This is the Portuguese equivalent of “raining cats and dogs”. A cântaro is a large clay jug — so the image is of water being thrown in huge quantities from the sky. You’ll hear this all over Portugal during autumn and winter storms.

One of the most well-known Portuguese proverbs about weather. April is known for variable and rainy weather in Portugal, and this saying acknowledges that rain in April is to be expected — and even welcomed, since it’s good for crops and water reserves.

When you get caught in the rain without an umbrella and end up completely wet, you’ve “apanhado uma molha”. Apanhar (to catch/get) is a very versatile verb in European Portuguese — you’ll see it again in apanhar sol (to sunbathe) and apanhar frio (to catch cold).

This expression goes beyond weather — it’s a philosophical observation about life’s mix of good and bad moments. The Portuguese love using nature metaphors to talk about life. Similar to “every cloud has a silver lining” in English.

An extremely expressive way to say it’s very cold — rachar means to split or crack, implying the cold is so intense it could crack things apart. You might also hear “um frio de congelar” (a freezing cold) or “um frio cortante” (a biting cold).

A beautiful proverb about equality and fairness. The sun doesn’t pick and choose — it shines for everyone equally. Used to remind someone that luck and opportunity can come to anyone, not just the privileged few.

A charming comparison: summer showers pass quickly, just like a child’s tears dry up fast. Used to reassure someone that a current problem or sadness won’t last long. Portuguese wisdom encoded in weather observation.

While not purely a weather idiom, this expression is often used when talking about going somewhere very far away in terrible weather. It means being somewhere extremely remote and unpleasant — “the back of beyond” in English.

The most natural phrases are “Está um tempo lindo” (The weather is beautiful) or “Faz bom tempo” (The weather is good/nice). You can also say “Está um dia lindo” (It’s a beautiful day) or simply “Que dia tão bonito!” (What a beautiful day!).

Tempo refers to the current or short-term weather (today’s or this week’s conditions). Clima refers to the long-term climate patterns of a region. Example: “O tempo hoje está nublado” (The weather today is cloudy) vs “O clima de Lisboa é agradável” (Lisbon’s climate is pleasant). In everyday speech in Portugal, people say tempo far more often than clima when talking about day-to-day weather.

The most natural question is “Como está o tempo?” or its informal twin “Que tempo está?”. For a forecast, ask “Qual é a previsão do tempo?”. You can also say “Vai chover hoje?” (Is it going to rain today?) or “Está muito calor lá fora?” (Is it very hot outside?).

The four seasons are: Primavera (Spring), Verão (Summer), Outono (Autumn/Fall), and Inverno (Winter). To say “in summer” use “no verão”; for the others: “na primavera”, “no outono”, “no inverno”. In Portugal, all four seasons use a lowercase first letter unless at the start of a sentence.

There are many ways! “Está a chover” (It’s raining — the standard EP form), “chove a cântaros” (it’s raining cats and dogs), “chuviscos” (drizzle), “um aguaceiro” (a heavy shower), “uma tempestade” (a storm). For light mist, say “há neblina”.

The core vocabulary is very similar, but there are usage differences. The most notable is the present continuous: in EP you say “está a chover” (estar a + infinitive), while in BP it’s “está chovendo” (estar + gerund). Also, EP prefers “apanhar sol” for sunbathing vs BP’s “pegar sol”. EP speakers say “Como está o tempo?” more than “Como está o clima?”.