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A115 words5 phrases

The seasons

Spanish seasons come with strong habits attached, and the words appear in every conversation about holidays, food and weather.

Quick answer

En verano hace mucho calor en el sur.

In summer it is very hot in the south. Seasons take en with no article: en verano, en invierno.

The words

SpanishEnglish
la primaverathe spring
el veranothe summer
el otoñothe autumn
el inviernothe winter
la estaciónthe season
el calorthe heat
el fríothe cold
la lluviathe rain
la nievethe snow
la sombrathe shade
la cosechathe harvest
la vendimiathe grape harvest
el puentethe long weekend
florecerto blossom
anochecerto get dark

The phrases you will actually say

En verano hace mucho calor en el sur.In summer it is very hot in the south.
En invierno anochece muy pronto.In winter it gets dark very early.
Mi estación favorita es el otoño.My favourite season is autumn.
En primavera los almendros florecen primero.In spring the almond trees blossom first.
Nos vamos de puente en octubre.We are going away for the long weekend in October.

Worth knowing

August is the season that matters most in Spain. Cities empty, small shops hang a cerrado por vacaciones sign for weeks, and inland temperatures past forty degrees push everything into the evening; in exchange the north stays mild and crowded. The word el puente is worth learning early: when a public holiday falls on a Tuesday or Thursday, the intervening working day is bridged into a long weekend, and if it stretches to four days people call it un acueducto. Note la estación means both season and railway station. Grammar: seasons drop the article after en, and weather uses hacer, so hace frío, never a literal translation with ser or estar. Remember that the southern hemisphere reverses everything, so Christmas in Argentina or Chile falls en verano.

Practice

Practise your the seasons words

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Check yourself

What is "un puente" in the calendar sense?

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