When you speak Anishinaabemowin always look, listen and describe what is happening.
Apii Anishinaabemoyan apane igo ganawaabin, bizindaagen miinawaa dibaadodan izhiwebag.

Talking about the weather involves Type 1 (Intransitive Inanimate) verbs.

Two phrases are used to ask about the weather.

weather-1

wenesh ezhiwebag?	what’s happening?
aaniin/aaniish ezhiwebag agawajiing?	what’s the weather like outside?

 

weather-2

gizhinaamde	it’s hot, muggy outside
gaboode	it’s stuffy
minodakate	it’s nicely cool; comfortably cool
minogizhide	it’s nicely warm; comfortably warm
aapjigo dake’ayaamigad	it’s very cold and windy
dakaasin	it’s cool/cold/windy weather
dake’aa/gisinaa	it’s cool/cold weather; the weather feels cool

 

weather-3

gizhinaamde	it’s warm and windy; it’s a warm wind
aapjigo gizhaate	it’s very hot and sunny
aapjigo gizhinaamad	it’s very hot and windy
aabawaate	it’s mild and sunny weather
aabawaa	it’s warm/mild weather
awan	it’s foggy
awanibiisaan	misty rain
maajibiisaan	starts to rain
ishkwaabiisaan	done raining

 

weather-4

gimiwan	raining
pongibiisaan	raining a little
bimbiisaan	rainstorm passes by
animibiisaan	rain moves away
dakibiisaan	cold rain
obiijibiisaan	rain comes from there

 

weather-5

noodin	a strong wind
aanimad	it’s windy
ishkwaa’aanimad	wind dies down
maadaanimad	wind picks up
zoogipo	snowing
bagamad	a storm is arriving
nichiiwad	bad storm
animikiikaa	thunderstorm
waasese	it’s lightning

 

Note 1:
In the eastern dialect the morpheme (little meaning part) “dak” is often spelled and pronounced “tak”. In both cases it indicates “cold.”

Note 2:
Be careful not to use Anishinaabemowin verbs in all the same ways as their English versions. For instance, “zoogipo” is only for what you see happening outside. Once it falls to the ground it becomes a maaba noun, “goon.” And if it is piled high in a snowbank, it is another maaba noun, “ishpaagoonagaa.” When someone continuously walks on the snow, it is a Type 2, transitive animate verb, “bimaagoonagii.”