![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2014\/10\/flash-2568381_960_720.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
The first untranslatable word is Das Unwetter.<\/strong><\/p>\n What does Unwetter mean? What does Unwetter literally translate to? How would you use it in a sentence? What is the nearest English equivalent? Here is a little more storm-related vocabulary:<\/p>\n Das Wetter<\/strong> \u2013 weather There is one more word I\u2019d like to tell you about: Donnerwetter.<\/strong><\/p>\n Since Donner means \u2018thunder\u2019 and Wetter means \u2018weather\u2019 (as you can see from the vocab list above), you would assume that Donnerwetter means \u2018thunder weather\u2019. This is correct, but this word is not usually used to describe weather itself.<\/p>\n Donnerwetter<\/strong> is an expression similar to the English \u201cBloody hell!\u201d, \u201cOh my God!\u201d, \u201cDamn it!\u201d and so on. If you said, \u201cEs wird ein sch\u00f6nes Donnerwetter geben\u201d (\u201cThere\u2019ll be some nice thunder-weather\u201c), you\u2019d be saying something like \u201cThere\u2019s trouble ahead\u201d or \u201cAll hell will break loose\u201d.<\/p>\n You could also just say, \u201cDonnerwetter!\u201d on its own as an exclamation of shock, anger, or surprise.<\/p>\n The translations of Donnerwetter that link it to hell (\u2018bloody\u2019, \u2018damn it\u2019, \u2018hell will break loose\u2019 etc.) probably come from the fact that hell (Die H\u00f6lle<\/em>, by the way) is pictured as having stormy and otherwise unpleasant weather.<\/p>\n So when the rain starts to hit (which will be this week where I live, apparently), instead of being politely British and informing the person next to you on the bus that, \u201cGosh, the weather is terrible, isn\u2019t it?\u201d, go out into the street and scream the phrase, \u201cDONNERWETTER! WAS IST DIESES UNWETTER!?!\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Tsch\u00fc\u00df!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Guten Tag, meine Lieben! Since die Jahreszeiten are changing and Herbst und Winter are upon us here in the UK, I thought this was the right time to learn some Wetter vocabulary \u2013 and yes, the Germans even have an untranslatable word or two when it comes to describing the weather. The first untranslatable word…<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Unwetter<\/em> is a storm, but it\u2019s not just any storm. It is used to describe extremely bad weather, or weather that is unusual for the region\/time of year. For instance, if Germany were to have snow in summer, Germans would call that Unwetter<\/em>.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The literal translation is \u2018un-weather\u2019 \u2013 meaning weather that is not <\/em>weather. I think what the Germans are getting at is that sometimes you get such bad weather that you don\u2019t even want to call it weather anymore. It could also mean that the weather is out of place \u2013 there should be different weather, instead.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Usually it is used as an exclamation of disbelief. \u201cWas ist den dieses Unwetter!\u201d \u2013 \u201cWhat is this un-weather!\u201d It\u2019s not even said as a question.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>\u2018Unwetter\u2019 is quite a dramatic word for describing the weather, so the English equivalent I\u2019d give it is \u2018tempest\u2019, as that is quite dramatic, too. But there is no word exactly like it in the English language!<\/p>\n
\nDas Gewitter<\/strong> \u2013 stormy weather
\nDas Donner und Blitzen<\/strong> \u2013 thunder and lightning
\nDer Sturm<\/strong> \u2013 storm (usually referring to gale force winds)
\nDer Platzregen<\/strong> \u2013 downpour\/cloudburst \u2013 literally ‘burst rain’<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2014\/10\/flash-2568381_960_720-350x233.jpg\")