Fall is here, so let’s look at some vocabulary that will come in handy if you want to talk about the season in English. In the US and Canada, it’s common to use both fall or autumn to identify the season, while in other English speaking countries, autumn is more common.
The Colors of Fall
One of the first things that you think about when you think of fall is probably the beautiful colors of the leaves. You could describe the colors in other ways, too: stunning colors, vibrant colors, gorgeous colors. Foliage is another word that means leaves, so you may hear about fall foliage or even fall foliage tours. To peep is a conversational verb meaning to look at, so you may hear the expression leaf peepers – that means anyone who drives around in the fall looking at the beautiful, stunning, vibrant, gorgeous colors.
- The leaves are turning/changing color.
- The trees are beautiful this time of year.
- The leaves are falling off/from the trees.
It’s getting colder.
The other thing you think about when you think of autumn is the weather. Depending on where you live, fall may be cool, chilly, damp, rainy, gray, overcast, or cloudy. Or you may live in a place where the weather doesn’t really change much, so fall stays sunny and warm, just like the rest of the year. If you do live in a place with seasons, though, here are some phrases to help you talk about the weather.
Cool is a little cold, not bitter cold like winter, but not warm or hot either. Chilly is between cool and cold. If the weather is chilly, you may want to put on a jacket or a sweater. Damp is a little bit wet. For example, after you use a towel, it will be damp. If the weather is damp, it’s humid, but there’s a sense of cool or chilly with damp. In the summer, we usually say humid (and hot). Overcast describes the sky if it’s full of clouds. Cloudy means that there are clouds in the sky, and overcast usually means that you only see clouds, and no blue sky. Dreary means gray, cold, unpleasant, sad, depressing… Fall can definitely have dreary weather!
- It’s rainy and cloudy.
- The days are chilly and the nights are cold.
- The wind is blowing the leaves.
- The day is overcast, and the sky is gray.
- The weather is dreary!
The days are getting shorter.
Did you remember to turn your clock ahead? The days were already getting shorter during DaylightSavings Time, but now it gets dark very early. As the sun moves lower in the sky, it casts long shadows in the late afternoon, before it sets.
- We lost an hour of sleep.
- The run rises earlier in the morning, but there’s still less daylight.
- It starts to get dark earlier in the evening.
- We lose a little bit of sunlight every day.
Autumn clothes
All of these fall changes probably mean a change in your wardrobe, too. It’s time to pack away your warm weather clothes and take out your jacket, sweaters, hat, and maybe your raincoat. And it may be time to put an extra blanket on the bed. If you live somewhere that gets very cold in the winter, it’s probably still too early for your winter coat, boots, scarf, and gloves, but that will be here soon enough.
- I’m chilly. Where’s my sweater/hoodie/sweatshirt?
- I need to put on warmer clothes.
- I put/packed away all of my summer clothes and took out my heavier clothes.
Calm, Quiet Evenings
If you like calm, quiet evenings, you probably enjoy the fall. If you like to wrap up with a blanket and a good book and sip a cup of tea or hot chocolate, the words comfortable, cozy, and tranquil probably come to mind when you think of the fall. But some people find the season depressing. If you like sunlight, long days, and warm weather, you may feel down when fall comes.
Whether you say I love fall, it’s my favorite season! or I don’t like fall, it’s dark and cold and depressing, we wish you a happy and healthy season.
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