🍂 Fall in Spanish: Vocabulary, expressions & traditions
- Mónica Jiménez
- Sep 24
- 7 min read
When the days get shorter, the air turns crisp, and the streets fill with colorful leaves, one question appears for Spanish learners: How do you say ‘fall’ in Spanish?
Fall in Spanish: Essential Autumn Words & Expressions 🍂
The answer is simple: both fall and autumn in Spanish mean otoño 🍁.But there’s much more to explore than just a translation. In this complete guide, you’ll learn how to talk about the fall season in Spanish with:
✅ Essential autumn vocabulary
✅ Authentic Spanish expressions
✅ Regional traditions in Spain
✅ Food & drinks for cozy fall days
✅ Grammar, dialogues, reading, exercises and FAQs
Whether you’re learning for travel, fun, or fluency, by the end you’ll be ready to describe the cozy ambiente otoñal like a native.
🍁 How to say ‘Fall’ in Spanish
The translation of fall or autumn in Spanish is:
🍂 Otoño – fall / autumn
✔️ Example:
El otoño es mi estación favorita.
En otoño las hojas caídas cubren el suelo de los parques.
👉 Cultural note: In Spain, people often talk about ropa de entretiempo 👕🧥 — clothes you wear between seasons.
🍇 Food and drinks in Spanish Autumn
Spanish autumn is full of cozy flavors and warm traditions:
🌰🔥 Las castañas asadas – roasted chestnuts
🎃 La calabaza – pumpkin
☕🍩 El chocolate con churros – hot chocolate with churros
🍄 Las setas – mushrooms
❤️ La granada – pomegranate
🍲 El guiso – stew
🍠 El boniato – sweet potato
🍎🍷 La sidra – cider
🍬 Los huesos de santo – marzipan sweets
🍩 Los buñuelos de viento – fried dough balls
🍪 Los panellets – almond cakes with pine nuts
🍷 El vino tinto – red wine
👉 Example: En otoño en España se comen panellets 🍪 en Cataluña, buñuelos 🍩 en Madrid y castañas asadas 🌰🔥 en todas partes.
🌧️🍂 Autumn vocabulary
🌳 Weather and Nature
🍂 El otoño – fall / autumn
✨ El ambiente otoñal – autumn atmosphere
🌳 El árbol – tree
🍃 La hoja – leaf
🍁 Las hojas caídas – fallen leaves
🪑 El banco – bench
💨 El viento – wind
🌧️ La lluvia – rain
☁️ El día nublado – cloudy day
🍄 La seta – mushroom
🍇 La vendimia – grape harvest
👣🍇 Pisar uvas – grape stomping
💦 El charco – puddle
👉 Example: Durante la vendimia 🍇, la gente pisa uvas 👣 para hacer vino y celebra con música.
🧣 Clothes and Accessories
🧣 La bufanda – scarf
👕 El jersey – sweater
🧥 El abrigo – coat
👔 La gabardina – trench coat
👢 Las botas – boots
☂️ El paraguas – umbrella
🧶 La rebequita – light cardigan
🛋️ La mantita – blanket
🧥 El chubasquero – raincoat
👉 Example: En otoño siempre llevo bufanda 🧣 y gabardina 👔; en casa me tapo con una mantita 🛋️.
💬 Autumn expressions in Spanish
🍁 Everyday expressions
🥶 Hacer rasca – it’s freezing
🤒 Estar pocho – to feel under the weather
🧶 Ponerse la rebequita – to put on a cardigan
🌧️ Estar pasado por agua – to get soaked
🥺 Tener morriña – to feel nostalgic
🛋️ Plan de sofá y mantita – sofa-and-blanket plan
🎬🛋️ Tarde de peli y manta – movie-and-blanket afternoon
👉 In context:
Hoy hace rasca 🥶, mejor ponte la rebequita 🧶.
Con tanta lluvia estoy un poco pocho 🤒.
Sin paraguas he acabado pasado por agua 🌧️.
🌟 Proverbs and Sayings
🌧️🌾 Octubre lluvioso, año copioso – rainy October, abundant year
❄️ Por San Andrés, nieve en los pies – by Nov 30, expect snow
🍂➡️🌱 A otoño frío, invierno templado – cold autumn, mild winter
☀️ El veranillo de San Miguel – warm spell in late September
🌞 El veranillo de San Martín – warm spell in November
🍪 Expressions linked to dood
🤭 Ponerse fino a buñuelos – to eat lots of buñuelos
🍪 Estar de panellets hasta arriba – to be full of panellets
🍇 Ir a la vendimia – to go grape harvesting
🇪🇸 Fall traditions in Spain
Spain celebrates autumn with deep-rooted traditions that mix family, food, religion, and community. Unlike the U.S., where fall is linked to Halloween 🎃 and Thanksgiving 🦃, in Spain the season focuses on remembrance, gastronomy, and festivals that bring people together. Let’s dive in:
🌸 Día de Todos los Santos (All Saints’ Day – November 1)
This is one of the most important autumn dates in Spain. On this day, families visit cemeteries with flowers 💐 to honor their loved ones. It’s not just a religious act — it’s also a family gathering, often followed by sharing traditional sweets.
Typical foods include:
🍬 Huesos de santo – marzipan sweets filled with egg-yolk cream.
🍩 Buñuelos de viento – fried dough balls, sometimes filled with cream, custard or chocolate.
☕🍩 Chocolate con churros – especially popular on chilly mornings.
👉 Example: El 1 de noviembre fuimos al cementerio con flores y después merendamos buñuelos de viento 🍩 y chocolate con churros ☕.
💡 Fun fact: In Madrid, bakeries start selling buñuelos days before November 1st, and people line up to buy boxes for the family.
🌰 La Castañada (Catalonia)
La Castañada is celebrated mainly in Catalonia and nearby regions around the same time as All Saints’ Day. It has roots in old funeral feasts, but today it’s a cozy family celebration.
Typical foods are:
🌰🔥 Castañas asadas – roasted chestnuts sold on street corners.
🍪 Panellets – almond-based sweets decorated with pine nuts, coconut, or chocolate.
🍠 Boniatos – roasted sweet potatoes.
Families gather at home, children light candles 🕯️, and the atmosphere is warm and intimate. Schools also organize activities where kids make or taste panellets.
👉 Example: En Cataluña celebramos la Castañada en familia, con panellets 🍪, boniatos 🍠 y castañas 🌰.
🔥 Magosto (Galicia, León, Asturias)
In the north of Spain, especially Galicia, León and Asturias, autumn means Magosto. This tradition has Celtic origins and is celebrated with bonfires 🔥, roasted chestnuts 🌰, wine 🍷 and folk music 🎶.
It’s usually held in November, outdoors in villages or countryside areas. People gather around the fire, roast chestnuts, drink local wine, and enjoy music and dancing. Children often play games or get their faces painted with ash from the bonfire.
👉 Example: El Magosto en Galicia es una fiesta al aire libre: se comen castañas 🌰, se canta alrededor del fuego 🔥 y se bebe vino 🍷.
🍇 Vendimia (Wine Harvest)
Spain is one of the world’s top wine producers, and the vendimia (grape harvest) is a key autumn event in regions like La Rioja, Ribera del Duero, Castilla-La Mancha and Jerez.
During the vendimia:
👣🍇 Grapes are harvested and sometimes stomped by foot in traditional festivals.
🎉 Parades and folk dances fill the towns.
🎶 Concerts and street performances create a festive mood.
🍷 Wine tastings allow visitors to try the new season’s production.
👉 Example: En la vendimia de La Rioja, los turistas pueden pisar uvas 👣 y probar vinos 🍷 locales mientras disfrutan de conciertos 🎶.
💡 Pro tip: The vendimia is also a great tourist attraction. Many bodegas (wineries) organize special events for visitors during September and October.
🎭 Mini Dialogues
1) Weather
A: ¿Salimos?
B: Sí, pero ponte la rebequita 🧶, que hace rasca 🥶.
2) Food
A: ¿Plan de sofá y mantita 🛋️?
B: Sí, con chocolate con churros ☕🍩 y castañas asadas 🌰🔥.
3) Traditions
A: ¿Vienes al Magosto 🔥?
B: Claro, adoro el ambiente otoñal ✨.
📖 Micro-Reading
En otoño, las hojas 🍃 caídas cubren los bancos 🪑 y el aire huele a castañas asadas 🌰🔥. Muchas familias hacen plan de sofá y mantita 🛋️ con chocolate con churros ☕🍩. En el norte, el Magosto 🔥 reúne a vecinos alrededor del fuego, y en Cataluña la Castañada trae panellets 🍪. Cuando hace rasca 🥶, me pongo la bufanda 🧣 y la rebequita 🧶.
🧪 Practice and Exercises about the fall
🧪 Quizlet: Fall spanish words
✅ Quick Recap
Otoño 🍂 = fall / autumn
Food: castañas 🌰, calabaza 🎃, chocolate con churros ☕🍩, panellets 🍪, buñuelos 🍩, sidra 🍎🍷
Weather & Nature: árbol 🌳, hojas caídas 🍁, vendimia 🍇, pisar uvas 👣🍇
Clothes: bufanda 🧣, gabardina 👔, rebequita 🧶, mantita 🛋️, chubasquero 🧥
Expressions: hacer rasca 🥶, estar pocho 🤒, ponerse la rebequita 🧶, tener morriña 🥺
Traditions: Todos los Santos 🌸, Castañada 🌰, Magosto 🔥, Vendimia 🍇
❓ FAQ about Fall in Spanish
What is ‘fall’ in Spanish?
‘Fall’ or ‘autumn’ in Spanish is otoño 🍂.
Is ‘otoño’ capitalized in Spanish?
No. In Spanish, seasons are written in lowercase: otoño, invierno, primavera, verano.
What months are fall in Spanish?
Generally September (septiembre), October (octubre), and November (noviembre).
How do you pronounce ‘otoño’?
Like this: o-TO-ño. The ñ is like the ‘ny’ in canyon.
How do you say ‘fall vibes’ in Spanish?
You can say ambiente otoñal ✨.
How do you say ‘fall outfit’ in Spanish?
You’ll often hear look de otoño 🍂 or ropa de entretiempo 👕🧥.
How do you say ‘trick or treat’ in Spanish?
Truco o trato 🎃. It’s becoming more popular, but Spanish autumn traditions are mostly about Todos los Santos 🌸, La Castañada 🌰, Magosto 🔥, and La Vendimia 🍇.
🌟 Straight from Spain Academy
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