Questions & Answers about На улице тепло, как будто уже весна.
Why doesn't this sentence use так же ... как to compare the weather to spring?
The structure так же ... как is used for exact equality, meaning 'as [adverb] as'. If the sentence meant 'It's as warm today as it is in spring,' you could use it. However, this sentence means 'It is warm, as if it were spring.' To say 'as if' or 'as though', Russian uses the specific phrase как будто.
In English we say 'as if it were', using a past-tense form. Do we need a special verb form after как будто?
No, Russian is much simpler here! You don't need a special subjunctive or past tense form just because of как будто. You simply state the fact as if it were really happening. Since the meaning is 'as if it is already spring,' Russian uses the present tense, which here means just using the noun весна with no verb at all.
Why do we say на улице for 'outside'? Doesn't that mean 'on the street'?
Yes, literally на улице means 'on the street' using the prepositional case. While Russian does have a direct translation for the physical outside of a building (снаружи), when you are talking about the weather or being outdoors generally, на улице is the standard, natural phrase to use.
Where is the word for 'it' in 'It is warm'?
When describing states of the environment, weather, or how someone feels, Russian uses impersonal sentences. This means there is no subject (no 'it'). You just use the adverb form тепло all by itself.