late autumn
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late autumn
The final phase of autumn, usually the month of November, characterized by cooler weather, shorter days, and the continuing fall of leaves.
Im Spätherbst muss man morgens oft schon das Eis von den Autoscheiben kratzen.
In late autumn, you often already have to scrape ice off car windows in the morning.
'Der Spätherbst' is a simple compound made from the adjective 'spät' (late) and the noun 'der Herbst' (autumn/fall). So it literally refers to the late part of autumn.
Die Landschaft ist im Spätherbst oft neblig und grau.
The landscape is often foggy and gray in late autumn.
This word follows a pattern: you can combine 'spät-' (late) and 'früh-' (early) with seasons to describe their beginning or end. Further examples are 'der Spätsommer' (late summer) or 'der Frühling' (spring; from 'früh' + '-ling').
Im Spätherbst fallen die letzten bunten Blätter von den Bäumen.
In late autumn, the last colorful leaves fall from the trees.
As a time expression, 'Spätherbst' (late autumn) is almost always used with the preposition 'im' (in the), which requires the dative.
Im Spätherbst wird es schon sehr früh dunkel.
In late autumn, it gets dark very early.
autumn / fall
'der Herbst' and 'der Spätherbst' both refer to a time between summer and winter. 'der Herbst' is the whole season, for example September, October, and November. 'der Spätherbst' is only the last part of it, usually when it is already very cool and the days are short. Learners may confuse the words because both belong to the same season. If you are speaking generally about the season, 'Herbst' fits. If you mean the late, almost wintery part, 'Spätherbst' is more precise.
Im Spätherbst wird es schon früh dunkel, und morgens ist es oft sehr kalt.
In late autumn, it gets dark early, and it is often very cold in the mornings.
Im Herbst gehe ich gern im Park spazieren, weil die Blätter bunt sind.
In autumn, I like going for walks in the park because the leaves are colorful.