BRITISH WEATHER Lovely day, isn’t it?

What’s the weather like? The British weather is very peculiar: if you are not used to, you’ll certainly think it’s awful and you may be right. Have you ever thought why British businessmen are always portrayed while wearing a bowler hat and an umbrella? Don’t rely on the shining sun, it could rain in a few minutes. Last summer I was in London and one day I decided to go to Greenwich by boat: the sky was cloudy and it was quite cold; I thought it was going to rain. Nevertheless I wanted to try and I was right: when I got to Greenwich, the sun was shining, the sky was blue and it was warm. So, when you visit Great Britain, the first things to pack are a rain coat and an umbrella. Have you ever thought why the grass in the parks is always so green and nobody seems to take care about it? But there is “someone” doing! The weather, of course!

HERE SOME EXPRESSIONS USED TO TALK ABOUT THE WEATHER What’s the weather like? (com’è il tempo?) It’s sunny – hot – warm - windy – rainy – cloudy (c’è il sole – fa molto caldo – fa caldo - c’è vento – è nuvoloso) It’s snowing – it’s pouring with rain – it’s raining cats and dogs (nevica – piove forte – sta piovendo a catinelle lett: piovono cani e gatti) it’s not a very nice day – what a terrible day! – what miserable weather! (non è una gran bella giornata – che brutta giornata! – che tempaccio!) it’s clearing up – the wind has dropped – the sun has come out – the sun has just gone in – we had a lot of heavy rain this morning (si sta schiarendo – il vento è calato – è spuntato il sole – è sparito il sole – stamattina è piovuto moltissimo) it’s starting to rain – it’s stopped raining – the sky is overcast) (comincia a piovere – ha smesso di piovere – il cielo è coperto)

Conversations starters British people often start a conversation with strangers and friends by talking about the weather. As weather is a neutral topic of conversation, it’s usually safe to use it to strike up a conversation at the bus stop, in a shop, or with a neighbour over the garden fence. Here some examples of conversation starters: - Lovely day, isn’t it? (bella giornata, vero?) - Bit nippy today (un po’ freddo oggi) - What strange weather we’re having! (che tempo strano c’è!) - It doesn’t look like it’s going to stop raining today (non sembra che voglia smettere di piovere oggi)

Attitude to weather Although British people like to complain about the weather, they generally put a brave face on it. If someone complains about too much rain, you might hear: - Never mind! It’s good for the garden. If someone complains that it’s too hot, you could hear: - At least my tomatoes will be happy! If the conversation has been about general bad weather, perhaps someone will say: - Well, I’ve heard it’s worst in the west. They’ve had terrible flooding.

PREDICTING THE WEATHER We can make predictions about the weather using a range of forms not just ‘will’ or ‘going to’ - I think it will clear up later (credo che si metterà al bello) - It’s going to rain by the looks of it (sembra che stia per piovere) - We’re in for frost tonight (andiamo incontro al gelo questa notte) - They’re expecting snow in the north (ci si aspetta la neve al nord) - I hear that showers are coming our way (andremo incontro ad acquazzoni)

HUMAN ATTRIBUTES British also attribute human features to the weather, almost as if the weather can decide what to do: - The sun’s trying to come out (il sole cerca di uscire) - It’s been trying to rain all morning (ha tentato di piovere tutta la mattina) - It’s finally decided to rain (finalmente si è deciso a piovere)

WHAT DO GARDENERS SAY ABOUT WEATHER FORECAST? As everyone knows, British are fond of gardening, they are keen gardeners and they keep a close eye on the weather forecast. Here some of the weather features which can worry gardeners: - a hard frost (gelo) - blizzard/galeforce conditions (bufera di neve/tempesta di vento) - hailstones (grandine) - prolonged rain (pioggia persistente) - blustery wind (vento forte) - a drought (siccità) but it’s unlikely, believe me!!!

HERE ARE SOME TEMPERATE CONDITIONS WHICH GARDENERS LIKE - mild weather (tempo mite) - sunny spells (periodo di sole) - light drizzle (pioggerella)

AND NOW SOME WEATHER JOKES - Climate is what we expect. Weather is what we get (il clima è ciò che ci aspettiamo. Il tempo è ciò che abbiamo) - Snow storms may be precursors of winter (le tempeste di neve potrebbero essere anticipi d’inverno) - Weather forecasts are horoscopes with numbers (le previsioni del tempo sono oroscopi con i numeri) - Unbrella: an umbrella that the wind has turned inside out (----: un ombrello che il vento ha rovesciato) - Fog: rain that is barely mist (nebbia: pioggia che si è semplicemente addensata) - Why don’t cannibals eat weathermen? (perché i cannibali non mangiano chi fa le previsioni del tempo?)

ARE YOU READY? And now pack as soon as possible: your flight to the United Kingdom is going to leave; don’t forget your umbrella, your raincoat and…. remember: in spite of the weather, you will surely enjoy your holiday because this country is BEAUTIFUL!!!