Weather in forecasts: the impersonal and que + subjuntiu
The weather in Catalan is always impersonal: fa fred, plou, neva — there is no subject and none is needed. The past and the certain are said in the indicative: "Ahir va ploure tot el dia". But the forecast is about what is not yet, and the future nobody is sure of Catalan hides behind "que" + subjuntiu: Han anunciat que demà plogui — they announced it will rain tomorrow, És possible que nevi al Pirineu — it is…
How it works
The weather in Catalan is always impersonal: fa fred, plou, neva — there is no subject and none is needed. The past and the certain are said in the indicative: "Ahir va ploure tot el dia". But the forecast is about what is not yet, and the future nobody is sure of Catalan hides behind "que" + subjuntiu: Han anunciat que demà plogui — they announced it will rain tomorrow, És possible que nevi al Pirineu — it is possible it will snow in the Pyrenees.
The subjunctive forms are taken from the same weather verbs: plogui (ploure), nevi (nevar), faci fred/vent/sol (fer), hi hagi gelades (haver-hi). If they speak confidently — without "que", in the simple future: Demà farà sol — tomorrow it will be sunny. Certainty and doubt divide so: farà — I promise, pugui ploguer — I do not know.
Table
| form | meaning | example |
|---|---|---|
| farà sol | a confident forecast | Demà farà sol |
| que + subjuntiu | doubt in the forecast | que demà plogui |
| faci fred / hi hagi gelades | fer and haver-hi in the subjunctive | que faci fred |
By example
- Demà farà sol a tota la costaTomorrow it will be sunny along the whole coast
- Han anunciat que demà ploguiThey announced it will rain tomorrow
- És possible que nevi al PirineuIt is possible it will snow in the Pyrenees
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
Weather in forecasts: how does it work in Valencian?
The weather in Catalan is always impersonal: fa fred, plou, neva — there is no subject and none is needed. The past and the certain are said in the indicative: "Ahir va ploure tot el dia". But the forecast is about what is not yet, and the future nobody is sure of Catalan hides behind "que" +…
What does it look like in an example sentence Valencian?
“Demà farà sol a tota la costa” — Tomorrow it will be sunny along the whole coast. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.