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QUICK ANSWER
"Cómo era el lugar" is a form of "cómo era el lugar", a phrase which is often translated as "what was the place like". "Qué tiempo hacía" is a form of "qué tiempo hacía", a phrase which is often translated as "what the weather was like". Learn more about the difference between "cómo era el lugar" and "qué tiempo hacía" below.
cómo era el lugar()
A phrase is a group of words commonly used together (e.g., once upon a time).
a. what was the place like
¿Cómo era el lugar donde vivían antes? - Era un barrio mucho más tranquilo que este.What was the place where you lived before like. - It was a much quieter neighborhood than this one.
a. what the place was like
Vi en las noticias cómo era el lugar en el que tenían escondido al secuestrado: un agujero literalmente.I saw in the news what the place where they kept the kidnapped man hidden was like: a hole literally.
qué tiempo hacía()
A phrase is a group of words commonly used together (e.g., once upon a time).
1. (general)
a. what the weather was like
Estuvimos un rato hablando de banalidades. Me preguntó qué tiempo hacía y cosas así.We made small talk for a while. He asked me what the weather was like and things like that.