How to speak about the WEATHER in German?

Wie ist das Wetter? (How is the weather?) Whether we’re talking to our grandma or our friend in Berlin, this remains a standard question. Learn all possible German answers to this question in this video!

Ich bin Spring German Lehrerin Brunhild und hier kommen die wichtigsten Wetterbedingungen! (I am Spring German teacher Brunhild and here are the most important weather conditions!)

1. Die Temperatur (The temperature)

Most important for our choice of outfit is probably the temperature outside. It could be…

• heiß (hot)
• warm (warm)
• kühl (cool) or
• kalt (cold)

KIM
Heute ist es angenehm warm! Nicht so kühl wie gestern.
(Today it’s pleasantly warm! Not as cool as yesterday.)

DANIA
Ich finde es kalt! In Dubai ist es immer schön warm.
(I find it cold! In Dubai it is always nice and warm.)

KIM
Ist es dort nicht total heiss?
(Isn’t it totally hot there?)

Fun fact: I come from München (Munich) which usually has nice weather. Even the wind is warm (warm) and trocken (dry). This is because the wind comes from the south and has lost most of it’s humidity over the alps, hence warms up quite well on it’s descend towards München (Munich). In fact, it is as warm as if it would come from a giant blow dryer. Maybe why the official term for this wind has become Föhn (foehn), which is also happens to be the German word for blow dryer!

MARIE
Und? Wie ist das Wetter in München?
(So? How is the weather in Munich?)

MONIKA
Windig, aber warm! Wir haben einen angenehmen Föhn!
(Windy, but warm! We have a pleasant foehn!)

MARIE
Ich bin neidisch. Hier regnet es und der Wind ist eiskalt. Das reinste Dreckswetter!
(I’m envious. Here it rains and the wind is ice cold. Such a filthy weather!)

CHUNK ALERT

Das reinste Dreckswetter (Such a filthy weather) literally means “The purest dirtweather”. And by purest, we mean the filthiest! It is really mean – but only to the weather – and great to release some steam.

For useful chunks like this, feel free to download our free essential German chunking kit. They will make you sound like a real insider in no time! The link is in the description.

2. Sonne, Regen oder Wind? (Sun, rain or wind?)

Obviously, we all prefer die Sonne (the sun). Right? But unfortunately, there is also…

• der Regen (the rain)
• der Wind (the wind)
• die Wolken (the clouds) and worst of all
• der Sturm (the storm). And when it’s really cold, der Regen turns into…
• der Schnee (the snow)

These nouns rarely stand by themselves. Often they come with some powers. For example:

• Die Sonne scheint. (The sun shines.)
• Der Regen nieselt. (The rain drizzles.)
• Der Wind bläst. (The wind blows.)
• Die Wolken ziehen vorbei. (The clouds pass by.)
• Der Sturm wütet. (The storm rages.)
• Der Schnee fällt. (The snow falls.)

EVA
Der Regen nieselt … Ich hasse verregnetes Wetter … Scheint morgen die Sonne? Ich will sonnen.
(The rain drizzles… I hate rainy weather… Does the sun shine tomorrow? I want to sunbathe.)

KIM
Es wird nicht sonnig. Es soll bewölkt, verregnet und windig werden. Vielleicht sogar stürmisch!
(It’s not going to be sunny. They say it’s going to be cloudy, rainy and windy. Maybe even stormy!)

Eva
Was für ein Dreckswetter.
(What a filthy weather.)

See what the girls did there? They used an even smoother way of addressing the weather by using adjectives! This is how you can do it:

• Die Sonne scheint (The sun shines) turns into → Es ist sonnig! (It’s sunny!)
• Der Regen nieselt  (The rain drizzles) turns into → Es ist verregnet! (It’s rainy!)
• Der Wind bläst (The wind blows) turns into → Es ist windig! (It’s windy!)
• Die Wolken ziehen vorbei  (Clouds pass by) turns into → Es ist bewölkt! (It’s cloudy!)
• Der Sturm wütet  (The storm rages) turns into → Es ist stürmisch! (It’s stormy!)
• Der Schnee fällt  (The snow falls) turns into → Es ist verschneit! (It’s snowy!)

But what happens with us when the weather goes nuts?

3. Regen macht uns nass (Rain makes us wet)

Obviously, the condition of our clothes and skin will be influenced by the weather.

• Die Sonne macht uns braun … oder rot (The sun makes us brown… or red)
• Regen macht uns nass (Rain makes us wet) aber (but)
• Wind trocknet uns (Wind dries us)
• Sonne trocknet uns auch (Sun dries us, too).

EVA
Hi! Ich habe gehört du kommst aus Dubai. Wie ist das Wetter dort?
(Hi! I heard you are from Dubai. How is the weather there?)

DANIA
Es ist immer heiss. Die Sonne scheint den ganzen Tag! Keine einzige Wolke zieht vorbei!
(It is always hot. The sun is shining all day! Not a single cloud passes through!)

EVA
Wow! Ihr müsst ganz schön schwitzen!
(Wow! You must really sweat!)

DANIA
Mit Klimaanlage hält man es aus. Die Sonne macht mich glücklich.
(With air conditioning, it’s bearable. The sun makes me happy.)

Some people experience that their mood is tightly linked to the weather! Me, for example.

• Sonne macht mich glücklich. (Sun makes me happy.)
• Schnee macht mich friedlich. (Snow makes me peaceful.)
• Regen deprimiert mich. (Rain depresses me.)
• Sturm motiviert mich. (Storm motivates me.)

Do you agree? Does the weather have similar or different effects on you? Share your experience in the comments.

Now, do you feel comfortable answering the question of questions, Wie ist das Wetter? (How is the weather?) I sure hope you do.