Lesson 24 · German A1-2

Weather Vocabulary

Das Wetter

Weather small talk is a German cultural staple - it's the default filler topic with neighbors, colleagues, and shopkeepers, and it shows up constantly in Hören (listening) exam clips (weather reports are a favorite source). Today is short and mostly vocabulary, reusing sein (Lesson 1) and the predicate-adjective escape hatch from Lesson 22.

Today's win: describe today's weather in one sentence and understand a basic weather forecast.

Core weather words

die Sonnesunder Regenrain
der Windwindder Schneesnow
sonnigsunnyregnerischrainy
warmwarmkaltcold

Two common patterns

Es ist sonnig. (It's sunny. - predicate adjective, no ending, Lesson 22)
Es regnet. (It's raining. - regnen conjugated normally, Lesson 3)
Es ist heute kalt.

Es ("it") is the fixed subject for weather statements, same as English "it's raining" - German doesn't have an alternative here.

Asking about the weather

Wie ist das Wetter heute? (How's the weather today?)
Wie wird das Wetter morgen? (What will the weather be like tomorrow?)
Try it out loud: describe today's actual weather in German using one "Es ist ..." sentence and, if applicable, one "Es regnet/schneit" sentence.

Quick recall check

1. "It's sunny." - Es ist ______.

Show answer
sonnig

2. "It's raining." - Es ______.

Show answer
regnet

3. What's the article for "Sonne" (sun)?

Show answer
die

4. "How's the weather today?" - Wie ______ das Wetter heute?

Show answer
ist

5. What's the German word for "cold" (adjective)?

Show answer
kalt

Primary source

Vocabulary cross-checked against the official Goethe-Zertifikat A1 Wortliste.

Want to practice understanding a real German weather forecast? Ask your teaching agent to find or build one for you.