Wheelbarrows are falling! Essential Czech rain vocabulary to learn

Extreme weather conditions in Prague such as heavy rainfall and wind are sweeping through the city as autumn makes its chilly introduction.

Arm yourself with some Czech vocabulary and idioms that are all rain-related so you can comment on the change of season to your Czech friends and coworkers.

There are several different words to describe rainfall and different adjectives which can be used to qualify the type of downpour you’re witnessing.

Know déšť – “rain” – to build your expressions from.

In English, we colloquially compare heavy downfalls of rain to cats and dogs falling from the sky, which, absurd in its own sense, has an interesting Czech counterpart.

Rather than animals tumbling out of the sky, a popular Czech idiom describes something equally fantastical – venku padají trakaře translates to “wheelbarrows fall outside”.

Czechs might also say prší jako z konve, meaning “it’s raining like a watering can”.

Show off your knowledge of Czech pop culture and make your coworkers laugh by stealing this cheeky idiom from Oscar winner Jiří Menzel's Na samotě u lesa (Seclusion Near a Forest).

As the character of Mr. Komárek stands awaiting the end of a downpour, he mutters the phrase “chčije a chčije!” – which translates to “it’s pissing and pissing!”

The Czech Republic has seen some devastating floods, with infamous wet weather events in 2002 and 1997 wreaking havoc on metro stations and destroying homes and buildings. While such severity isn’t to be expected often, know your word for floods – povodně – to stay in the loop with potential weather warnings and advice this autumn.