chaleur
/ʃa.lœʁ/feminine
The French for heat is chaleur.
chaleur means the condition or quality of being hot. It is used for hot weather and ambient heat. To emphasize extreme heat in a formal context, French uses chaleur excessive.
Meaning: condition or quality of being hot (noun)
Which one should you use?
Use la chaleur for ambient heat or high temperatures, and la température for the specific numerical measurement. To heat something up is a verb, such as chauffer or réchauffer.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
chaleur is a feminine noun, so it takes la.
How do you pronounce it?
The IPA is /ʃa.lœʁ/, two syllables, starting with the sh sound.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often use the adjective chaud, meaning hot, as a noun for the heat. Use the noun chaleur instead, as in I like the heat.
Did you know?
- While chaleur is the noun for heat, the French use the word canicule specifically to describe a prolonged period of oppressive heat or a heatwave.
- The Latin root of chaleur is calōrem, which is the same ancestor that gave English the word 'calorie'.
- The term chaleur is strictly used for environmental or physical heat, whereas 'hot' as a feeling of being physically hot is expressed by the phrase avoir chaud.
Examples in context
- Je déteste la chaleur.I hate the heat.Je déteste la chaleur. means I hate the heat.Tatoeba #4470352 by Petrus, translation #8914612 by CK
- La chaleur nous accable.The heat is punishing us.La chaleur nous accable. means the heat is punishing us.Tatoeba #8635306 by Julien_PDC, translation #12130298 by zogwarg
- La chaleur s'est atténuée.The heat has died down.La chaleur s'est atténuée. means the heat has died down.Tatoeba #804781 by sacredceltic, translation #267110 by sundown
- La chaleur est étouffante aujourd'hui.The heat is stifling today.
- Il fait une chaleur excessive cet été.It's excessively hot this summer.
- Quelle chaleur aujourd'hui!What a hot day today!
- On annonce une canicule la semaine prochaine.A heatwave is forecasted next week.
- La chaleur écrasanteThe sweltering heat
- Sentir la chaleurTo feel the heat
- Supporter la chaleurTo endure the heat
- Chaleur torrideScorching heat
- Chaleur étouffanteStifling heat
- Chaleur suffocanteSuffocating heat
- Transpirer à cause de la chaleurTo sweat because of the heat
- Rechercher la chaleurTo seek the heat
- Éviter la chaleurTo avoid the heat
- 109 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Manon and Lucas are walking outside on a summer day.
- ManonIl fait une chaleur incroyable aujourd'hui !The heat is incredible today!
- LucasOui, je commence à avoir très chaud.Yes, I'm starting to get very hot.
- ManonOn devrait chercher un endroit à l'ombre.We should look for a shady spot.
- LucasBonne idée, cette chaleur est épuisante.Good idea, this heat is exhausting.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “heat” translations and entries chaleur, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries chaleur, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
