autumn / fall
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autumn / fall
The season between summer and winter, when the leaves fall and temperatures drop.
Im Herbst werden die Tage kürzer und die Blätter der Bäume verfärben sich.
In autumn, the days get shorter and the leaves on the trees change color.
autumn of life
In a figurative sense, the final stage of human life, old age.
Er verbrachte den Herbst seines Lebens zufrieden auf dem Land.
He spent the autumn of his life contentedly in the countryside.
To express that something happens during this season, the preposition 'in' with the dative is almost always used: 'im Herbst' (in autumn / in fall).
Im Herbst machen wir oft lange Spaziergänge im Wald.
In autumn, we often take long walks in the forest.
Common adjectives that describe 'Herbst' (autumn / fall) are 'golden' (golden), 'bunt' (colorful), 'kühl' (cool), or 'stürmisch' (stormy). These words help describe a typical autumn atmosphere.
Wir genießen den goldenen Herbst bei einer Tasse Tee.
We enjoy the golden autumn with a cup of tea.
The expression 'der Herbst des Lebens' (the autumn of life) is a poetic way to refer to a person's old age. It is often used in a reflective or literary context.
Im Herbst ihres Lebens reiste sie noch einmal um die Welt.
In the autumn of her life, she traveled around the world one more time.
You can usually recognize the figurative meaning from the combination with a genitive or possessive pronoun referring to a person, for example 'der Herbst seines Lebens' (the autumn of his life) or 'ihr Herbst' (her autumn).
Er blickte im Herbst seines Lebens zufrieden auf seine Familie.
In the autumn of his life, he looked back on his family with satisfaction.
age
Das Alter refers directly to the final phase of a person’s life. Der Herbst can express the same phase figuratively and in a more literary way. Das Alter is therefore suitable in a factual statement, while der Herbst works as a deliberate metaphor.
Im Herbst seines Lebens blickt der Schriftsteller auf ein langes Leben zurück.
In the autumn of his life, the writer looks back on a long life.
Im Alter blickt der Schriftsteller auf ein langes Leben zurück.
In old age, the writer looks back on a long life.
