Tengo las manos frías
/tenɡo las manos fɾias/from spelling rules
The English phrase "my hands are cold" is translated into Spanish as Tengo las manos frías.
If you want to express that your hands have become freezing cold in a playful way, you can say Se me congelaron las manos.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase Tengo las manos frías literally translates to "I have the hands cold".
Which one should you use?
While Tengo las manos frías specifies that only your hands are cold, you should use Tengo frío if you want to say that you feel cold in general.
How do you pronounce it?
/tenɡo las manos fɾias/
Did you know?
- The word frías must be feminine to agree with manos. Although mano ends in 'o', which is typically masculine, it is a feminine noun in Spanish.
- Spanish has a specific distinction between tengo frío and estoy frío. While the first means you feel cold, the second can imply that your actual body temperature is low, such as in a medical context or even describing a corpse.
- The word frías shares its root with the English word 'fry', but they are not related. It actually comes from the Latin 'frigus', which is the ancestor of the English word 'frigid'.
Examples in context
- Tengo las manos frías por el hielo.My hands are cold from the ice.
- No puedo escribir porque tengo las manos frías.I cannot write because my hands are cold.
- Tengo las manos frías, ¿me ayudas?My hands are cold, can you help me?
Example conversation
Lucía and Daniel are sitting in a park during autumn.
- LucíaDaniel, tengo las manos frías.Daniel, my hands are cold.
- DanielToma mis guantes para calentarte.Take my gloves to warm up.
- LucíaMuchas gracias, son muy suaves.Thank you very much, they are very soft.
- DanielDe nada, Lucía.You're welcome, Lucía.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries las, CC BY-SA 4.0.
