Breakdown of Según el pronóstico, va a llover mañana.
mañana
tomorrow
a
to
ir
to go
llover
to rain
según
according to
el pronóstico
the forecast
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Questions & Answers about Según el pronóstico, va a llover mañana.
What does según mean in this sentence and how is it used?
Según translates to “according to.” It introduces the source of the information—in this case, the weather forecast. You always follow según with what you’re citing: según el pronóstico = “according to the forecast.”
Why is va a llover used here instead of the simple future lloverá?
Spanish has two common ways to talk about future events:
- Periphrastic future: va a + infinitive (e.g. va a llover)
- Simple future: lloverá
Both express predictions, but va a llover is more colloquial and very common in Latin America for near‐future events. Lloverá sounds a bit more formal or neutral.
Why is there no subject pronoun like “it” before va a llover?
In Spanish, weather verbs like llover, nevar or tronar are impersonal. You can’t say “él va a llover” or “eso va a llover.” Instead you simply use the verb form va a llover with no explicit subject.
Why is the definite article el used before pronóstico?
Pronóstico is a masculine singular noun. When you refer to a specific forecast (for example, the one you saw on the news), you need the definite article el: el pronóstico = “the forecast.”
Could you use a different word instead of pronóstico, like informe or parte meteorológico?
Yes. You might also hear:
- parte meteorológico (weather report)
- informe del tiempo (weather report)
But pronóstico (forecast) is the most common in everyday speech in Latin America.
Why is mañana placed at the end of the sentence? Can you move it?
Spanish word order is flexible. You can say:
- Según el pronóstico, va a llover mañana.
- Mañana, según el pronóstico, va a llover.
- Va a llover mañana, según el pronóstico.
Moving mañana only shifts emphasis slightly; the meaning stays the same.
Why does según have an accent mark on the “u”?
The accent (´) shows that the stress falls on the second syllable: se-GÚN. Without it, you’d break the normal stress rules, so the written accent ensures correct pronunciation.
How do you pronounce Según el pronóstico, va a llover mañana?
In Latin American Spanish, a neutral pronunciation is roughly:
/seˈɣun el pɾonoˈstiko ba a ʝoˈβeɾ maˈɲana/
- g in según is a soft [ɣ] between vowels
- ll in llover often sounds like [ʝ] or [ʒ] depending on the region
- ñ in mañana is [ɲ] (like “ny” in “canyon”)
Is va a llover mañana considered present progressive because it uses “va a”?
No. Va a + infinitive is called the “ir a” future or near future, not the present progressive. Present progressive uses estar + gerund (e.g. está lloviendo = “it’s raining now”). Va a llover strictly means “it’s going to rain” (in the near future).