Learn Portuguese (Portugal): No inverno faz frio.

In Portuguese, you almost always use the word for "the" before seasons. No is a contraction of the preposition em (in) and the masculine word for "the", which is o. So, no inverno literally translates to "in the winter".

Why do we use faz instead of a word for "is" to talk about the weather?

When describing weather conditions in Portuguese, it is very common to use the verb fazer (to do / to make) rather than the verb "to be". Instead of saying "it is cold", you literally say "makes cold" (faz frio).

Where is the word for "it" before the verb?

Portuguese frequently drops subject pronouns (like "I", "he", or "it") because the verb itself shows who or what is doing the action. For general weather statements, you simply use the third-person verb form (faz) all by itself.

Is frio an adjective or a noun here?

In the expression faz frio, frio acts as a noun meaning "coldness" (literally "makes coldness"). You will also see frio used as a describing word (adjective) in other sentences, but weather expressions with fazer use it as a noun.