il a chaud
To say he is hot in French, meaning he feels warm, say il a chaud.
il a chaud means he feels hot, for example because of the weather.
What does it mean word for word?
il means he, a means has and chaud means hot, so it literally means he has hot.
What mistakes should you avoid?
French uses the verb to have here, not the verb to be. This phrase is about temperature, not about looking attractive.
Did you know?
- If you mistakenly say il est chaud instead of il a chaud, you are no longer talking about the weather, but are instead suggesting the man is sexually aroused.
- In some French slang, saying c'est chaud is used to describe a situation that is risky, tense or difficult to handle. In this context, the 'heat' refers to the pressure of a situation rather than temperature.
- The French word chaud is an ancient relative of the rare English word 'calid' and the scientific term 'caloric'.
Examples in context
- Il a chaud après le sport.He is hot after sports.
- Est-ce qu'il a chaud dans cette chambre ?Is he hot in this room?
Example conversation
Gabriel and Léa are talking about their brother in a warm room.
- GabrielLe petit frère ne dort pas.The little brother isn't sleeping.
- LéaC'est normal, il a chaud.That's normal, he is hot.
- GabrielOn devrait ouvrir la fenêtre.We should open the window.
- LéaOui, faisons ça tout de suite.Yes, let's do that right away.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries a, chaud, il, CC BY-SA 4.0.
