What <a?> beautiful weather! (2025)

Hello,

No. It is not more common to say "What a nice/beautiful weather." You will not hear this from a native speaker of English, not even an uneducated one.

If we wanted to say that this morning's, or today's, weather was nice, we would say "Oh what

beautiful

, oh what

beautiful

." But no article with weather. "Oh what beautiful

we've been having today."

We sometimes talk about "the weather", but I cannot think of ever using "a weather" except when "weather" is being adjectivally to modify a noun and the "a" refers to the noun.

e.g.
She is a weather forecaster.
I looked at a weather report that made no sense to me.
He has a weather-beaten face.

Gazdi said:

Still, the problem with the rule "If the noun is uncountable we should never use the indefinite article" lingers on, because e.g. the noun "shame" is also uncountable, but the frase "What a shame!" is a correct one and would be incorrect with the indefinite article. Any idea?

Click to expand...

"What a shame!" is a set phrase that breaks the general rule about uncountable nouns not taking articles. As you have no doubt discovered, most rules for the English language have exceptions.

Look at it this way: There is a definition of "shame" that is used in the countable, singular form. That means that "weather" and "shame" are not "two nouns of the same type" so your objection goes away.
Word Reference dictionary:

5 an occasion for regret, disappointment, etc: it's a shame you can't come with us

Click to expand...

Gazdi said:

Thank you for your answer, but I still have my doubt: How can a noun that has no plural be considered a countable one? We cannot speak of "two shames"!, so it must be uncountable ("sheep" or "fish" are different, because we can count them: "two sheep, three fish" - but it is not so with shame).

Click to expand...

I`m not an expert but maybe it the same as with the word "experience". You use it as uncountable for example if you mean all the experience you have in some field of work, in CVs, and it is countable if you talk about some kind of event ("I was thrilled to participate in this flashmob and play a zombie. This is an experience I will never forget.") Maybe shame=feeling is uncountable and shame=some kind of thing that is unfortunate or regretful is countable.

taraa said:

I read here that "weather" can be countable too. Is that wrong?

Click to expand...

I used to sail in all weathers = in all kinds of weather

The plural form is possible, but rarely. Learners would do well to think of 'weather' as uncountable.

tunaafi said:

I used to sail in all weathers = in all kinds of weather

The plural form is possible, but rarely. Learners would do well to think of 'weather' as uncountable.

Click to expand...

Thank you very much!
If we have kinds of weather, shouldn't "a good weather" be correct like "a good wine "?

tunaafi said:

I'm afraid not.

Click to expand...

Thank you very much!

Gazdi said:

Still, the problem with the rule "If the noun is uncountable we should never use the indefinite article" lingers on, because e.g. the noun "shame" is also uncountable, but the phrase "What a shame!" is a correct one and would be incorrect with the indefinite article.

Click to expand...

The word "shame" has different meanings, depending on the context. The shame (1) that one feels after doing something bad is not the same as the shame (2) in the expressions "What a shame!" or "That's a shame".

(1) a painful emotion felt when one has done something wrong
(2) an unfortunate or regrettable situation or event; bad luck, misfortune

Hildy1 said:

The word "shame" has different meanings, depending on the context. The shame (1) that one feels after doing something bad is not the same as the shame (2) in the expressions "What a shame!" or "That's a shame".

(1) a painful emotion felt when one has done something wrong
(2) an unfortunate or regrettable situation or event; bad luck, misfortune

Click to expand...

Good explanation. Thank you very much.

sound shift said:

Hello,

No. It is not more common to say "What a nice/beautiful weather." You will not hear this from a native speaker of English, not even an uneducated one.

Click to expand...

Hi sound shift,

As "weather" is uncountable, so it is wrong to use "a" before it. I wonder whether it is correct/idiomatic to say "What beautiful weather!"? (No article)

Roymalika said:

... I wonder whether it is correct/idiomatic to say "What beautiful weather!"? (No article)

Click to expand...

Did you read post 4 and post 6?

Loob said:

Did you read post 4 and post 6?

Click to expand...

I read. Edinburgher talked about "What a beautiful weather, not "What beautiful weather". Post 6 just says that "What beautiful weather!" is grammatically correct (and it actually is, because there should not be an indefinite article before "weather") But I wonder whether native speakers use it?

Roymalika said:

Edinburgher talked about "What a beautiful weather, not "What beautiful weather".

Click to expand...

Yes, he talked about how wrong it sounds.

se16teddy said:

Yes, he talked about how wrong it sounds.

Click to expand...

Yes, "What a beautiful weather!" is wrong. But what about "What beautiful weather!"? I know it's grammatical, but is it idiomatic/used by native speakers?

Roymalika said:

Edinburgher talked about "What a beautiful weather,

Click to expand...

No, in #4 I talked about "What a beautiful morning/day" being fine, and said that it would be wrong to use the article with "weather".

Roymalika said:

But what about "What beautiful weather!"?

Click to expand...

In #4 I already gave "Oh what beautiful

we've been having today." as a correct and idiomatic example.
But we don't

use "weather". We might say "Isn't it lovely today?"or "Isn't it a lovely day?" or similar things.

Edinburgher said:

No, in #4 I talked about "What a beautiful morning/day" being fine, and said that it would be wrong to use the article with "weather".

In #4 I already gave "Oh what beautiful

weather

we've been having today." as a correct and idiomatic example.
But we don't

always

use "weather". We might say "Isn't it lovely today?"or "Isn't it a lovely day?" or similar things.

Click to expand...

What a beautiful weather! -> 1) grammatically wrong because of "a" 2) not idiomatic

What beautiful weather! (As a single exclamatory sentence) -> 1) grammatically correct. 2) not idiomatic

Is my analysis correct?

(I was asking about "What beautiful weather!" as a single exclamatory sentence, not as a part of a sentence.)

Roymalika said:

Is my analysis correct?

Click to expand...

No, the correct one

idiomatic, both as part of a sentence and as a standalone exclamation.

Edinburgher said:

No, the correct one

is

idiomatic, both as part of a sentence and as a standalone exclamation.

Click to expand...

Right

What a beautiful weather! (as a standalone exclamation) -> 1) grammatically incorrect because of "a", 2) not idiomatic

What beautiful weather! (as a standalone exclamation) -> 1) grammatically correct, 2) idiomatic

Is my new analysis correct now?

Re. #28

Yes.