Il tempo è instabile.

The weather is unstable.

Breakdown of Il tempo è instabile.

• essere: to be
• il tempo: the weather
• instabile: unstable

Questions & Answers about Il tempo è instabile.

What does tempo mean in this sentence?

Here tempo means weather, not time. Italian uses il tempo to talk about weather conditions (e.g. Il tempo è bello = “The weather is nice”).

Why is the article il used before tempo?

Il is the masculine singular definite article (“the”).
• Tempo is a masculine, singular noun.
• To say “the weather” you need il → il tempo.

Why is the verb è used here?

È is the third‐person singular present of essere (“to be”).
Since il tempo (“the weather”) is a third‐person singular subject, you use è (“is”).

Why does the adjective end in -e and not -o?

Adjectives ending in -e in Italian are the same for both masculine and feminine, but they do change for number:
• Singular: instabile
• Plural: instabili
Here, tempo is singular, so instabile stays in its singular form.

Why is the adjective instabile placed after the noun?

Most descriptive adjectives in Italian follow the noun they modify.
• Il tempo (noun) → instabile (adjective)
Placing it after the noun is the neutral, standard word order.

Can I say “Tempo instabile” without the article and verb?

Yes, but it changes the register.
• Tempo instabile (headline or bulletin style)
• Il tempo è instabile (full sentence, neutral style)
The first sounds like a weather‐report title; the second is a complete sentence.

Are there synonyms for instabile when talking about weather?

Yes, examples include:
• variabile (“changeable”)
• incerto (“uncertain”)
• altalenante (“fluctuating”)
Each has a slightly different nuance, but all describe unsettled weather.

How do you pronounce instabile?

Phonetically: in-STA-bi-le
• Stress on the second syllable: STA
• Italian i sounds like English “ee,” a like “ah,” e like “eh.”