Snow Is Coming in Spanish | Winter Phrases You’ll Use

To warn about snowfall in Spanish, people often say “Va a nevar,” “Mañana nieva,” or the short alert “Está por nevar.”

Snow talk comes up fast once you spend time in Spanish-speaking towns, ski resorts, or mountain villages. Friends check the forecast, locals warn about storms, and suddenly you need clear phrases to say that snow is on the way. English shortcuts like “It’s going to snow soon” do not map word-for-word, so learning the natural Spanish options pays off quickly.

By the end, you will know how to warn friends about a storm, chat with hotel staff, and understand what you hear on local weather reports whenever a cold front approaches.

Snow Is Coming In Spanish For Everyday Talk

The simplest way to say that snow is coming uses the verb nevar, which means “to snow.” In Spanish this verb usually appears in impersonal form, so instead of “it,” the language relies on the verb itself and context. When you want to talk about snow that is on its way, speakers lean on a few set phrases.

The phrase you will meet most often is «Va a nevar». It lines up with “It is going to snow” in English and works in nearly any context: with friends, in a shop, or when you hear news about a storm.

Core Phrase: Va A Nevar

«Va a nevar» uses the pattern ir a + infinitive, which expresses plans or events that are on the way. Here, va comes from ir (to go), the little word a follows, and then the base form nevar. Put together, the idea is that snow is “going to” arrive soon.

Use this phrase when you want a neutral, all-purpose way to say that snow is coming. A few helpful variations are:

• «Creo que va a nevar» – “I think it is going to snow.”
• «Dicen que va a nevar» – “They say it is going to snow.”
• «Parece que va a nevar» – “It looks like it is going to snow.”

Each version stays close to the base phrase but adds a hint about the source: your opinion, gossip, or what you see in the sky.

Short Alerts Close To The Storm

Near the moment when flakes start to fall, many speakers switch to present tense forms of nevar. These sentences feel short and direct, and they often include a time word instead of va a:

• «Mañana nieva» – “Tomorrow it snows.”
• «Esta noche nieva» – “Tonight it snows.”
• «En un rato nieva» – “In a while it snows.”

At first these lines may sound strange for English speakers, since English prefers “is going to snow” or “will snow.” Spanish present tense already carries that near-time meaning, so locals feel no need for an extra helper verb.

Another common alert is «Está por nevar». It expresses that snow is on the verge of starting, close in time and almost certain.

Spanish Ways To Say Snow Is Coming Soon

Once you handle the basic sentences, you can add little details that change how close the snow feels or how strong the storm sounds. Spanish uses adverbs, time phrases, and intensifiers around nevar to paint a clearer picture.

For a soft warning, you might say «Va a nevar pronto» (“It is going to snow soon”) or «Parece que dentro de poco va a nevar» (“It seems that it is going to snow before long”). These lines keep a calm tone and fit casual chats about the forecast.

If the snowfall looks strong, speakers often add nouns like nevada (snowfall) or tormenta de nieve (snowstorm):

• «Dicen que viene una nevada fuerte» – “They say a heavy snowfall is coming.”
• «Se acerca una tormenta de nieve» – “A snowstorm is drawing near.”

To check meaning and spelling of nevar, many learners rely on the Diccionario de la lengua española entry for «nevar» from the Real Academia Española, which explains that the core sense is “to snow” and lists sample sentences in standard Spanish.

You can match these phrases with broader weather vocabulary using guides such as the Spanish Learning Lab lesson on Spanish weather conversations or the Lawless Spanish guide to weather terms. These resources show how nevar fits with words for rain, wind, and storms that appear in the same reports.

When you want to mention specific times, you can mix in phrases like esta tarde (this afternoon), esta semana (this week), or el fin de semana (the weekend):

• «Dicen que va a nevar esta tarde» – “They say it is going to snow this afternoon.”
• «Parece que el fin de semana va a nevar» – “It seems that it is going to snow over the weekend.”

Spanish Phrase	Literal Sense	Typical Situation
Va a nevar	It goes to snow	Neutral forecast, any setting
Creo que va a nevar	I think it goes to snow	Your personal guess
Dicen que va a nevar	They say it goes to snow	Based on news or rumors
Parece que va a nevar	It seems that it goes to snow	Looking at the sky or forecast
Mañana nieva	Tomorrow it snows	Short plan or forecast for the next day
Esta noche nieva	Tonight it snows	Evening conversation about the storm
Está por nevar	It is about to snow	Snow nearly starting, last-minute warning

Pronunciation Tips For Nevar And Snow Phrases

To sound clear when you talk about snow, pay attention to stress and vowel sounds. In nevar, stress falls on the second syllable: ne-VAR. When it appears as nieva in present tense, the diphthong ie takes stress: NIE-va.

For «Va a nevar», native speakers glide through the middle: the sequence “va a” often sounds like a single beat “vaa.” Try saying it in one smooth line instead of pausing between words.

Words like nieve (snow) and nevada (snowfall) share the same opening sound. Keep the n clear and light, then let the vowels run without breaking them into English-style diphthongs.

If you like audio models, sites with conjugation tables such as the SpanishDict conjugation table for «nevar» often include recordings. Listening while reading helps you link spelling, rhythm, and meaning.

Regional And Informal Snow Warnings

Spanish-speaking regions with heavy snowfall build up colorful ways to talk about storms. These expressions usually sit beside the standard phrases, not instead of them.

Here are a few you may hear in Spain or Latin America:

• «Va a caer una buena nevada» – word by word this says “a good snowfall is going to fall,” meaning a lot of snow is on the way.
• «Se viene la nieve» – “the snow is coming,” common in casual speech.
• «Parece que se nos viene encima una tormenta de nieve» – “it seems a snowstorm is about to hit us.”

While these lines feel informal, they help you pick up local flavor. You can still rely on va a nevar anywhere, then add regional phrases as you become more comfortable.

Mini Dialogues About Snow Forecasts

Short dialogues make it easier to remember patterns. The exchanges below show how snow warnings sound in real-life situations, from travel plans to chatting with neighbors.

Situation	Spanish Line	English Meaning
Checking the forecast	Dicen que va a nevar esta noche.	They say it is going to snow tonight.
Planning a trip	Si va a nevar mañana, mejor salimos temprano.	If it is going to snow tomorrow, we had better leave early.
Warning a friend	Cuidado con la carretera, está por nevar.	Careful with the road, it is about to snow.
Small talk in a lift	Parece que viene una nevada fuerte esta tarde.	Looks like a heavy snowfall is coming this afternoon.
Hotel reception	El pronóstico dice que toda la semana va a nevar.	The forecast says it is going to snow all week.
Parent and child	Si mañana nieva, hacemos un muñeco de nieve.	If it snows tomorrow, we will build a snowman.

Common Mistakes With Snow Phrases In Spanish

English speakers often try to transfer English patterns straight into Spanish. That leads to small errors that sound odd to native ears but are easy to fix once you notice them.

Using Es Nevando Instead Of Está Nevando

A frequent mix-up appears with the phrase for “it is snowing.” Spanish uses «Está nevando» with the verb estar, not ser. The form «Es nevando» does not work in standard Spanish.

Once you link snowing to estar, you can pair it with time phrases as well:

• «Todavía está nevando» – “It is still snowing.”
• «Ya no está nevando» – “It is not snowing anymore.”

Forgetting The A In Va A Nevar

Another slip shows up when learners say «Va nevar» and leave out the small word a. In Spanish, that a sits in the middle of the pattern ir a + infinitive, so you need it each time you form this type of phrase.

Practice out loud with several verbs:

• «Va a llover» – “It is going to rain.”
• «Va a hacer frío» – “It is going to be cold.”
• «Va a nevar» – “It is going to snow.”

Mixing Up Nieve And Nevar

Nieve is the noun “snow,” while nevar is the verb “to snow.” Phrases about snow that is coming normally use the verb or related forms like nevada. If you say «Va a nieve», listeners may understand you, yet the wording feels incorrect.

Think of it this way: when you describe the action, choose nevar; when you refer to the substance on the ground, choose nieve. That simple contrast keeps your sentences clear in cold weather talk.

Quick Practice Ideas To Make Snow Phrases Stick

To keep these expressions ready when you need them, set up small habits instead of long study sessions. Each day that you check the forecast, say out loud what you see using Spanish snow phrases. If your app shows a storm coming, try a line such as «Mañana nieva» or «Va a nevar toda la noche».

You can also write a short weather log in a notebook. Pick a week in winter and note one or two Spanish sentences each day. Use a mix of present tense, va a nevar, and noun phrases like nevada. This repetition makes the structure feel normal when real snow talk comes up.

Finally, listen out for snow references in Spanish media. Weather videos, news clips, and podcasts from colder regions give you natural models. Pause, repeat main lines, and then adapt them to your own plans, trips, and conversations.