It's my first Berlin autumn, in fact it's my first real autumn in a long time. When I was living in New Zealand the seasons tended to go from summer to winter with only a little nod at autumn. A Berlin autumn, however, likes to assert itself as a proper season and not just a bridge between hot and cold. For months on end the leaves have been turning from green to brilliant golden hues and then drifting down in piles. The impending cold scares me and as the clouds get lower and the final leaves disappear I can feel winter's skeletal tree claws reaching out to us.

Like a true Brit, I seem to have started my blog by talking about the weather.

Here's a little selection of words that will help you get by when you want to talk about the joys of autumn in German. Want to talk more about the weather? Search for weather and you'll find a slightly bigger selection.