Learning how to talk about the time and weather in German is an essential skill when learning the language, especially if you are travelling in a German-speaking place. To be able to prepare for your day, catch trains on time, make that bus or get the correct opening and closing times for sights, these abilities are crucial.
These topics are part of everyday conversation and can help you engage more naturally with native speakers. In this guide, we will break down the basic phrases and vocabulary you need to tell the time confidently and discuss the weather in German.
How to talk about the weather in German
Weather is a common topic for small talk, and knowing how to describe the weather in German will make your conversations flow more naturally. Here are some fundamental phrases:
- Wie ist das Wetter? What is the weather like?
- Wie ist das Wetter heute? How is the weather today?
Depending on the forecast, you might answer with one of the following:
- Es ist warm. It is warm.
- Es ist kalt. It is cold.
- Es ist heiß. It is hot.
- Es ist bewölkt. It’s cloudy.
- Es ist sonnig. It’s sunny.
- Es ist windig. It’s windy.
Getting into details about the weather in German
If you want to be more specific, you can use adjectives to describe the weather in German with greater detail:
- Heute ist es sehr heiß. Today, it is very hot.
- Heute ist es außergewöhnlich kalt. Today, it is extraordinarily cold.
- Heute ist es bewölkt. Today, it’s cloudy.
These phrases are great for describing the weather right now. Note the shift in word order when the sentence begins with heute. The verb remains in 2nd position and the subject moves to 3rd position.
Forecasting for the future
What if you want to talk about what the weather will be like? Here are some future-focused expressions:
- Wie wird das Wetter? What will the weather be like? – Here, we can see the present tense of the verb werden used to convey the idea of the future. Literally, it means How is becoming the weather?
- Morgen wird es warm. Tomorrow it’s going to be warm. – In this example, the adverb of time morgen is used together with werden to show we are talking about the weather in the future.
- Am Nachmittag wird es kalt. This afternoon it’s going to be cold. – Again, we are seeing another adverb of time, am Nachmittag, used to show that we are referring to the future. When these adverbs are placed at the start of a sentence, the verb still has to remain in 2nd position, shifting the subject to 3rd position.
- Es wird windig. It’s going to be windy.
Whether you’re planning a day out or simply chatting with a friend, these phrases will help you talk about the weather in German in any situation.
Telling the time in German
Another vital skill is knowing how to tell the time in German, and it can go hand-in-hand with talking about the weather. It’s useful to know when changes in the forecast are due! Let’s start with the basics:
- Wie viel Uhr ist es? What time is it?
- Wie spät ist es? What time is it? (Literally: How late is it?)
To answer these questions, you might use:
- Es ist drei Uhr. It is three o’clock.
- Es ist sieben Uhr dreiundzwanzig. It’s 7:23.
- Es ist Viertel nach zwei. It’s a quarter past two. (Note that the preposition nach means after.)
- Es ist halb elf. It is half past ten.
In German, saying “half past ten” is expressed as halb elf, which literally means half to eleven, NOT half (past) eleven, as learners of German think at first. This might take a little getting used to, but with practice, it will become second nature. It also helps avoid confusion and turning up an hour later than planned!
Some other useful phrases:
- Es ist Mitternacht. It’s midnight.
- Es ist Mittag. It’s midday.
- Es ist zehn vor acht. It is ten to eight. (The preposition vor means before/to.)
Practising these phrases will help you feel more confident when discussing time in German, whether you’re scheduling a meeting or just checking the time.
Practice makes perfect
Just like any other aspect of learning a language, the key to talking about time and the weather in German is practice. Try using these phrases in your daily conversations, listen to how native speakers talk about the weather, and check the time throughout the day in German. It’s also helpful to hear different accents and learn from their pronunciation. Here are some examples to check your understanding:
- Um 16 Uhr wird es sehr windig aber am Abend wird es wieder sonnig…
- Morgen Mittag wird es außergewöhnlich kalt und eisig.
By practising regularly, you’ll find that these phrases become a natural part of your vocabulary, helping you to communicate more effectively and enjoy your learning journey even more.
For more practice, be sure to listen to the podcast episode, where you can hear the examples and perfect your pronunciation. Also, why not use your new phrases about telling the time in German and see how to use them when making a phone call?
