chaud
/ʃo/
In French, chaud means hot.
chaud is an adjective used to describe something that has a high temperature. If you wish to describe a situation where the temperature is extremely high, the word brûlant is more typical.
Which one should you use?
To say that a person feels hot, French uses the verb avoir (to have) rather than être (to be).
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective chaud changes to the feminine form chaude when it is used to describe a feminine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
/ʃo/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid saying Je suis chaud to mean 'I feel hot', as this can colloquially mean 'I am horny'.
Did you know?
- The expression à chaud is used to describe a reaction or a summary given immediately after an event, before having time to reflect.
- When used in the expression être chaud pour something, it means 'to be up for' or 'to be keen on' an idea or activity.
- The word chaud shares a common ancestor with the English word 'calid', a rare term used in scientific literature to mean 'hot'.
Examples in context
- une journée brûlanteA scorching hot day
- une tasse de café brûlanteA piping hot cup of coffee
- un soleil ardentA blazing sun
- Il fait chaudIt's hot
- J'ai une tasse de thé chaudI have a hot cup of tea
- Le café est très chaud.The coffee is very hot.
- Le café est encore très chaud.The coffee is still very hot.
- Il fait trop chaud dans cette pièce.It is too hot in this room.
- J'ai un peu chaud avec ce manteau.I am a little warm with this coat.
Example conversation
Gabriel and Manon are sitting in a cafe on a summer day.
- GabrielEst-ce que ton thé est chaud ?Is your tea hot?
- ManonOui, il est brûlant, merci.Yes, it is scalding, thank you.
- GabrielMoi, j'ai trop chaud ici.Me, I am too hot in here.
- ManonOuvrons la fenêtre, Gabriel.Let's open the window, Gabriel.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry chaud, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries chaud, CC BY-SA 4.0.
