1. Plan your day
In Germany, the weather isn’t always peachy. So understanding the forecast is crucial to planning your stay. Use the sunny days for outdoor activities like hiking in the Black Forest or swimming in the Baltic Sea. For rainy days, consider visiting a museum like the famous Pergamon Museum in Berlin.
2. Dress appropriately
My Mama always says “Es gibt kein falsches Wetter, nur falsche Kleidung” (There’s no wrong weather, only wrong clothes). So make sure you check out the weather forecast, so you can pick your clothes accordingly.
3. Start a conversation
There’s no easier topic to start a conversation than the weather. It’s such a popular small - talk topic that it’s almost cliché. There even is a weather - related German phrase that is jokingly used to fill an awkward silence: “Schönes Wetter heute” (Nice weather today).
How do you say “weather” in German?
If you’re wondering how to say “weather” in German, you’re in luck because it’s almost the same word as in English: Wetter. It’s pronounced like “wetter”, just with a v - sound in the beginning (vetter). To talk about the weather, it’s important to understand these terms: Weather (Wetter) = short - term atmospheric conditions Climate (Klima) = long - term weather pattern Temperature (Temperatur) = measured in Celsius Precipitation (Niederschlag) = any water falling back to Earth These foundational terms are taught in beginner German courses at Berlitz UAE.
How to talk about the weather in German
Questions:
Wie ist das Wetter bei dir?
- How is the weather where you are?
Wie ist das Wetter heute?
- How is the weather today?
Was wird heute die Höchsttemperatur?
- What’s the temperature going to reach today?
Weißt du, ob es heute regnen soll?
- Do you know if it’s supposed to rain today?
Wie ist das Klima da, wo du herkommst?
- What’s the climate like where you're from?
Magst du lieber wärmeres oder kälteres Wetter?
- Do you prefer warmer or colder weather?
Was ist deine Lieblingsjahreszeit?
- What’s your favorite season?
Answers:
Sieht so aus, als würden es heute Morgen nur 5 Grad werden. - It’s looking like it will be as cold as 5 degrees this morning.
Es ist sonnig, aber mit einer lauen Brise.
- It’s sunny but with a cool breeze.
Wir kriegen heute schlechtes Wetter.
- We’ll get bad weather today.
Heute soll es schönes Wetter geben!
- Today it’s supposed to be nice weather!
Ich hoffe, das Wetter bleibt so gut.
- I hope the weather stays this good.
List of everyday weather terms in German
| English | German | IPA |
|---|
| Sunny | Sonnig | [ˈzɔnɪç] |
| Cloudy | Wolkig | [ˈvɔlkɪç] |
| Windy | Windig | [ˈvɪndɪç] |
| Rainy | Regnerisch | [ˈʁeːɡnəʁɪʃ] |
| Rain-swept | Verregnet | [fɛɐ̯ˈʁeːɡnət] |
| Foggy | Neblig | [ˈneːblɪç] |
| Misty | Diesig | [ˈdiːzɪç] |
| Hazy | Trüb | [tʁyːp] |
| Stormy | Stürmisch | [ˈʃtʏʁmɪʃ] |
| Muggy | Schwül | [ʃvyːl] |
| It’s sleeting | Es gibt Schneeregen | [ɛs ɡiːpt ˈʃneːˌʁeːɡn̩] |
| Overcast | Bedeckt; Bewölkt | [bəˈdɛkt; bəˈvœlkt] |
| Murky | Düster | [ˈdyːstɐ] |
| Gloomy | Finster | [ˈfɪnstɐ] |
| Precipitation | Der Niederschlag | [ˈniːdɐˌʃlaːk] |
| Rain | Der Regen | [ˈʁeːɡn̩] |
| Snow | Der Schnee | [ʃneː] |
| Hail | Der Hagel | [ˈhaːɡl̩] |
| Wind | Der Wind | [vɪnt] |
| Fog | Der Nebel | [ˈneːbl] |
| Sun | Die Sonne | [ˈzɔnə] |
| Sunshine | Der Sonnenschein | [ˈzɔnənˌʃaɪ̯n] |
| Sunrays | Die Sonnenstrahlen | [ˈzɔnənˌʃtʁaːlən] |
| Sunlight | Das Sonnenlicht | [ˈzɔnənlɪçt] |
| Rainbow | Der Regenbogen | [ˈʁeːɡn̩ˌboːɡn̩] |
| Northern Lights | Die Nordlichter | [ˈnɔʁtˌlɪçtɐ] |
| It’s raining | Es regnet | [ɛs ˈʁeːɡnət] |
| It’s drizzling | Es nieselt | [ɛs ˈniːzlt] |
| It’s pouring | Es gießt | [ɛs ɡiːst] |
| It’s snowing | Es schneit | [ɛs ʃnaɪ̯t] |
| It’s hailing | Es hagelt | [ɛs ˈhaːɡl̩t] |
| The sun is shining | Die Sonne scheint | [diː ˈzɔnə ʃaɪ̯nt] |
| It’s clear | Es ist klar | [ɛs ɪst klaːɐ̯] |
| It’s bright | Es ist hell | [ɛs ɪst hɛl] |
| There’s thunder | Es donnert | [ɛs ˈdɔnɐt] |
| There’s lightning | Es blitzt | [ɛs blɪt͡st] |
| Such lousy weather! | So ein Mistwetter! | [zoː aɪ̯n ˈmɪstˌvɛtɐ] |
| The storm is over now | Der Sturm ist vorüber | [deːɐ̯ ʃtʊɐ̯m ɪst voːʁyːbɐ] |
| It stopped raining | Es hat aufgehört, zu regnen | [ɛs hat ˈaʊ̯fɡəˌhøːɐ̯t tsuː ˈʁeːɡnən] |
Common weather forecast statements
| English | German | IPA |
|---|
| The weather forecast | Die Wettervorhersage | [diː ˈvɛtɐfoːɐ̯ˌheːɐ̯ˌzaːɡə] |
| Weather report | Der Wetterbericht | [ˈvɛtɐbəˌʁɪçt] |
| We expect… | Wir erwarten… | [viːɐ̯ ɛɐ̯ˈvaʁtn̩] |
| Temperatures will rise | Die Temperaturen steigen | [diː tɛmpɐʁaˈtuːʁən ˈʃtaɪ̯ɡn̩] |
| Temperatures will fall | Die Temperaturen fallen | [diː tɛmpɐʁaˈtuːʁən ˈfaln̩] |
| It's going to be sunny | Es wird sonnig | [ɛs vɪʁt ˈzɔnɪç] |
| It’s going to be cloudy | Es wird wolkig | [ɛs vɪʁt ˈvɔlkɪç] |
| There will be showers | Es wird Schauer geben | [ɛs vɪʁt ˈʃaʊ̯ɐ ɡeːbn̩] |
| Expect snow | Es wird Schnee erwartet | [ɛs vɪʁt ʃneː ɛɐ̯ˈvaʁtət] |
| Chance of rain | Regenwahrscheinlichkeit | [ˈʁeːɡn̩vaˌʃaɪ̯nˌlaɪ̯çn̩kaɪ̯t] |
| Thunderstorms are expected | Gewitter werden erwartet | [ɡəˈvɪtɐ ˈveːʁdn̩ ɛɐ̯ˈvaʁtət] |
| We expect strong winds | Wir erwarten starken Wind | [viːɐ̯ ɛɐ̯ˈvaʁtn̩ ˈʃtaʁkn̩ vɪnt] |
| It will be freezing | Es wird frieren | [ɛs vɪʁt ˈfʁiːʁən] |
| It will be mild | Es wird mild sein | [ɛs vɪʁt mɪlt zaɪ̯n] |
| It will be warm | Es wird warm sein | [ɛs vɪʁt vaʁm zaɪ̯n] |
| Clear skies | Klarer Himmel | [ˈklaːʁɐ ˈhɪml̩] |
| Storm warning | Sturmwarnung | [ˈʃtʊʁmˌvaʁnʊŋ] |
| Heatwave | Hitzewelle | [ˈhɪt͡səˌvɛlə] |
These terms help you talk about more serious weather - useful whether you live in the UAE or are visiting German - speaking countries.
| English | German | IPA |
|---|
| Extreme weather | Das Unwetter | [ˈʊnˌvɛtɐ] |
| Cyclone | Der Wirbelsturm | [ˈvɪʁbl̩ˌʃtʊʁm] |
| Hurricane | Der Hurrikan | [ˈhʊʁiˌkaːn] |
| Tornado | Der Tornado | [tɔʁˈnaːdo] |
| Blizzard | Der Schneesturm | [ˈʃneːˌʃtʊʁm] |
| Thunderstorm | Das Gewitter | [ɡəˈvɪtɐ] |
| Lightning strike | Der Blitzeinschlag | [ˈblɪt͡sˌaɪ̯nˌʃlaːk] |
| Flood | Die Überschwemmung | [ˈyːbɐʃvɛmʊŋ] |
| Drought | Die Dürre | [ˈdʏʁə] |
| Heatwave | Die Hitzewelle | [ˈhɪt͡səˌvɛlə] |
| Storm surge | Die Sturmflut | [ˈʃtʊʁmˌfluːt] |
| Avalanche | Die Lawine | [laˈviːnə] |
| Ice storm | Der Eissturm | [ˈaɪ̯sˌʃtʊʁm] |
Talking about the temperature in German
| English | German | IPA |
|---|
| Temperature | Die Temperatur | [tɛmpɐʁaˈtuːɐ̯] |
| Degree | Der Grad | [ɡʁaːt] |
| Minus degrees | Minusgrade | [ˈmiːnʊsˌɡʁaːdə] |
| It’s hot | Es ist heiß | [ɛs ɪst haɪ̯s] |
| It’s cold | Es ist kalt | [ɛs ɪst kalt] |
| It’s warm | Es ist warm | [ɛs ɪst vaʁm] |
| It’s cool | Es ist kühl | [ɛs ɪst kyːl] |
| Temperatures are rising | Die Temperaturen steigen | [diː tɛmpɐʁaˈtuːʁən ˈʃtaɪ̯ɡn̩] |
| Temperatures are falling | Die Temperaturen fallen | [diː tɛmpɐʁaˈtuːʁən ˈfaln̩] |
| Below zero | Unter null | [ˈʊntɐ nʊl] |
| Above zero | Über null | [ˈyːbɐ nʊl] |
| Freezing point | Der Gefrierpunkt | [ɡəˈfʁiːɐ̯ˌpʊŋkt] |
| Heat | Die Hitze | [ˈhɪt͡sə] |
| Humidity | Die Luftfeuchtigkeit | [ˈlʊftˌfɔɪ̯çtɪçkaɪ̯t] |
| Wind chill | Die gefühlte Temperatur | [ɡəˈfyːltə tɛmpɐʁaˈtuːɐ̯] |
Other important weather terms in German
| English | German | IPA |
|---|
| Forecast | Die Vorhersage | [foːɐ̯ˈheːɐ̯ˌzaːɡə] |
| Sky | Der Himmel | [ˈhɪml̩] |
| Cloud | Die Wolke | [ˈvɔlkə] |
| Ice | Das Eis | [aɪ̯s] |
| Frost | Der Frost | [fʁɔst] |
| Puddle | Die Pfütze | [ˈpfʏt͡sə] |
| Raindrop | Der Regentropfen | [ˈʁeːɡn̩ˌtʁɔpfn̩] |
| Snowflake | Die Schneeflocke | [ˈʃneːˌflɔkə] |
| Breeze | Die Brise | [ˈbʁiːzə] |
| Gust of wind | Die Windböe | [ˈvɪntˌbøːə] |
| Drizzle | Der Nieselregen | [ˈniːzəlˌʁeːɡn̩] |
| Season | Die Jahreszeit | [ˈjaːʁəsˌtsaɪ̯t] |
| Climate | Das Klima | [ˈkliːmaː] |
| Forecast app | Die Wetter-App | [ˈvɛtɐˌɛp] |
| UV index | Der UV-Index | [uːˈfaʊ̯ ˈɪndɛks] |
Weather - related expressions in German
English German Literal meaning
raining cats and dogs Es regnet Bindfäden It’s raining string It’s pouring Es gießt wie aus Eimern It’s pouring like from buckets The calm before the storm Die Ruhe vor dem Sturm Calm before the storm She’s always in a bad mood Sie ist immer eine Regenwolke She’s always a rain cloud To steal someone’s thunder Jemandem die Schau stehlen To steal someone’s showcase Fair - weather friend Schönwetterfreund Good - weather friend Lightning fast Blitzschnell Fast as lightning To be on cloud nine Auf Wolke sieben schweben To float on cloud seven
When is a good time to visit Germany, Austria and Switzerland?
Most visitors prefer the months between May and September, when the weather is the warmest and the days are long. The temperature reaches its maximum in July with average highs around 24°C - much cooler than UAE summers. Winter temperatures range from around 0°C to 3°C, and from December through April you’re likely to see plenty of snow. Especially in December, some snow can give your Christmas market visit that magical feel many UAE travelers look forward to.
Holy thunder weather!
Heiliges Donnerwetter - so many things can be said about the weather! From small talk to discussions on climate change, German weather vocabulary gives you a wide range of expressions to speak naturally and confidently. For structured practice, Berlitz UAE can help - whether you learn at the Berlitz Berlitz Jumeirah Centre or the Berlitz JLT Centre in Dubai. And if you ever get stuck inside during a snowstorm, make sure you have enough reading material. Or use the time to join one of the **German courses at Berlitz UAE** - online or on - site.
