chaud
/ʃo/masculine
To say warm in French, use chaud. It describes something with a temperature a little higher than usual, and it also means hot.
chaud is used for warm weather, warm rooms, warm food and warm clothing. For the weather or the temperature of a room, say Il fait chaud rather than starting with C'est.
Meaning: having a temperature slightly higher than usual (adj)
Which one should you use?
chaud covers both warm and hot. Context tells the listener whether the temperature is moderate or high. The related verbs chauffer, réchauffer and échauffer mean to make or keep something warm.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
chaud is the masculine form. It agrees with the noun it describes: chaude for feminine singular, chauds for masculine plural and chaudes for feminine plural.
How do you pronounce it?
chaud is pronounced /ʃo/. The final letters are silent.
What mistakes should you avoid?
To say that you feel warm, do not describe yourself with the verb to be and chaud. French uses avoir chaud, literally to have warmth, with the verb changing for each person.
Did you know?
- Saying avoir chaud is essential for your safety, because saying être chaud can be interpreted as a sexual double entendre meaning 'to be horny'.
- In French, the phrase c'est chaud is often used as slang to describe a situation that is difficult, risky or unlikely to happen.
- The word chaud shares the same Latin root as the English word 'calorie', which is used to measure heat energy.
Examples in context
- Il fait chaud ici.It's warm in here.Il fait chaud is the standard way to say it is warm, here about a room.Tatoeba #663094 by U2FS, translation #3564943 by CK
- Ça te gardera chaud.This will keep you warm.Here chaud describes keeping a person warm.Tatoeba #2251718 by sacredceltic, translation #2240863 by Hybrid
- Il fait encore chaud.It's still warm.encore adds the idea of still, so the sentence means it is still warm.Tatoeba #1617370 by sacredceltic, translation #1617083 by Spamster
- C'est une ville chaleureuseIt's a warm city.
- Le climat est agréablement chaudThe climate is pleasantly warm.
- Cette maison est douilletteThis house is warm and cozy.
- Le professeur était très chaleureux pendant la conférenceThe professor was very warm during the conference.
- Il fait chaud aujourd'hui, n'est-ce pas?It's warm today, isn't it?
- Cette couverture est tellement douilletteThis blanket is so warm and cozy.
- 185 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Léa are deciding what to wear for a walk.
- LucasEst-ce qu'il fait chaud dehors ?Is it warm outside?
- LéaOui, le soleil brille aujourd'hui.Yes, the sun is shining today.
- LucasAlors, je vais mettre un pull chaud.Then, I will put on a warm sweater.
- LéaC'est une bonne idée, Lucas.That is a good idea, Lucas.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “warm” translations and entries chaud, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries chaud, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
