Which one should you use?
Use hace calor to describe the weather. In contrast, if you are describing an object with a high temperature, such as food or water, you should use está caliente.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, the phrase Hace mucho bochorno is used to refer to weather that is both hot and humid.
How does it change in a sentence?
To indicate that it is 'very' hot, add mucho before calor (as in Hace mucho calor) rather than using a word like muy.
How do you pronounce it?
/aθe kaloɾ/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid saying el tiempo es caliente to mean 'the weather is hot'. This is a common error made by English speakers translating word-for-word. In Spanish, caliente refers to the temperature of an object rather than the weather.
When do people say it?
In Spain, the idiomatic phrase Hace un calor de muerte is used to express that it is 'blistering hot'.
Did you know?
- Describing the weather as caliente is a common mistake that can lead to awkward misunderstandings, as that word often implies something is sexually aroused.
- The word calor is a linguistic relative of the English word 'calorie'.
- If you want to say it is 'blistering hot' in Spain, you can use the dramatic idiom Hace un calor de muerte, which literally means 'It makes a heat of death'.
Examples in context
- Hoy hace calorToday it's hot
- Hace calor por la tardeIt's hot in the afternoon
- Hace más calor aquí que en la montañaIt's hotter here than in the mountains
- ¡Qué calor hace hoy!It's so hot today!
- Hoy hace calor.It is hot today.
- ¿Hace calor afuera?Is it hot outside?
Example conversation
Javier and Lucía are talking near an open window.
- JavierHace mucho calor aquí.It is very hot in here.
- LucíaSí, hace calor afuera también.Yes, it is hot outside too.
- JavierMe gusta el verano, pero hoy hace demasiado calor.I like summer, but today it is too hot.
- LucíaTienes razón, Javier.You are right, Javier.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries calor, hace, CC BY-SA 4.0.
