Yored geshem: how the weather is spoken about
"It is raining" is two words here: yored geshem — literally "the rain descends". There is no weather subject: the rain has its own action and performs it itself. Thunder does not thunder but is heard: shomim raam. For example: “יורד גשם ויש רוח.” — It is raining, and there is wind. A rule from the Hebrew course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
"It is raining" is two words here: yored geshem — literally "the rain descends". There is no weather subject: the rain has its own action and performs it itself. Thunder does not thunder but is heard: shomim raam.
Weather qualities are adjectives without a linker: hayom cham — today it is hot, machar meunan — tomorrow it is overcast. No subject is needed here either: "hot" is not an action but a state of the air.
Whether a phenomenon exists at all is decided by yesh and ein: yesh geshem — there is rain, ein ruach — there is no wind. These two words do not change for anyone or anything — they are not verbs.
Haya — was: etmol haya geshem — yesterday there was rain. The time of day is put first: baboker, baerev — this is how forecasts are built.
Table
| phenomenon | pattern | example | translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| rain | yored + noun | יורד גשם | it is raining |
| downpour | yored + noun | יורד מבול | it is pouring |
| hot | quality, no linker | היום חם | today it is hot |
| cold | quality, no linker | בלילה קר | at night it is cold |
| there is rain | yesh + noun | יש גשם | there is rain |
| no wind | ein + noun | אין רוח | there is no wind |
| there was fog | haya + noun | היה ערפל | there was fog |
By example
- יורד גשם ויש רוח.йорэд гешем ве-йеш руах.It is raining, and there is wind.
- היום שמשי ומחר מעונן.хайом шимши ве-махар меунан.Today it is sunny, and tomorrow overcast.
- אתמול היה ערפל בעמק.этмоль хая арафель ба-эмэк.Yesterday there was fog in the valley.
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
How to say it is raining in Hebrew?
"It is raining" is two words here: yored geshem — literally "the rain descends". There is no weather subject: the rain has its own action and performs it itself. Thunder does not thunder but is heard: shomim raam.
Weather without a subject in Hebrew?
Weather qualities are adjectives without a linker: hayom cham — today it is hot, machar meunan — tomorrow it is overcast. No subject is needed here either: "hot" is not an action but a state of the air.
How to say hot and cold in Hebrew?
Weather qualities are adjectives without a linker: hayom cham — today it is hot, machar meunan — tomorrow it is overcast. No subject is needed here either: "hot" is not an action but a state of the air.
Is there rain in Hebrew?
"It is raining" is two words here: yored geshem — literally "the rain descends". There is no weather subject: the rain has its own action and performs it itself. Thunder does not thunder but is heard: shomim raam.
What does it look like in a Hebrew example sentence?
“יורד גשם ויש רוח.” (йорэд гешем ве-йеш руах.) — It is raining, and there is wind. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.