Today's lesson will take us through some Spanish vocabulary that might come in handy to talk about el otoño (the autumn/fall) and some of the phenomena associated with esta estación (this season).
Let's start by taking a look at a quote from our Yabla Spanish library about el tiempo in autumn, which means "the weather" (rather than "the time") in this context:
Pero en primavera y en otoño, el tiempo es mucho mejor
But in spring and in fall, the weather is much better
Captions 16-17, Clara explica El tiempo - Part 1
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The fall season is typically characterized by more moderate temperaturas (temperatures) as well as viento (wind) and sometimes lluvia (rain) or niebla (fog) (although there might be some sol (sun) as well!). Let's look at these autumn weather words in context:
Pasame las llaves y llamá un taxi ante' que venga la lluvia.
Give me the keys and call a cab before the rain comes.
Caption 51, Yago 5 La ciudad - Part 9
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Ya está haciendo un poco de viento; ¿no te parece que hace frío? Sí, a pesar de que hace un hermoso sol.
It's a bit windy now; doesn't it seem like it's cold to you? Yes, in spite of the fact that it's beautifully sunny.
Captions 78-79, Sofy y Caro Entrevistar para un trabajo
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Ten cuidado cuando conduzcas hoy porque hay mucha niebla y no se puede ver bien.
Be careful when you drive today because there's a lot of fog, and you can't see well.
Captions 17-18, Clara explica El tiempo - Part 2
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The videos Clara explica el tiempo - Part 1 and Clara explica el tiempo- Part 2 (Clara Explains the Weather- Parts 1 and 2) as well as Aprendiendo con Karen- El tiempo (Learning with Karen- The Weather) can help you learn even more ways to talk about the weather in Spanish.
While some Spanish-speaking countries like Colombia and Ecuador have less climatic variation due to their proximity to the equator, others experience the autumn season in different months than North America. For example, fall in countries like Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, etc. takes place from approximately marzo a junio (March to June), while Spain experiences the fall in the same months as in the United States: septiembre a diciembre (September through December), as demonstrated in this video about the months and seasons in Spanish by El Aula Azul:
En septiembre, empieza el otoño. En octubre, caen las hojas.
In September, the fall begins. In October, the leaves fall.
Captions 22-23, El Aula Azul Estaciones y Meses
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And that brings us to las hojas (the leaves), which, along with their tendency to change colors, dry up, and fall off trees in the autumn, are arguably the most frequently-employed symbol of the fall season.
What other objects are associated with the fall? Let's take a look at a few:
¡Soy un espantapájaros!
I'm a scarecrow!
Caption 95, 75 minutos Gangas para ricos - Part 15
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¿Cuánto puede costar una cesta así en el mercado?
How much can a basket like this cost at the market?
Caption 121, 75 minutos Del campo a la mesa - Part 11
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¿Adivináis qué animal come esta paja y este heno?
Can you guess what animal eats this straw and this hay?
Caption 6, Amaya Donkey Dreamland
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Ahora, vamos con nuestro siguiente diseño de calabaza.
Now, we go on to our next pumpkin design.
Caption 64, Manos a la obra Papel picado para Día de muertos
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What other foods do we associate with the autumn season?
Es época de quinoa, de la cosecha, de las arvejas tiernas, del maíz, que también ya acabamos de cosechar.
It's the season for quinoa, the harvest, sweet peas, corn, which we also just finished harvesting.
Captions 27-28, Otavalo Proyecto familiar Kawsaymi - Part 2
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Si hay un olor típico en el otoño es el de las castañas asadas.
If there is a typical smell in autumn, it's that of the roasted chestnuts.
Caption 24, 75 minutos Del campo a la mesa - Part 1
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Las manzanas puedes hacer dulce de manzana, pie de manzana, torta de manzana,
[With] apples you can make apple jam, apple pie, apple cake,
Caption 19, Otavalo Conozcamos el Mundo de las Frutas con Julia
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And speaking of apples, they can also be used to make sidra (cider) of both the alcoholic and non-alchoholic variety:
y la bebida más típica es la sidra de manzana.
and the most typical drink is hard apple cider.
Caption 57, Viajando con Fermín La Feria de Santo Tomás
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In this video, Fermín tells us in this about the Feria de Santo Tomás (Saint Tomas Fair), which takes place on the last day of autumn, December 21st, and is thought to be the first day of the Christmas season.
To continue on the theme of fiestas (holidays), let's talk about the Spanish terms for some fall celebrations in both the United States and Latin America:
Y en el interior le decimos, eh... Día de Muertos. Eh... Quizás tenga un poco de relación en la fecha con el Halloween de Estados Unidos,
And in [places] inside the country we call it, um... Day of the Dead. Um... Perhaps it's a little bit related with the United States's Halloween in respect to date,
Captions 69-70, Yabla en Yucatán Don Salo - Part 2
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And, in addition to Halloween and the Day of the Dead, we have, in November, the important North American holiday of Thanksgiving, which is called el Día de Acción de Gracias in Spanish.
Let's conclude today's lesson with a quick-reference review of the words we have learned:
el otoño (the autumn/fall)
la estación (the season)
el tiempo (the weather)
la temperatura (the temperture)
la lluvia (the rain)
el viento (the wind)
la niebla (the fog)
el sol (the sun)
hacer sol (to be sunny)
hacer viento (to be windy)
hacer frío (to be cold)
marzo (March)
abril (April)
mayo (May)
junio (June)
septiembre (September)
octubre (October)
noviembre (November)
diciembre (December)
las hojas (the leaves)
el espantapájaros (the scarecrow)
la cesta (the basket)
la paja (the straw)
el heno (the hay)
la calabaza (the pumpkin)
la quinoa (the quinoa)
la cosecha (the harvest)
cosechar (to harvest)
el maíz (the corn)
las castañas asadas (the roasted chestnuts)
la manzana (the apple)
la fiesta (the holiday)
el Día de Muertos/el Día de los Muertos (The Day of the Dead)
el Día de Acción de Gracias (Thanksgiving)
And that brings us to the end of our lesson on useful Spanish vocabulary for the autumn season. We hope you've enjoyed it, and don't forget to leave us your suggestions and comments.
In recent years, the holiday known as Día de los muertos, or Día de muertos (Day of the Dead), which is most typically celebrated on November 1st and 2nd but sometimes also on October 31st and/or November 6th, has gained considerable popularity. The 2017 release of Coco, a Pixar animated film inspired by this tradition, has likely consolidated this originally Mexican holiday's spot in mainstream culture far beyond its birthplace. Let's learn more about this unique festivity.
Scholars continue to debate whether Día de los muertos dates back to pre-Hispanic civilizations like the Aztecs, Olmecs, Zapotecs, and Mayas or is an adaptation of Catholic and pagan traditions brought in during the Conquest. Likely merging the two, this festivity meant to honor the dead has religious undertones but has also evolved into an important secular holiday with distinctive practices that are shared across the country. As Don Salo, an artisan from Yucatan, tells us, there are also many regional variations:
Aquí se le llama Janal Pixan.
Here it's called Janal Pixan.
En maya es "comida para difuntos".
In Mayan means "food for the deceased."
Captions 67-68, Yabla en Yucatán - Don Salo
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As Adriana shares with us in the following clip, Día de los muertos aims not to mourn, but rather to remember and honor, family members and friends who have passed away:
La celebridad del Día de los Muertos, más que celebrar la muerte, es celebrar el recuerdo de nuestros santos difuntos,
The fame of the Day of the Dead, rather than celebrating death, it's to celebrate the memory of our saintly departed
Captions 40-42, Hispanoamericanos en Berlín Adriana y la fiesta de los muertos - Part 1
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There are many ways to do this. One is by preparing a deceased person's favorite dishes:
Y la manera de honrarlos es, eh... haciendo sus platillos favoritos,
And the way to honor them is, um... making their favorite dishes,
Caption 16, Tatiana y su cocina Chilaquiles
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Another is by building an altar de muertos (altar to the dead) or ofrenda de muertos (offering to the dead) in one's home. Such altars might include skulls (calaveras) made of sugar and meringue, marigold flowers known by their Aztec name cempazúchitl, candles (velas), the "bread of the dead" (pan de muerto), salt (sal), water, traditional food and beverages, and papel picado (decorative pierced paper), which Meli teaches us to make:
tengo tips super fáciles para decorar tu altar de muertos o tu casa. Vamos a hacer papel picado con dos diseños,
I have super easy tips to decorate your altar to the dead or your home. We are going to make "papel picado" with two designs,
Captions 7-8, Manos a la obra Papel picado para Día de muertos
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Meli additionally teaches us how to make squishy calaveritas (sugar skulls) and explains to us yet another Day of the Dead tradition: spending the night at the cemetery:
En algunos lugares de México, las personas pasan parte de la noche en el panteón.
In some places in Mexico, people spend part of the night at the cemetery.
Captions 60-61, Manos a la obra Papel picado para Día de muertos
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While gifts for the departed in the form of the aforementioned items are often left at friends and family members' graves, Día de los muertos is not solely focused on the dead, as giving gifts such as candy sugar skulls and sharing pan de muerto and other festive food and beverages with living friends and family members is common practice. Some additionally pen light-hearted verses in the form of mock epitaphs for their friends and family, a literary genre known as calaveras literarias (literary skulls).
Día de los muertos continues to gain popularity outside of Mexico as well, particularly in areas with large Mexican immigrant populations as Adriana, a Mexican woman living in Berlin, explains:
lo que me vincula muy fuertemente a mi tierra es una festividad que se celebra aquí en Berlín hace más de treinta años.
what ties me very strongly to my land is a festivity that has been celebrated here in Berlin for more than thirty years.
Captions 30-33, Hispanoamericanos en Berlín Adriana y la fiesta de los muertos - Part 1
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Día de los muertos is also important in many other Spanish-speaking countries, each with its own version. According to Julia, in Ecuador, people customarily drink colada de mora (blackberry smoothie) for Día de los muertos:
...y que en Ecuador y en otros países se la toma
...and that in Ecuador and in other countries is consumed
el dos de noviembre de todos los años, el Día de los Muertos.
on November second every year, the Day of the Dead.
Captions 52-53, Otavalo - Conozcamos el Mundo de las Frutas con Julia
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That said, in spite of such regional nuances, the goal of all Día de muertos celebrations is not to forget our grief, but remember to also happily celebrate life:
Pero metámosle también este otro poco de... de recuerdo, de memoria, de alegría, y honremos a los que ya se fueron celebrando nuestra propia vida.
But let's add to it as well this other bit of... of recollection, of memory, of happiness, and let's honor those who already departed by celebrating our own lives.
Captions 50-51, Tatiana y su cocina Chilaquiles
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Do you know about any additional Día de los muertos traditions? Write us and let us know!
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