In English, we say "It is raining," even though there is no actual "it" doing the raining. Icelandic does the exact same thing using the dummy subject það (it) for impersonal expressions, especially when talking about the weather.
Weather Verbs
For actions like raining and snowing, simply use það followed by the verb.
| It rains a lot. | Það rignir mikið. |
| It is snowing outside now. | Það snjóar úti núna. |
| It rains often in Iceland. | Það rignir oft á Íslandi. |
Weather Conditions with "Það er"
When describing the general state of the weather outside using adjectives, use the phrase það er (it is).
Because það is a neuter pronoun, any adjectives describing it must also be in their neuter singular form. You will see base adjectives like dimmur (dark) and bjartur (bright) take their neuter forms (dimmt and bjart) in these sentences.
| It is cloudy and very dark. | Það er skýjað og mjög dimmt. |
| It is bright today. | Það er bjart í dag. |
| It is dark inside. | Það er dimmt inni. |
Weather Nouns
If a specific weather element—like the sun (sólin) or the snow (snjórinn)—is the main actor in the sentence, you drop the dummy subject and use the noun as the normal subject.
| It is bright and the sun is shining. | Það er bjart og sólin skín. |
You can also use það er followed by a noun to mean "there is" a certain type of weather.
| There is a cold wind outside. | Það er kaldur vindur úti. |
| There is rain and wind today. | Það er rigning og vindur í dag. |
As you talk more about conditions outside, you will naturally start combining real subjects with dummy subjects to set the scene:
| The snow is beautiful but it is cold. | Snjórinn er fallegur en það er kalt. |
| It is dark outside and the rain is cold. | Það er dimmt úti og rigningin er köld. |
