tan caliente
/tan kaljente/from spelling rules
In Spanish, "so hot" is tan caliente.
tan caliente is used to describe something that has a very high physical temperature.
Which one should you use?
tan caliente is used for objects or substances. To express that a person feels hot due to body temperature, you should use a different expression such as tengo tanto calor.
How does it change in a sentence?
When using tan caliente to describe a temporary physical temperature, it is used with the verb estar.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly say estoy tan caliente to mean they feel hot. In many Spanish-speaking contexts, this can carry a sexual connotation. Use tengo tanto calor instead.
Did you know?
- The English word 'calorie' shares the same linguistic root as caliente, coming from the Latin 'calere' meaning 'to be warm'.
- While caliente refers to temperature, Spanish has a separate word caluroso to describe a 'hot' climate or a 'hot' day.
- While 'so hot' in English can describe a person's attractiveness, saying tan caliente about a person in Spanish rarely carries that specific compliment.
Examples in context
- ¿Por qué está tan caliente?Why is it so hot?This sentence uses tan caliente to ask why something is so hot.Tatoeba #1271493 by Silvestre, translation #38789 by CK
- La papa estaba tan caliente que quemaba la boca.The potato was so hot that it burned my mouth.This sentence uses tan caliente to describe how hot a potato was.Tatoeba #994104 by hayastan, translation #792562 by ryanthewired
- El café estaba tan caliente que no pude bebérmelo.The coffee was so hot that I couldn't drink it up.This sentence uses tan caliente to describe how hot the coffee was.Tatoeba #507005 by Shishir, translation #707225 by papabear
- Esta bebida está muy caliente, ten cuidado.This drink is so hot, be careful.
- ¡Esta salsa está súper caliente pero deliciosa!This sauce is so hot but delicious!
- ¡El pavimento está ardiendo!The pavement is so hot!
- ¡El café está ardiendo, ten cuidado!The coffee is so hot, be careful!
- ¡Hoy hace mucho calor!It's so hot today!
- La comida está caliente porque hace mucho calor en la cocina.The food is hot because it's so hot in the kitchen.
- 5 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Javier and Elena are in the kitchen with a plate of food.
- JavierTen cuidado, el plato está tan caliente.Be careful, the plate is so hot.
- ElenaGracias, Javier. Lo voy a dejar enfriar.Thanks, Javier. I'm going to let it cool down.
- JavierSí, no lo toques ahora.Yes, don't touch it now.
- ElenaEstá bien, esperaré un momento.It's okay, I will wait a moment.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
