Avoir chaud/froid = To be hot/cold (French Expressions with avoir)

In French, to express being hot/cold you use "avoir chaud/froid" (Literally: to have hot/cold).

How to use 'avoir' to say 'to be hot/cold' in French

Look at these cases:

Tu as froid ?Are you cold?


Oui, j'ai froid.Yes, I'm cold.
 

The verb avoir (to have) is used to express being cold and hot (and not être / to be as in English). Effectively, in French we say "I have hot / I have cold"!

The masculine adjectives chaud and froid never agree in gender or number, even if the person/thing it refers to is female or plural:

You cannot say    J'ai chaude.  Vous avez froids.

MARIE : J'ai chaud.MARIE: I'm hot.

Vous avez froid.You are cold.

 

Learn more about these related French grammar topics

Examples and resources

Vous avez froid.You are cold.
MARIE : J'ai chaud.MARIE: I'm hot.
Oui, j'ai froid.Yes, I'm cold.
Tu as froid ?Are you cold?
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