A Door Into Hindi: Lesson 19

बरसना by itself means “to fall from the sky” “to precipitate,” or  “to shower down.” In Hindi, the form of precipitation must be stated unless it is entirely clear from the context. Thus we normally say,

 पानी बरस रहा है।

It is raining. (Literally: Water is falling/preicpitating.)

There are a number of other ways to say “It is raining.”

  पानी पड़ रहा है।

 वर्षा हो रही है।

 बरसात हो रही है।

 बारिश हो रही है।

Note: 
1. पानी takes बरसना or पड़ना but वर्षा, बरसात, बारिश take only होना.

2.       पानी is masculine. वर्षा, बरसात, बारिश are feminine.

See Snell's Teach Yourself Hindi (2000) Section 14.3 page 180