A1 Present Tense 20 min read Easy

Weather with 'Fazer' (It makes sun)

Portuguese weather 'makes' nouns (heat, cold, sun) rather than 'is' adjectives, using the impersonal verb 'fazer'.
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Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

Use the verb 'fazer' in the third-person singular to describe weather conditions; never change it to plural.

  • Always use the third-person singular: 'Faz sol' (It is sunny).
  • Never use a subject pronoun like 'ele' or 'ela' for weather.
  • The verb 'fazer' stays the same even if the weather condition is plural-sounding.
Faz + [Weather Condition] (e.g., Faz + calor)

Overview

The Portuguese language often conceptualizes meteorological phenomena not as states of being, but as actions performed by an unseen agent—nature itself. This fundamental difference from English is encapsulated in the widespread use of the verb fazer (to make/to do) when describing ambient weather conditions. While in English you might state, "It is cold," Portuguese speakers idiomatically convey, "It makes cold," using faz frio.

This construction reflects a linguistic worldview where weather isn't merely a passive descriptor of the environment, but an active process or production. Mastering fazer for weather is a critical step for A1 learners, enabling natural expression of daily observations without direct translation, and providing a foundational understanding for more complex impersonal verb structures.

Conjugation Table

Person Pronoun (Brazil) Pronoun (Portugal) Conjugation Translation
:--------------- :----------------- :------------------- :------------ :-------------------
1st Person S. eu eu faço I make/do
2nd Person S. você, tu tu fazes you make/do
3rd Person S. ele, ela ele, ela faz he/she makes/does
(impersonal) (impersonal) faz It makes/does
1st Person P. nós nós fazemos we make/do
2nd Person P. vocês vós fazeis you (pl) make/do
3rd Person P. eles, elas eles, elas fazem they make/do

How This Grammar Works

The grammar behind fazer for weather is rooted in its impersonal nature. An impersonal verb is one that does not have a specific subject performing the action. In English, we often use the placeholder "it" (e.g., "It rains," "It's hot"), but this "it" doesn't refer to a concrete noun; it simply fills a grammatical requirement for a subject.
In Portuguese, for these specific weather expressions, fazer itself carries the impersonal meaning, and therefore, no explicit subject pronoun (ele/ela) is used or implied. The verb form faz stands alone, signifying the occurrence of the weather phenomenon.
Consider the phrase Faz sol. Literally, this translates to "Makes sun." Here, sol (sun) acts as the direct object of the verb faz, implying that nature or the environment is "producing" or "making" the sun manifest. This is distinct from saying the sun is present.
This grammatical structure forces you to think of weather elements like sol, calor (heat), frio (cold), and vento (wind) as nouns—tangible entities that can be "made" or "produced" by an unspecified agent. This conceptualization is key to understanding and correctly applying the rule.
Furthermore, the verb faz in this context is invariant. It never changes to fazem (the third-person plural form) even if you are discussing multiple instances or prolonged periods of a weather condition. For example, if it's 30 degrees Celsius, you say Faz 30 graus (It makes 30 degrees), not Fazem 30 graus.
The singular faz emphasizes the singular, impersonal action of nature producing the condition.

Formation Pattern

1
Forming weather expressions with fazer is straightforward once you understand its impersonal nature. The basic pattern involves the fixed form faz followed directly by a specific weather noun. You can also introduce an intensifier to modify the noun.
2
The Core Formula:
3
Faz + [Weather Noun]
4
Examples:
5
Faz sol. (It's sunny. / Lit: It makes sun.)
6
Faz frio. (It's cold. / Lit: It makes cold.)
7
Faz vento. (It's windy. / Lit: It makes wind.)
8
To express intensity, you insert the adverb muito (much/very) directly before the weather noun. This muito functions to quantify the noun, similar to "much heat" or "much cold."
9
Formula with Intensifier:
10
Faz + muito + [Weather Noun]
11
Examples:
12
Faz muito calor hoje. (It's very hot today. / Lit: It makes much heat today.)
13
Faz muito vento na praia. (It's very windy at the beach. / Lit: It makes much wind at the beach.)
14
Faz muito sol em Portugal no verão. (It's very sunny in Portugal in the summer. / Lit: It makes much sun in Portugal in the summer.)
15
It is crucial to remember that the word following muito must be a noun. Attempting to use an adjective here will result in a common grammatical error, which will be discussed further in the "Common Mistakes" section. This fixed pattern simplifies your usage, making these expressions among the first you can confidently deploy as a beginner.

When To Use It

Use fazer for weather when you are describing the general atmospheric conditions that are perceived as being "produced" or "present" by nature. This applies predominantly to conditions associated with temperature, sunlight, and wind. The emphasis is on the phenomenon itself, rather than a temporary state.
Primary Applications:
  • Sunlight: To state that it is sunny.
  • Faz sol hoje. (It's sunny today.)
  • Na Califórnia, faz sol a maior parte do ano. (In California, it's sunny most of the year.)
  • Temperature: To describe general hot or cold conditions.
  • Faz calor no Rio de Janeiro em janeiro. (It's hot in Rio de Janeiro in January.)
  • Faz frio na serra gaúcha no inverno. (It's cold in the Gaúcha mountains in winter.)
  • To specify a temperature: Faz 25 graus. (It's 25 degrees.)
  • Wind: To indicate windy conditions.
  • Faz vento forte na costa. (It's very windy on the coast.)
  • Não gosto de passear quando faz vento. (I don't like to walk when it's windy.)
  • General Weather Quality: To describe whether the weather is generally good or bad.
  • Faz bom tempo para a caminhada. (It's good weather for the walk.)
  • Faz mau tempo no sul do país. (It's bad weather in the south of the country.)
  • In more nuanced situations: Faz um tempo estranho hoje. (It's strange weather today.)
This construction is highly versatile and is used in both formal and informal contexts across Brazil and Portugal. It's the default and most idiomatic way to express these specific weather conditions. When discussing climate or typical weather patterns of a region, fazer is particularly appropriate, as it conveys a more enduring characteristic compared to the temporary state implied by estar.

When Not To Use It

While fazer is prevalent for many weather expressions, there are crucial instances where its use is grammatically incorrect or idiomatically inappropriate. Understanding these limitations prevents significant errors and fosters more native-like communication.
Do Not Use fazer for Precipitation:
Fazer is generally not used for rain or snow. These phenomena have their own specific, impersonal verbs in Portuguese:
  • For rain, use chover (to rain) or estar + chovendo (Brazil) / a chover (Portugal).
  • ✗ Faz chuva. (Incorrect/Archaic)
  • ✓ Chove. (It rains. / It's raining.)
  • ✓ Está chovendo. (Brazil: It's raining.)
  • ✓ Está a chover. (Portugal: It's raining.)
  • For snow, use nevar (to snow) or estar + nevando (Brazil) / a nevar (Portugal).
  • ✗ Faz neve. (Incorrect/Rare)
  • ✓ Neva. (It snows. / It's snowing.)
  • ✓ Está nevando. (Brazil: It's snowing.)
  • ✓ Está a nevar. (Portugal: It's snowing.)
While chuva (rain) and neve (snow) are nouns, they are not typically treated as things that fazer produces in modern Portuguese, unlike sol or vento. The verbs chover and nevar are inherently impersonal and directly convey the action of precipitation.
Do Not Use fazer with Adjectives:
This is a critical distinction. Fazer for weather requires a noun as its object. You cannot use an adjective to describe the weather directly after faz.
  • ✗ Faz quente. (Incorrect, quente is an adjective.)
  • ✗ Faz frio. (Incorrect if frio were an adjective, but it is a noun here).
If you want to use an adjective to describe the weather's state, you must use the verb estar (to be), as in Está quente (It is hot). This distinction is fundamental and a source of frequent errors for learners, directly contrasting with English where "hot" and "cold" can function as adjectives following "it is."
Do Not Use fazer for Describing Sky Conditions:
When describing the sky as cloudy or clear, fazer is not the appropriate verb. Instead, estar is used, often in conjunction with nublado (cloudy) or limpo (clear).
  • ✗ Faz nuvens. (Incorrect)
  • ✓ Está nublado. (It's cloudy.)
  • ✓ O céu está limpo. (The sky is clear.)
These distinctions emphasize that fazer is specifically for weather phenomena that are conceptualized as being actively "made" or "produced," primarily temperature, sun, and wind, and not for precipitation or static visual descriptions of the sky.

Common Mistakes

Learning to use fazer for weather often involves unlearning direct translations from English and navigating specific Portuguese grammatical structures. Several common errors arise, primarily due to the linguistic differences between the two languages.
1. The "Is" Trap: Translating "It is" Directly to É or Está for Phenomena
Learners frequently translate "It is cold" as É frio or Está frio. While Está frio is acceptable and common (especially in Brazil), É frio for current ambient weather is generally incorrect.
  • Error: Using é (from ser) to describe the immediate weather.
  • ✗ É frio hoje. (Incorrect for transient weather.)
  • Why it's wrong: The verb ser (to be) denotes permanent characteristics or definitions. While a city can be cold (Curitiba é uma cidade fria), the weather itself is not permanently cold. It's a temporary, dynamic condition. Faz frio (or Está frio) describes the condition rather than a fixed attribute.
  • Correction: Use Faz frio or Está frio.
  • ✓ Faz frio hoje em Lisboa. (It's cold today in Lisbon.)
  • ✓ Está frio lá fora. (It's cold outside.)
2. The Adjective Mix-up: Using Adjectives Instead of Nouns After faz
This is perhaps the most prevalent error. As established, fazer for weather requires a noun as its object.
  • Error: Attempting to use an adjective directly after faz.
  • ✗ Faz quente. (Incorrect, quente is an adjective.)
  • ✗ Faz ensolarado. (Incorrect, ensolarado means 'sunny' and is an adjective.)
  • Why it's wrong: Fazer needs something to "make" or "produce." Nouns like calor (heat), frio (cold), sol (sun), vento (wind) function as these objects. Adjectives describe qualities, they are not things that can be "made." If you want to use an adjective to describe the weather, you must use estar.
  • Correction: Convert the adjective to its corresponding noun, or switch to estar + adjective.
  • For quente (hot, adjective), use calor (heat, noun).
  • ✓ Faz calor.
  • ✓ Está quente.
  • For ensolarado (sunny, adjective), use sol (sun, noun).
  • ✓ Faz sol.
  • ✓ Está ensolarado. (Less common for general sun, but grammatically correct.)
3. The Plural Trap: Conjugating fazer into the Plural fazem
Since fazer is impersonal in these contexts, it always remains in the third-person singular, faz.
  • Error: Using the plural fazem when referring to multiple degrees or perceived plural conditions.
  • ✗ Fazem 30 graus no verão. (Incorrect.)
  • ✗ Fazem muitos calores aqui. (Highly unidiomatic, though calores exists for 'hot spells.')
  • Why it's wrong: The impersonal faz functions as a fixed verbal expression, not subject to agreement with any explicit or implicit plural subject. Even if the implied quantity is plural (e.g., "30 degrees"), the verb remains singular because there is no subject performing the action in a plural sense.
  • Correction: Always use faz for weather expressions, regardless of the numerical value or perceived plurality of the noun.
  • ✓ Faz 30 graus no verão. (It's 30 degrees in the summer.)
  • ✓ Quando faz calor, gosto de ir à praia. (When it's hot, I like to go to the beach.)
Recognizing these common pitfalls and understanding the underlying linguistic principles will significantly improve your accuracy and fluency in discussing weather in Portuguese.

Memory Trick

To consistently remember the correct usage of fazer for weather, especially at the A1 level, try this simple mental trick: Think of Nature as a silent "manufacturer."

Imagine that the weather elements (sol, calor, frio, vento) are products that Nature actively "makes" or "produces" for you to experience. Since Nature is a singular, abstract entity, it always "makes" these things in the singular. This means:

- Nature makes sun: Faz sol

- Nature makes heat: Faz calor

- Nature makes cold: Faz frio

- Nature makes wind: Faz vento

The phrase "Nature Faz \[Noun]" helps reinforce the idea that fazer is impersonal, singular, and always followed by a noun. This trick helps bypass the English-centric "It is [adjective]" structure and embeds the Portuguese conceptualization directly.

Real Conversations

Understanding how fazer is used in everyday, authentic Portuguese conversations, beyond textbook examples, is crucial for practical fluency. Here are examples from various modern contexts:

1. Casual Chat/Small Talk (WhatsApp/Texting):

- Friend A: E aí, como tá o tempo por aí? (Hey, how's the weather over there?)

- Friend B: Tá massa! Faz sol e tá quentinho. Perfeito pra praia. (It's awesome! It's sunny and warm. Perfect for the beach.)

- Colleague A: Pega um casaco. Faz frio aqui no escritório. (Grab a jacket. It's cold here in the office.)

2. Social Media Comment (Instagram/Facebook):

- Travel Influencer Post: (Photo of a snowy mountain)

- Caption: Que paisagem! Faz um frio absurdo, mas a vista compensa tudo! (What a landscape! It's absurdly cold, but the view makes up for everything!)

- Restaurant Post: (Photo of outdoor seating)

- Comment: Adoro sentar na esplanada, especialmente quando faz bom tempo! (I love sitting on the terrace, especially when the weather is good!)

3. Planning/Logistics:

- Family Member: Podemos fazer o churrasco no sábado? (Can we do the barbecue on Saturday?)

- You: Acho que sim, o site diz que vai fazer sol. (I think so, the website says it's going to be sunny.)

- Event Organizer: A corrida será adiada se fizer mau tempo no dia. (The race will be postponed if there's bad weather on the day.)

4. Describing Climate/General Conditions:

- No Nordeste do Brasil, faz muito calor durante quase todo o ano. (In Northeast Brazil, it's very hot for almost the entire year.)

- Em Londres, normalmente faz vento. (In London, it's usually windy.)

These examples demonstrate the versatility and natural integration of fazer in describing weather conditions across various communicative scenarios, highlighting its role as the default expression for specific meteorological phenomena.

Contrast With Similar Patterns

Distinguishing fazer from other verbs used to discuss weather is paramount for accurate and idiomatic Portuguese. The most significant contrast is with estar, but ser, ter, chover, and nevar also play distinct roles.
1. Fazer vs. Estar for Weather
This is the most common point of confusion for learners. Both fazer and estar can translate to "it is" in weather contexts, but they carry different grammatical structures and nuances.
  • Fazer + Noun:
  • Focus: Describes the phenomenon or action of nature producing a condition. The weather element (sol, calor, frio, vento) is treated as a noun object being "made" or "produced."
  • Structure: Faz + [Weather Noun]
  • Examples:
  • Faz sol. (It's sunny. / Nature makes sun.)
  • Faz calor. (It's hot. / Nature makes heat.)
  • Faz frio. (It's cold. / Nature makes cold.)
  • Faz vento. (It's windy. / Nature makes wind.)
  • Nuance: Often feels more descriptive of the day's general character or a typical climate pattern. For instance, No verão, faz muito calor (In summer, it's very hot) implies a characteristic of the season.
  • Estar + Adjective:
  • Focus: Describes the state or temporary condition of the environment. The weather is viewed as an attribute of the day or the atmosphere.
  • Structure: Está + [Weather Adjective] / Está + [Verb in Gerund] (for precipitation)
  • Examples:
  • Está quente. (It is hot. / The environment is in a hot state.)
  • Está frio. (It is cold. / The environment is in a cold state.)
  • Está nublado. (It is cloudy. / The sky is in a cloudy state.)
  • Está chovendo. (Brazil) / Está a chover. (Portugal) (It is raining.)
  • Nuance: Usually conveys a more immediate, temporary feeling or observation. Nossa, está muito quente aqui agora! (Wow, it's very hot here right now!) emphasizes the current, possibly fleeting, sensation.
Key Difference Summary:
| Feature | Fazer + Noun | Estar + Adjective/Gerund |
|:------------|:-------------------------|:-----------------------------|
| Concept | Nature produces | Environment is in a state |
| Grammatical | Impersonal verb + Noun | Verb + Adjective / Gerund |
| Usage | General conditions, climate | Immediate, temporary state |
| Examples | Faz sol, Faz calor | Está quente, Está nublado|
Both Faz frio and Está frio are grammatically correct and widely used. In many casual conversations, they can be interchangeable. However, fazer tends to describe the prevailing weather characteristic (Faz frio no inverno) while estar often describes the immediate feeling (Uhm, está frio aqui dentro).
2. Ser for Weather
As mentioned in common mistakes, ser is generally not used for current ambient weather conditions.
  • Focus: Describes permanent characteristics or definitions.
  • When appropriate: Only if you are describing a permanent attribute of a place or thing related to temperature.
  • O Polo Norte é frio. (The North Pole is cold. - a permanent characteristic.)
  • O gelo é frio. (Ice is cold. - a defining characteristic.)
  • Never for: É quente hoje. (Incorrect for current weather.)
3. Ter for Weather
Ter (to have) is occasionally heard in informal Brazilian Portuguese, particularly for "sun."
  • Focus: Expressing existence, similar to haver (there is/are).
  • Usage: Tem sol (Lit: Has sun / There is sun). This is very colloquial and might sound less formal than Faz sol. While understandable, for A1 learners, prioritizing Faz sol is recommended for standard correctness.
  • Tem sol na praia, vamos? (There's sun at the beach, let's go?)
  • Avoid using with: Other weather nouns like calor, frio, vento. Tem calor or Tem frio are generally incorrect for ambient temperature, though ter calor and ter frio mean to feel hot or cold (e.g., Estou com calor - I am hot/I have heat).
4. Specific Verbs for Precipitation (Chover, Nevar)
These verbs are inherently impersonal and directly describe the act of raining or snowing.
  • Focus: The action of precipitation itself.
  • Usage:
  • Chove muito no sul do Brasil. (It rains a lot in the south of Brazil.)
  • Nevou na serra ontem. (It snowed in the mountains yesterday.)
  • For ongoing action: Está chovendo. (It is raining.)
By carefully understanding these contrasts, you can navigate the nuances of Portuguese weather expressions with greater precision and confidence, avoiding common traps and sounding more natural.

Progressive Practice

1

Consistent practice is essential for internalizing the impersonal fazer for weather. Here's a structured approach for A1 learners to move from recognition to active production:

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Listen and Observe: Start by actively listening for faz in weather contexts. Watch Portuguese weather forecasts, listen to dialogues in beginner-level podcasts, or read simple texts. Notice which nouns follow faz (e.g., sol, calor, frio, vento).

3

Repetition Drills: Practice saying the core phrases aloud multiple times. Focus on pronunciation and intonation.

- Faz sol.

- Faz calor.

- Faz frio.

- Faz vento.

4

Substitution Practice: Take the core formula (Faz + [Weather Noun]) and substitute different weather nouns. Then, add muito.

- Faz vento. -> Faz muito vento.

- Faz calor. -> Faz muito calor.

5

Daily Weather Journal: Each day, write down or verbally describe the weather using fazer. Keep it simple at first.

- Hoje faz sol. (Today it's sunny.)

- Ontem fez frio. (Yesterday it was cold. - introduces past tense)

- Amanhã vai fazer calor. (Tomorrow it will be hot. - introduces future tense)

6

Contrastive Sentences: Practice constructing sentences that highlight the distinction between fazer and estar.

- Faz sol, mas a água está fria. (It's sunny, but the water is cold.)

- Faz muito calor, por isso estou com sede. (It's very hot, so I'm thirsty.)

- Está chovendo, então não faz sol. (It's raining, so it's not sunny.)

7

Interactive Practice: If you have a language exchange partner or a tutor, engage in short conversations about the weather. Ask and answer questions like:

- Que tempo faz hoje? (What's the weather like today?)

- Faz frio ou calor onde você mora? (Is it cold or hot where you live?)

By progressively engaging with fazer in these ways, you will solidify your understanding and move towards spontaneous, accurate usage in real-time communication.

Quick FAQ

Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about using fazer for weather, expanding on common learner queries.
Q: Can fazer be used for all weather conditions?

No. Fazer is primarily used for sol (sun), calor (heat), frio (cold), vento (wind), bom tempo (good weather), and mau tempo (bad weather), as well as specific temperatures (Faz 20 graus). For precipitation (rain, snow), you use specific verbs like chover and nevar, or estar with their gerund forms (Está chovendo). For conditions like 'cloudy,' you use estar nublado.

Q: How do I express "It was sunny" or "It will be cold"?

You simply conjugate fazer into the appropriate tense, maintaining its impersonal nature.

  • Past Tense (Pretérito Perfeito Simples): Fez
  • Ontem fez sol. (Yesterday it was sunny.)
  • Na semana passada fez muito frio. (Last week it was very cold.)
  • Future Tense (Future with ir): Vai fazer
  • Amanhã vai fazer calor. (Tomorrow it will be hot.)
  • No fim de semana vai fazer bom tempo. (On the weekend it will be good weather.)
Q: Why is it Faz muito calor and not Faz tão calor or Faz muito quente?

Muito (much/very) modifies the noun calor (heat), indicating a large quantity of heat. So, it literally translates to "It makes much heat." Tão (so) typically precedes adjectives (Está tão quente). Quente is an adjective, and fazer requires a noun here, making Faz muito quente grammatically incorrect. Faz muito calor is the correct and idiomatic way.

Q: Is Faz sol the same as Está sol?

No. Faz sol is correct and means "It's sunny." Está sol is grammatically incorrect. You could say Está ensolarado (It is sunny, adjective), but Faz sol is more common and idiomatic for the presence of the sun. Always pair sol (noun) with faz.

Q: Are there regional differences (Brazil vs. Portugal) in using fazer for weather?

The fundamental structure faz + noun is standard and identical in both Brazilian and European Portuguese. Both Faz sol and Faz frio are universally understood and used. Any differences would be in pronunciation or the frequency of using estar + adjective as an alternative for certain conditions. For instance, Está quente might be slightly more prevalent in colloquial Brazilian Portuguese than Está calor (which is incorrect anyway) or Faz calor in some specific contexts for immediate sensation, but Faz calor is still very common. The rule itself is consistent.

Q: Can I use fazer with tempo (weather/time)?

Yes, tempo can act as the noun object for fazer when discussing the general quality of the weather.

  • Faz bom tempo. (The weather is good.)
  • Faz mau tempo. (The weather is bad.)
  • Faz um tempo estranho. (It's strange weather.)
This is a common and correct usage.

Conjugation of Fazer (Impersonal)

Form Portuguese English
Affirmative
Faz sol
It is sunny
Negative
Não faz sol
It is not sunny
Question
Faz sol?
Is it sunny?
Past
Fez sol
It was sunny
Future
Fará sol
It will be sunny

Meanings

The verb 'fazer' (to make/do) is used impersonally to describe current weather conditions.

1

Temperature and General Weather

Describing how the air feels or general sky conditions.

“Faz frio.”

“Faz sol.”

Reference Table

Reference table for Weather with 'Fazer' (It makes sun)
Form Structure Example
Affirmative
Faz + Noun
Faz calor
Negative
Não + faz + Noun
Não faz calor
Question
Faz + Noun + ?
Faz calor?
Past
Fez + Noun
Fez calor
Future
Fará + Noun
Fará calor
Duration
Faz + Time
Faz dois dias

Formality Spectrum

Formal
Faz calor.

Faz calor. (Describing temperature)

Neutral
Faz calor.

Faz calor. (Describing temperature)

Informal
Faz um calorão!

Faz um calorão! (Describing temperature)

Slang
Tá um calor do cão!

Tá um calor do cão! (Describing temperature)

Weather Expressions with Fazer

FAZ

Temperature

  • calor heat
  • frio cold

Sky

  • sol sun

Wind

  • vento wind

Fazer vs Estar

Fazer (Nouns)
Faz sol It is sunny
Estar (Adjectives)
Está quente It is hot

Choosing the right verb

1

Is it a noun?

YES
Use FAZ
NO
Use ESTÁ
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Examples by Level

1

Faz sol hoje.

It is sunny today.

2

Faz frio aqui.

It is cold here.

3

Faz calor no verão.

It is hot in the summer.

4

Faz vento lá fora.

It is windy outside.

1

Não faz sol hoje, está nublado.

It is not sunny today, it is cloudy.

2

Faz muito frio em Curitiba?

Is it very cold in Curitiba?

3

Ontem fez calor, mas hoje faz frio.

Yesterday it was hot, but today it is cold.

4

Faz tempo que não faz sol.

It has been a long time since it was sunny.

1

Dizem que amanhã faz um tempo bom.

They say it will be nice weather tomorrow.

2

Não faz tanto frio como eu pensava.

It is not as cold as I thought.

3

Faz um vento gelado nesta época.

It is icy windy at this time of year.

4

Se faz sol, vamos à praia.

If it is sunny, we will go to the beach.

1

Embora faça frio, o sol brilha.

Although it is cold, the sun shines.

2

Faz um clima agradável nesta região.

It is a pleasant climate in this region.

3

Faz dias que não para de chover.

It has been days that it hasn't stopped raining.

4

Faz um calor insuportável no meio-dia.

It is unbearably hot at noon.

1

Faz um tempo que não se via um inverno tão rigoroso.

It has been a while since such a harsh winter was seen.

2

Faz um contraste enorme entre o dia e a noite.

There is a huge contrast between day and night.

3

Faz-se necessário preparar para o frio.

It is necessary to prepare for the cold.

4

Faz um tempo que a meteorologia previu isso.

It has been a while since the weather forecast predicted this.

1

Faz um tempo imemorial que não neva aqui.

It has been an immemorial time since it snowed here.

2

Faz-se presente um clima de incerteza.

A climate of uncertainty is present.

3

Faz um tempo que a natureza não nos presenteia com sol.

It has been a while since nature gifted us with sun.

4

Faz um tempo que a mudança climática se faz sentir.

It has been a while since climate change made itself felt.

Easily Confused

Weather with 'Fazer' (It makes sun) vs Fazer vs Estar

Learners mix up nouns and adjectives.

Weather with 'Fazer' (It makes sun) vs Fazer vs Haver

Both can mean 'there is'.

Weather with 'Fazer' (It makes sun) vs Singular vs Plural

Learners pluralize 'fazer'.

Common Mistakes

✗

É sol

✓

Faz sol

Use 'fazer' for weather nouns.
✗

Fazem sol

✓

Faz sol

Never pluralize the impersonal verb.
✗

Ele faz sol

✓

Faz sol

No subject pronoun needed.
✗

Faz quente

✓

Está quente

Use 'estar' with adjectives.
✗

Faziam sol

✓

Fazia sol

Keep the verb singular in the past tense.
✗

Não faziam sol

✓

Não fazia sol

Impersonal verbs stay singular.
✗

Faz um tempo bom

✓

Faz tempo bom

Article usage varies.
✗

Se façam sol

✓

Se fizer sol

Correct subjunctive conjugation.
✗

Fazendo sol

✓

Faz sol

Gerund is rarely used for weather.
✗

Faz-se sol

✓

Faz sol

Reflexive is not needed.
✗

Faz-se necessário que faça sol

✓

Faz-se necessário que esteja sol

Subjunctive usage with 'estar'.
✗

Faziam-se sentir o calor

✓

Fazia-se sentir o calor

Agreement with the subject.
✗

Faz-se o sol

✓

Faz sol

Avoid unnecessary reflexive.

Sentence Patterns

Faz ___ hoje.

Não faz ___ hoje.

Faz ___ que não chove.

Se fizer ___, vamos sair.

Real World Usage

Texting constant

Faz sol aí?

Weather App very common

Faz 20 graus.

Small Talk very common

Faz um calor hoje, né?

Travel Planning common

Faz frio em Lisboa?

Job Interview occasional

Faz um tempo que trabalho aqui.

Food Delivery occasional

Faz tempo que pedi.

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💡

Noun vs Adjective

If it's a noun (sol), use 'faz'. If it's an adjective (quente), use 'está'.
⚠️

Don't Pluralize

Never say 'fazem'. It is always 'faz'.
🎯

Use 'muito'

Add 'muito' to intensify: 'Faz muito frio'.
💬

Weather Talk

Brazilians love talking about the weather. Use these phrases to start conversations.

Smart Tips

Check if you are using a noun or adjective.

Faz quente. → Está quente.

Keep the verb singular.

Fazem dias quentes. → Faz dias quentes.

Just add a question mark.

Faz sol? → Faz sol?

Use 'fez'.

Faz sol ontem. → Fez sol ontem.

Pronunciation

/fas/

Faz

The 'z' at the end sounds like 's' in most dialects.

Question

Faz sol? ↗

Rising intonation for yes/no questions.

Memorize It

Mnemonic

Fazer is the 'Maker' of the weather. If you want to say the weather is doing something, let Fazer 'make' it for you.

Visual Association

Imagine a giant sun wearing a chef's hat, 'making' (fazer) a sunny day in a big pot.

Rhyme

When the weather is the goal, use 'faz' to keep control.

Story

Maria woke up. She looked outside. 'Faz sol!' she shouted. She went to the beach. 'Faz calor,' she said, and jumped in the water.

Word Web

FazSolCalorFrioVentoTempo

Challenge

Look out your window right now and say the weather in Portuguese using 'Faz'.

Cultural Notes

People love talking about the weather, especially the heat.

Weather is often discussed in relation to the coast.

Weather is often described by the rainy or dry season.

From Latin 'facere', meaning 'to make'.

Conversation Starters

“

Faz sol hoje?

“

Faz muito frio na sua cidade?

“

Faz tempo que você não vai à praia?

“

Você acha que faz um clima bom para viajar?

Journal Prompts

Describe the weather today.
Compare the weather in your city to Brazil.
Write a weather forecast for the weekend.
Reflect on how weather affects your mood.

Common Mistakes

Incorrect

Correct

Incorrect

Correct

Incorrect

Correct

Incorrect

Correct

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Test Yourself

Fill in the blank.

___ sol hoje.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Faz
Use 'faz' for weather nouns.
Choose the correct sentence. Multiple Choice

Which is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Faz calor
Use 'faz' for weather.
Correct the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Fazem frio.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Faz frio
Verb must be singular.
Make it negative. Sentence Transformation

Faz sol.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Não faz sol
Place 'não' before the verb.
Conjugate for past. Conjugation Drill

Faz sol (yesterday).

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Fez sol
Past of 'faz' is 'fez'.
Match the phrase. Match Pairs

Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: sol
Fazer pairs with nouns.
Reorder the words. Sentence Building

hoje / faz / sol

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Faz sol hoje
Standard word order.
True or False? True False Rule

The verb 'fazer' changes for plural weather.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: False
It is an impersonal verb.

Score: /8

Practice Exercises

8 exercises
Fill in the blank.

___ sol hoje.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Faz
Use 'faz' for weather nouns.
Choose the correct sentence. Multiple Choice

Which is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Faz calor
Use 'faz' for weather.
Correct the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Fazem frio.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Faz frio
Verb must be singular.
Make it negative. Sentence Transformation

Faz sol.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Não faz sol
Place 'não' before the verb.
Conjugate for past. Conjugation Drill

Faz sol (yesterday).

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Fez sol
Past of 'faz' is 'fez'.
Match the phrase. Match Pairs

Faz...

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: sol
Fazer pairs with nouns.
Reorder the words. Sentence Building

hoje / faz / sol

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Faz sol hoje
Standard word order.
True or False? True False Rule

The verb 'fazer' changes for plural weather.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: False
It is an impersonal verb.

Score: /8

Practice Bank

12 exercises
Complete with the correct word. Fill in the Blank

Ontem ___ muito frio.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: fez
Select the correct noun. Fill in the Blank

Faz ___ lá fora.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: vento
Choose the best translation. Multiple Choice

'It is sunny today.'

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Faz sol hoje.
Fix the error. Error Correction

Amanhã vai fazer chuvas.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Amanhã vai chover.
Arrange the words to form a sentence. Sentence Reorder

calor / muito / Hoje / faz

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Hoje faz muito calor
Match the Portuguese to English. Match Pairs

Match the weather conditions.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: ["It's sunny","It's windy","It's hot","It's cold"]
Which fits the context? Multiple Choice

You are sweating on the beach. You say:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Faz muito calor!
Translate to Portuguese. Translation

It is very cold.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Faz muito frio.
Correct the pluralization. Error Correction

Fazem 40 graus no deserto.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Faz 40 graus no deserto.
Choose the future form. Fill in the Blank

Amanhã ___ bom tempo.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: vai fazer
Select the correct intensity word. Multiple Choice

Faz ___ frio.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: muito
Unscramble the sentence. Sentence Reorder

no / Faz / sol / Brasil / sempre

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Sempre faz sol no Brasil

Score: /12

FAQ (8)

No, only for weather nouns like 'sol', 'frio', 'calor'.

It is an impersonal verb, so it stays in the third-person singular.

It is common in some regions, but 'faz sol' is the standard.

Use the past tense: 'Fez calor'.

No, use 'estar' for adjectives like 'quente'.

Yes, the rule is the same in both.

Use the future: 'Fará sol'.

Use 'Faz sol?' or 'Como está o tempo?'.

Scaffolded Practice

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

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In Other Languages

Spanish high

Hace sol

The verb is 'hacer' instead of 'fazer'.

French high

Il fait beau

French requires the subject 'il'.

German low

Es ist sonnig

German uses 'to be' + adjective, not 'to make' + noun.

Japanese low

Hare desu

Japanese does not use a 'make' verb.

Arabic low

Al-jaww mushmis

Arabic does not use a verb for weather.

Chinese low

Tianqi hen hao

Chinese does not use a 'make' verb.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Previous
The Verb 'To Give' (dar): From Gifts to Instagram Likes
Next
Weather with Estar: It is Hot (Está Quente)

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