qué caliente
/ke kaljente/from spelling rules
In Spanish, "that's hot" is expressed as qué caliente.
The phrase qué caliente is used to describe something that has a high physical temperature.
Which one should you use?
qué caliente is an exclamation meaning "how hot!", whereas the phrase está caliente is the standard way to state the fact that something is hot.
How does it change in a sentence?
Use the verb estar instead of ser to describe the temporary physical temperature of an object. For example, you would say está caliente to mean "it is hot".
Did you know?
- While está caliente describes temperature, using está caliente to describe a person often implies they are feeling sexual arousal rather than just being warm.
- If you want to say a food is 'spicy hot', you should use picante instead of caliente. Using caliente refers only to the temperature of the dish.
- The word caliente is the root of the English word 'calorie', which comes from the Latin 'calor' meaning 'heat'.
Examples in context
- Las redes sociales están de moda en estos días.Social media is hot these days.
- ¡Qué caliente está el café!The coffee is so hot!
Example conversation
Mateo and Sofia are in the kitchen together.
- MateoPrueba este café, Sofía.Try this coffee, Sofia.
- Sofía¡Ay! Qué caliente está.Ow! It's so hot.
- MateoLo siento, espera un momento.I'm sorry, wait a moment.
- SofíaAhora ya puedo beberlo.Now I can drink it.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
