Talking about weather in German
Talking about weather in German is a common topic in everyday conversations. Whether you’re making small talk with someone you just met or engaging in casual conversation, being able to express and understand weather-related terms and phrases allows you to participate in these interactions more naturally.
Questions about “das Wetter” (Talking about weather in German) are straightforward in German.
While Germans will ask about the current situation outside, they’re just as much concerned with the future outlook. It’s important to them to know the weather forecast, “die Wettervorhersage”!
- Wie ist das Wetter heute / morgen? = How’s the weather today / tomorrow?
- Ist es warm / kalt / schön / schlecht? = “Is it warm / cold / good / bad?
- Wie ist die Wettervorhersage für heute / morgen? = What is the weather forecast for today / tomorrow?
- Wie viel Grad sind es? = What’s the temperature? (literally: how many degrees is it?)
- Wie warm / kalt ist es? = How warm / cold is it?
Answering weather-related questions in German is often possible with a simple statement.
Similarly to telling the time in German, you can say “Es ist…” (It is… ) followed by the appropriate adjective:
- Es ist schönes / schlechtes Wetter. = It is nice / bad weather.
- Es ist heiß / kalt / kühl / frisch / warm. = It is hot / cold / cool / fresh / warm.
- Es ist sonnig / bewölkt / regnerisch / verschneit / windig / neblig / trüb / klar = It is sunny / cloudy / rainy / snowy / windy / foggy / hazy / clear.
Of course, instead of describing the weather with an adjective, you can make short statements with a verb. Note that instead of using the progressive as in English (It’s raining), German employs the simple present: “Es regnet.” (It rains).
- Die Sonne scheint. = The sun is shining (the sun shines).
- Es windet. = It’s windy (literally: the wind blows).
- Es schneit. = It’s snowing (it snows).
