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lluvia

YOO-vee-ah/ˈʎu.βja/

“lluvia” means “rain” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:

rain

NounfA1
A simple fluffy gray cloud floating in the sky, with stylized blue raindrops falling straight down onto green grass below.

📝 In Action

Necesitamos un paraguas porque la lluvia es muy fuerte hoy.

A1

We need an umbrella because the rain is very heavy today.

Después de la sequía, la lluvia trajo alivio al campo.

A2

After the drought, the rain brought relief to the countryside.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • aguacero (downpour)
  • precipitación (precipitation)

Antonyms

  • sequía (drought)

Common Collocations

  • lluvia torrencial – torrential rain
  • lluvia ligera – light rain

shower

Also: torrent, barrage
NounfB1
A simplified person standing with arms outstretched, being showered by a dense cascade of small, identical golden coins falling from above, symbolizing abundance.

📝 In Action

La actriz recibió una lluvia de flores y aplausos al final de la obra.

B1

The actress received a shower of flowers and applause at the end of the play.

El político enfrentó una lluvia de críticas por su nueva propuesta.

B2

The politician faced a torrent of criticism for his new proposal.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • aluvión (flood, deluge)
  • avalancha (avalanche)

Idioms & Expressions

  • lluvia de ideas – The process of generating many ideas quickly (brainstorming).

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "lluvia" in Spanish:

barrage→rain→shower→torrent→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: lluvia

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence uses 'lluvia' in its figurative sense?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
llover(to rain) — Verb
lluvioso(rainy) — Adjective
🎵 Rhymes▼
envidiavigía
📚 Etymology▼

Comes from the Latin word *pluvia*, which simply meant 'rain.' The sound change from 'pl' to 'll' is common in the development of Spanish.

First recorded: Before the 10th century (in early Romance languages)

Cognates (Related words)

Portuguese: chuvaItalian: pioggia

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do I say 'It is raining' using 'lluvia'?

You don't use 'lluvia' directly to say it is raining. Instead, you must use the related verb 'llover' (to rain). The correct phrase is 'Está lloviendo' (It is raining now) or 'Llueve' (It rains/It is raining).

Is 'lluvia' ever masculine?

No. 'Lluvia' is always a feminine word for things, so you must always use 'la' or 'una' with it.