regnen

In German, weather verbs almost always use the pronoun es. You say Es regnet to mean 'It is raining.' If you want to talk about the past, say Es hat geregnet. To describe a future rain, use Es wird regnen. It is a weak verb, so it follows regular conjugation rules. Just remember that the subject is almost always 'it'. You rarely say 'I rain' unless you are being very poetic!

Use it for small talk with your neighbors. It is the perfect way to fill an awkward silence. Use it when texting a friend to coordinate meeting up. Mention it at work if you arrive late and soaked. It is useful at a restaurant when choosing a table. If the clouds look dark, tell your partner Es wird gleich regnen. It is practical, direct, and universally understood.

Do not use regnen if it is snowing or hailing. German has specific verbs like schneien or hageln for those. Avoid using it for metaphors about crying in professional settings. While 'crying a river' exists in English, regnen is mostly for weather. Do not forget the t at the end in the present tense. Saying es regne sounds like you are writing a 19th-century poem.

Germans have a complex relationship with the rain. There is a famous saying: 'Es gibt kein schlechtes Wetter, nur falsche Kleidung.' This means there is no bad weather, only wrong clothes. Because it rains often in Germany, people just keep going. You will see people biking to work in full rain gear. Rain is not an excuse to stay home. It is just a part of the daily rhythm.

You can add adverbs to change the intensity. Es regnet in Strömen means it is pouring. Es regnet Bindfäden is a funny way to say it is raining strings. If it is just a tiny bit, use nieseln for drizzling. For a sudden, short rain, use the noun Schauer. You can also use regnerisch as an adjective to describe a 'rainy' day.