Start neutral
Use “It’s raining” when you want a clear statement that works everywhere.
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5 Ways to Say “It’s Raining”
Learn five informal expressions for talking about heavy rain in everyday English.
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Listen with a purpose
Notice the useful language in “5 Ways to Say “It’s Raining””.
Notice intensity
Compare “coming down hard,” “pouring,” and “raining buckets.”
Check register
Recognise that “pissing down” is very informal and may not fit every audience.
Cultural note
The context makes the phrase land.
Weather expressions are common small talk, but slang and strong language vary across English-speaking communities. Choose the phrase based on your audience.
Try it
Practice the situation.
Describe today’s weather three ways: neutral, vivid, and very informal. Say your response aloud before checking the examples below.
“It’s pouring today—we should wait until the rain lets up.”
Expression cards · 10 from the transcript
These cards were extracted from the transcript and grouped by the kind of language learners can practice.
Showing 10 of 10 cards.
it’s really coming down hard
It is raining heavily.
Example sentence
“It’s really coming down hard.”
it’s pouring
Rain is falling very heavily.
Example sentence
“It’s pouring outside.”
raining cats and dogs
Raining very heavily; a playful idiom.
Example sentence
“It’s raining cats and dogs.”
pissing down rain
Raining extremely heavily; very informal and sometimes vulgar.
Example sentence
“It’s pissing down rain.”
raining buckets
Raining heavily, as if buckets of water were falling.
Example sentence
“It’s raining buckets.”
weather small talk
Light conversation about the current weather.
Example sentence
“Weather is an easy topic for small talk.”
heavy rain
A large amount of rain falling at once.
Example sentence
“The forecast says heavy rain this afternoon.”
informal expression
A phrase suited to relaxed conversation rather than formal writing.
Example sentence
“That is an informal expression.”
The main idea
The most important point in a lesson or conversation.
Example sentence
“The main idea of this lesson is how people communicate in social & small talk situations.”
In other words
A phrase used to explain the same idea more simply.
Example sentence
“In other words, the speaker is showing a natural way to handle this situation.”
Check your understanding
What does “it’s really coming down hard” communicate?
RTB commentary
Weather small talk is simple, but the expressions vary by region and register. Notice which phrases are playful, informal, or stronger than a neutral statement.