterday it was cold.

So:

• Start of sentence → Heute
• Inside sentence → heute

How is Wetter pronounced, and how is it different from English weather?

Wetter is pronounced approximately: [ˈvɛtər]

Key points:

• W → like English v in very.
  So Wetter starts with a v sound, not a w sound.
• e → short e, like in English bet, get.
• tt → a clear, short t.
• er at the end → often like a reduced “uh” sound with a light r, something like -uh(r).

So it sounds like “VET-ter”, not like English “wether” or “wee-ther”.