The Four Seasons in Spanish: Words, Weather and Examples

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If you want the quick answer, the four seasons in Spanish are:

• la primavera – “spring”
• el verano – “summer”
• el otoño – “autumn” or “fall”
• el invierno – “winter”

In places with tropical climates, you may also hear la estación lluviosa or la temporada de lluvias (“the rainy season”), and la estación seca or la temporada seca (“the dry season”).

Seasons make an easy conversation topic when you are getting to know someone. You can ask which season they prefer, compare the weather where you live or talk about what you do at different times of year. By the end of this guide, you will have the grammar, vocabulary and questions you need to do that in Spanish.

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Seasons Change Across the Spanish-Speaking World

Spanish-speaking communities span the Northern and Southern Hemispheres as well as tropical climates, so the same month does not bring the same season everywhere.

The seasons are reversed between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Around the March equinox, spring begins in the Northern Hemisphere while autumn begins in the Southern Hemisphere. Around the September equinox, the pattern reverses.

That describes the astronomical seasons. Meteorological seasons divide the year into fixed three-month periods, so you may see slightly different start dates depending on the system being used.

Tropical climates do not always fit a four-season model. Some places have distinct rainy and dry seasons, while others receive substantial rain throughout the year. The most useful terms and their timing therefore depend on where you are.

How to Say “Season” in Spanish: Estación

Use estación for one of the four seasons: las cuatro estaciones means “the four seasons”. The same word also means “station”, so context tells you which meaning applies.

Temporada is useful for a recurring period defined by weather or an activity, such as la temporada de lluvias (“the rainy season”) or la temporada alta (“the high season”). Época has the broader sense of a time or period, as in esta época del año (“this time of year”).

Astronomical seasons are marked by the equinoxes and solstices. The useful Spanish words are el año (“year”), el equinoccio (“equinox”) and el solsticio (“solstice”). At an equinox, day and night are roughly equal in length; a solstice marks the longest or shortest day of the year.

The Four Seasons in Spanish

• la primavera – “spring”
• el verano – “summer”
• el otoño – “autumn” or “fall”
• el invierno – “winter”

For tropical climates, la estación lluviosa and la temporada de lluvias both refer to a rainy season. La estación seca and la temporada seca refer to a dry season.

Rainfall patterns vary widely. A rainy season does not guarantee heavy rain every day, and a dry season means lower rainfall; it does not automatically mean uninterrupted drought or the hottest weather of the year. In some regions, people also use invierno and verano locally for wetter and drier periods.

A Few Grammar Tips to Remember When Talking About the Seasons in Spanish

The article depends on how the season is used. You will often see el or la when the season is the subject or a general noun:

• Me gusta el verano. – “I like summer.”
• El invierno es frío. – “Winter is cold.”
• Durante la primavera llueve mucho. – “It rains a lot during spring.”

After en and de, the article is normally omitted. You also leave it out in expressions such as Es verano:

• Es verano. – “It’s summer.”
• Nos vamos en primavera. – “We’re leaving in spring.”
• Es una fiesta de invierno. – “It’s a winter party.”

The names of months and seasons are normally written in lowercase in Spanish.

Learn More About the Seasons in Spanish

Let’s look at each season in turn. The vocabulary below gives you practical words for nature, weather, clothes and activities. The holiday examples are only a starting point: dates, names and importance vary by country, region, religion and hemisphere.

How to Say “Spring” in Spanish: Primavera

Primavera comes from the Latin expression prima vera. It is feminine, so “the spring” is la primavera. The adjective primaveral means “spring-like” or “related to spring”, although de primavera is often the easiest everyday option.

Let’s Talk About Spring in Spanish

Nature and weather:

• la flor – “flower” or “blossom”
• florecer – “to bloom”
• la semilla – “seed”
• la planta – “plant”
• la mariposa – “butterfly”
• el pájaro – “bird”
• la llovizna – “drizzle”
• la brisa – “breeze”
• temperaturas suaves – “mild temperatures”

Colours and activities:

• verde – “green”
• rosa, or rosado in many Latin American varieties – “pink”
• colores claros – “light colours”
• colores pastel – “pastel colours”
• sembrar – “to sow” or “to plant”
• ir de picnic – “to go for a picnic”
• la limpieza de primavera – “spring cleaning”

Spring Holidays in Spanish

Useful terms include la Semana Santa (“Holy Week”), el Viernes Santo (“Good Friday”) and la Pascua (“Easter”). El Día del Trabajo or el Día Internacional de los Trabajadores refers to International Workers’ Day on 1 May in many countries. Family celebrations such as Mother’s Day and Father’s Day do not fall on the same dates everywhere, so check the local calendar before describing them as spring holidays.

How to Say “Summer” in Spanish: Verano

Verano comes from the Latin expression veranum tempus. It is masculine: el verano. Estío is a less common, more formal or literary synonym. The adjectives veraniego and estival mean “summery” or “related to summer”, while de verano is common in everyday phrases.

Let’s Talk About Summer in Spanish

Nature, food and weather:

• el mar – “sea”
• la arena – “sand”
• el campo – “countryside” or “field”
• la fruta – “fruit”
• la sandía – “watermelon”
• el helado – “ice cream”
• temperaturas altas – “high temperatures”
• un día soleado – “a sunny day”
• días largos – “long days”

Activities:

• las vacaciones de verano – “summer holidays”
• ir a la playa – “to go to the beach”
• nadar – “to swim”
• ir de viaje – “to go on a trip”
• acampar or ir de acampada – “to go camping”
• hacer una excursión – “to go on an outing or day trip”
• hacer senderismo – “to go hiking”
• relajarse – “to relax”

Some Summer Holidays in Spanish

Las vacaciones de verano means “summer holidays”. In Spain and some other communities, la Noche de San Juan (“Saint John’s Eve”) is celebrated in June, often with bonfires. La Tomatina, the tomato festival held in Buñol in Spain, provides another useful cultural term. Remember that June is a winter month in much of the Southern Hemisphere, and these celebrations are not shared across every Spanish-speaking community.

How to Say “Autumn” in Spanish: Otoño

Otoño comes from the Latin autumnus. It is masculine: el otoño. Spanish uses the same word for both English terms, “autumn” and “fall”. The adjective is otoñal, although de otoño is also common.

Let’s Talk About Autumn in Spanish

Nature, food and weather:

• la hoja – “leaf”
• el árbol – “tree”
• el barro or el lodo – “mud”
• la cosecha – “harvest”
• la manzana – “apple”
• el maíz – “maize” or “corn”
• la calabaza – “pumpkin”
• el viento – “wind”
• el descenso de las temperaturas – “the drop in temperatures”
• la tormenta – “storm”

Colours and activities:

• marrón – “brown”
• rojo – “red”
• naranja or anaranjado – “orange”
• colores cálidos – “warm colours”
• recoger hojas – “to gather leaves”
• saltar en los charcos – “to jump in puddles”
• hacer una fogata – “to build a bonfire”

Some Autumn Holidays in Spanish

In Mexico, el Día de Muertos (“Day of the Dead”) is observed around 1 and 2 November. Halloween is also understood in Spanish, but how widely it is celebrated varies considerably. Since autumn falls in different months across the two hemispheres, describe a festival by its date and location rather than assuming it is an autumn holiday for every Spanish speaker.

How to Say “Winter” in Spanish: Invierno

Invierno comes from the Latin hibernum. It is masculine: el invierno. The adjective invernal means “wintry” or “related to winter”, and de invierno is a common alternative.

Let’s Talk About Winter in Spanish

Nature and weather:

• la montaña – “mountain”
• la nieve – “snow”
• el hielo – “ice”
• la escarcha – “frost”
• las nubes – “clouds”
• temperaturas bajas – “low temperatures”

Clothes and activities:

• la bufanda – “scarf”
• los calcetines – “socks”; las medias can mean socks in some regions, but stockings or tights in others
• el abrigo – “coat”
• las botas – “boots”
• el gorro – “woolly hat” or “beanie”
• los guantes – “gloves”
• hacer un muñeco de nieve – “to build a snowman”
• tirar bolas de nieve – “to throw snowballs”
• esquiar – “to ski”
• patinar sobre hielo – “to ice-skate”

Some Winter Holidays in Spanish

Useful festive vocabulary includes la Nochebuena (“Christmas Eve”), la Navidad (“Christmas”), la Nochevieja (“New Year’s Eve”), el Día de Año Nuevo (“New Year’s Day”), la Epifanía (“Epiphany”) and el Día de Reyes (“Three Kings’ Day”). These dates fall in winter in Spain but in summer in much of the Southern Hemisphere.

El carnaval (“Carnival”) is tied to the Christian calendar, so its date changes from year to year and can fall in February or March. The names and customs of all these celebrations vary locally.

How to Start Conversations about the Seasons in Spanish

These questions give you a natural way to practise the vocabulary while learning something about the other person:

• ¿Cuál es tu estación favorita? – “What’s your favourite season?”
• Mi estación favorita es el otoño. – “My favourite season is autumn.”
• ¿Qué estación te gusta más? – “Which season do you like most?”
• ¿Qué estación te gusta menos? – “Which season do you like least?”
• ¿Prefieres el otoño o la primavera? – “Do you prefer autumn or spring?”
• Prefiero el otoño porque me gusta el clima. – “I prefer autumn because I like the climate.”
• ¿Qué es lo que más te gusta del otoño? – “What do you like most about autumn?”
• Lo que más me gusta del otoño es el tiempo fresco. – “What I like most about autumn is the cool weather.”
• ¿Cómo es el verano en tu ciudad? – “What is summer like in your city?”
• ¿Qué tiempo hace en invierno? – “What’s the weather like in winter?”

These examples use informal tú. In a formal conversation, change tu to su: ¿Cuál es su estación favorita?

How to Say “Month” in Spanish: Mes

“Month” in Spanish is mes, and its plural is meses. If you need a refresher, use this guide to the months in Spanish.

The month names are masculine and normally lowercase. Use un when you describe a particular month, and en to say that something happens in a month:

• un junio caluroso – “a hot June”
• un diciembre frío – “a cold December”
• en junio – “in June”
• en diciembre – “in December”

Weather and Seasons in Spanish: How to Talk About the Weather in Spanish

Spanish uses several different verbs for weather. The three patterns below cover many everyday situations; for a wider set of phrases, see my guide to weather in Spanish.

Use the Verb Hacer

Use the impersonal form hace in common expressions for temperature and general conditions:

• Hace calor. – “It’s hot.”
• Hace frío. – “It’s cold.”
• Hace fresco. – “It’s cool.”
• Hace buen tiempo. – “The weather is good.”
• Hace mal tiempo. – “The weather is bad.”

Use the Verb Estar

Use estar with adjectives that describe the sky, or with a gerund for weather happening now:

• Está nublado. – “It’s cloudy.”
• Está despejado. – “The sky is clear.”
• Está lloviendo. – “It’s raining.”
• Está nevando. – “It’s snowing.”

Use the Verb Haber

Use the impersonal form hay before a noun to say that a weather feature is present:

• Hay sol. – “It’s sunny.”
• Hay viento. – “It’s windy.”
• Hay niebla. – “It’s foggy.”
• Hay nubes. – “There are clouds.”

Choose one season and write five sentences about it: when it occurs where you live, what the weather is like, what you wear, what you do and whether you enjoy it. Then ask a Spanish speaker one of the conversation questions above. If remembering the new words is the difficult part, my Vocab Vault training walks through the methods I use to make vocabulary stick.