Vocab: Weather — B2

Weather vocabulary at B2 level.

Maskulin Feminin Neutrum Plural

erkalten — to become cold; to cool down

Erkalten describes becoming cold, not actively cooling something. It is an intransitive change-of-state verb and normally forms the perfect with sein: ist erkaltet.

Der Tee erkaltet schnell ohne Deckel.

The tea becomes cold quickly without a lid.

der Tee means tea, schnell means quickly, and der Deckel means lid. Der Tee is nominative because it is the subject; erkaltet is in position two, and the verb has no accusative object.

Der Tee ist bereits erkaltet.

The tea has already become cold.

bereits means already, and der Tee means tea. The perfect uses ist plus erkaltet because erkalten describes a change of state; the Partizip II stands at the end.

Nach einer Stunde erkaltete die Suppe.

After an hour, the soup became cold.

nach einer Stunde means after an hour, and die Suppe means soup. The time phrase comes first, so the finite verb erkaltete remains in position two; die Suppe is nominative subject.

Erkalte nicht zu schnell!

Do not become cold too quickly!

nicht means not, and zu schnell means too quickly. Erkalte is the singular imperative without a pronoun; the command is unusual and sounds literary because people normally do not command an object to cool.

Wenn die Suppe länger steht, erkaltete sie früher.

If the soup stood for longer, it would become cold sooner.

länger stehen means to stand for longer, and früher means sooner. Here erkaltete expresses an unreal result; in the wenn clause the finite verb steht goes to the end, while the result clause has erkaltete in position two.

Die Getränke werden bis zum Abend erkalten.

The drinks will become cold by the evening.

die Getränke means drinks, bis zum Abend means by the evening, and werden means will or become. The future uses werden in position two and sends the infinitive erkalten to the end; the verb has no direct object.