Nature English: Weather and Seasons
The most popular small-talk topic in English – and how to do it well.
Talking about the weather is a classic way to start a conversation, especially in Britain. Learn the words for every kind of weather and the natural word partners that make you sound fluent.
Key Words
Ten essential words with their German meaning and an example sentence.
| English | German | Example |
|---|---|---|
| forecast | Wettervorhersage | The forecast says it will rain later. |
| drizzle | Nieselregen | It's only drizzle – we don't need an umbrella. |
| shower | Schauer | There will be sunny spells and showers. |
| thunderstorm | Gewitter | A thunderstorm woke me up last night. |
| heatwave | Hitzewelle | During the heatwave, it was over 35 degrees. |
| drought | Dürre | The drought lasted all summer. |
| frost | Frost | There was frost on the car this morning. |
| fog | Nebel | The fog was so thick we couldn't see the road. |
| changeable | wechselhaft | The weather has been very changeable this week. |
| mild | mild | We had a mild winter with hardly any snow. |
Word Partners
Natural English depends on words that belong together. Learn these as complete phrases.
- heavy rain
- strong wind
- light snow
- clear skies
- a sunny spell
- to pour down
- below freezing
- a mild winter
"We say "heavy rain" – not "strong rain" – and "strong wind" – not "heavy wind"."
Useful Phrases
Sentence patterns you can use straight away.
Weather small talk
- Lovely day, isn't it?
- It's absolutely pouring down!
- It's supposed to clear up later.
- I'm freezing!
Talking about seasons
- The days are getting shorter.
- The leaves are starting to turn.
- Spring came early this year.
- We hardly had any snow last winter.
Talk About It
Answer these questions aloud, write a short paragraph, or discuss them with a partner.
- What's your favourite season, and why?
- What's the weather like where you are today?
- Has the weather where you live changed since you were a child?
- How does the weather affect your mood?
Test Yourself
Click a question to see the answer.
1. What do we call very light rain?
Drizzle.
2. Which is correct: "strong rain" or "heavy rain"?
Heavy rain.
3. What is "wechselhaft" in English?
Changeable.
Explore More
Related topics on Talking English.
Talk about weather and seasons.
Learn the words, use them in real sentences and share what you notice with others.
Rain or shine – talk about it.