fa caldo
/ˈfa ˈkal.do/word by word
In Italian, fa caldo is the way to say "it is hot."
fa caldo is a common way to express that there is a high ambient temperature in the environment.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase fa caldo is a combination of the verb fare (to do or make) and the noun caldo (heat), literally translating to "it makes heat."
Which one should you use?
It is important to distinguish between the weather and your personal physical sensation. Use fa caldo to describe the ambient temperature of the environment, but use ho caldo (literally "I have heat") to say that you personally feel hot.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Romagna region, people use the expression fa un caldone! to mean "It's a big heat!"
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /ˈfa ˈkal.do/. It consists of 3 syllables, with the stress on the 1st syllable.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly say è caldo when describing the weather. You should use fa caldo instead.
Did you know?
- The word caldo is a linguistic sibling to the English word 'cauldron', as both derive from the Latin root for heat.
- Italian has a specific word, afa, to describe the oppressive, humid heat that makes fa caldo feel much worse.
- In Italian, you can intensify fa caldo by saying fa un caldo bestiale, which literally translates to 'it makes a beastly heat'.
Examples in context
- Oggi fa caldo.It is hot today.Tatoeba #2094988 by Sirio60, translation #1578719 by CC
- Durante i primi giorni di agosto fa caldo.During the first days of August, it is hot.Tatoeba #11164902 by carlosalberto, translation #11164865 by carlosalberto
- Sì, a gennaio fa caldo. È estate in Brasile.Yes, in January it is hot. It's summer in Brazil.Tatoeba #10612688 by carlosalberto, translation #10612676 by carlosalberto
- Oggi fa molto caldoToday it's very hot
- Domani si prevede un gran caldoTomorrow it's expected to be extremely hot
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Giulia and Alessandro are walking through a sunny park.
- GiuliaSenti? Fa caldo oggi.Do you feel it? It is hot today.
- AlessandroSì, fa molto caldo.Yes, it is very hot.
- GiuliaVoglio un gelato.I want an ice cream.
- AlessandroOttima idea, andiamo.Great idea, let's go.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (fa, caldo) and can differ in connected speech.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
