Es la estación de invierno.
It's the winter season.
Seasons are calendar words like months and days, so invierno stays lowercase in the middle of this sentence.
From The Office · Spanish audio
Spanish vocabularyA1 · Beginner
How to say "winter" in Spanish
el invierno
nounmasculineplural: los inviernoslowercase
"Winter" in Spanish is el invierno. When you say what happens in that season, drop the article: En invierno hace mucho frío. Spell it with a v, because infierno, with an f, means hell.
Hear "invierno" in real scenes
A full sentence and a two-word answer. Each video starts and stops on that line.
Este invierno.
This winter.
Este invierno points to one particular winter, the coldest stretch of the year, when even a thick coat isn't enough.
Winter phrases you'll hear
From the calendar to the closet.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| en invierno | in winter |
| este invierno | this winter |
| todo el invierno | all winter long |
| un invierno duro | a harsh winter |
| la ropa de invierno | winter clothes |
| las vacaciones de invierno | winter break |
Tip: For anything that feels like winter, Spanish has the adjective invernal: un día invernal, a wintry day.
Grammar: el invierno, en invierno
Four points for talking about the cold season.
Masculine, lowercase
el invierno, un invierno largo. Plural: los inviernos. Inside a sentence it keeps a small i.In winter, this winter
En invierno covers winters in general. For one specific winter, say este invierno or el invierno pasado.Weather without a subject
Hace frío. It's cold. Nieva. It's snowing. Llueve. It's raining. Spanish needs no word for "it" here.The n sounds like m
Before a v, the n turns into an m sound, and the v itself is a soft b: eem-BYEHR-noh.Example sentences
Sentences from the Wordy Spanish course. Tap to listen.
En invierno hace mucho frío.
It's very cold in winter.
En invierno hace frío todos los días.
In winter it's cold every day.
En invierno hay poco viento.
There's little wind in winter.
Sí, en febrero es invierno.
Yes, it's winter in February.
Common mistakes
Mistakes learners make with this word, and how to fix them.
✗infierno (meaning winter)
✓invierno
With an f, infierno means hell. The season is spelled with a v.
✗En Invierno nieva
✓En invierno nieva
Seasons take a lowercase letter inside a sentence.
✗Es frío en invierno
✓En invierno hace frío
Cold weather goes with hace. Es frío describes a cold object or an unfriendly person.
Practice: 3 quick exercises
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How to remember it
Said the Spanish way, invierno sounds a bit like "in beer? no". Picture yourself turning down an icy beer on a freezing winter night.
Questions about "winter" in Spanish
How do you say winter in Spanish?
El invierno, pronounced eem-BYEHR-noh. To say when something happens, use en invierno: En invierno nieva.
What's the difference between invierno and infierno?
Invierno, with a v, is winter. Infierno, with an f, means hell, so that one letter matters.
When is winter in Spanish-speaking countries?
In Spain and Mexico it runs from December to March. In Argentina, Chile and Uruguay, winter comes in the middle of the year, from June to September.
How do you say winter break in Spanish?
Las vacaciones de invierno. In Spain the school break at that time of year is usually called las vacaciones de Navidad.
