Signification
Expressing that the weather or environment is cold.
Contexte culturel
In central Spain, the 'Cierzo' is a cold, dry wind. People often say '¡Qué frío!' specifically when this wind blows. In Bogotá (the 'frozen' city of Colombia), people use '¡Qué frío!' constantly. It's common to wear a 'ruana' (a type of poncho) to combat it. In Buenos Aires, the 'Sudestada' brings cold rain. '¡Qué frío!' is often followed by a complaint about the humidity. In Mexico City, mornings can be very chilly. People say '¡Qué frío!' while buying a hot 'atole' or 'tamal' from a street vendor.
Add 'hace' for weather
If you want to sound more like a native, say '¡Qué frío hace!' when talking about the outside air.
Avoid 'Soy frío'
Saying 'Soy frío' means you have a cold, unfeeling personality. Unless that's what you mean, stick to 'Tengo frío'.
Signification
Expressing that the weather or environment is cold.
Add 'hace' for weather
If you want to sound more like a native, say '¡Qué frío hace!' when talking about the outside air.
Avoid 'Soy frío'
Saying 'Soy frío' means you have a cold, unfeeling personality. Unless that's what you mean, stick to 'Tengo frío'.
Use the diminutive
In many Latin American countries, saying '¡Qué friíto!' makes you sound very friendly and local.
The elevator rule
In Spain and Latin America, '¡Qué frío!' is the ultimate polite filler for awkward silences in elevators.
Teste-toi
Choose the correct way to say 'I am cold' in Spanish.
How do you say 'I am cold'?
In Spanish, we 'have' cold (tener frío), we aren't 'being' cold.
Complete the exclamation about the weather.
¡____ frío hace hoy!
We use 'Qué' before a noun to create an exclamation.
Match the phrase to the situation.
Which phrase fits best when you enter a room with high AC?
AC makes things cold, so '¡Qué frío!' is the appropriate reaction.
Complete the dialogue.
A: ¡Qué frío! B: Sí, ________ (It's freezing).
'Helado' means frozen/freezing, which matches the context of '¡Qué frío!'.
🎉 Score : /4
Aides visuelles
Hacer vs Tener vs Estar
Banque d exercices
4 exercicesHow do you say 'I am cold'?
In Spanish, we 'have' cold (tener frío), we aren't 'being' cold.
¡____ frío hace hoy!
We use 'Qué' before a noun to create an exclamation.
Which phrase fits best when you enter a room with high AC?
AC makes things cold, so '¡Qué frío!' is the appropriate reaction.
A: ¡Qué frío! B: Sí, ________ (It's freezing).
'Helado' means frozen/freezing, which matches the context of '¡Qué frío!'.
🎉 Score : /4
Questions fréquentes
10 questionsNo, 'frío' as a noun is masculine. You only use 'fría' as an adjective for feminine nouns, like 'agua fría'.
Not at all. It's a very common and neutral exclamation.
You can say '¡Qué helada!' or '¡Está helando!'.
'Frío' is cold, 'fresco' is cool or chilly. Use 'fresco' for a nice spring breeze.
In Spanish, yes! Always use the opening '¡' and closing '!' for exclamations.
Yes, if you take a bite of something unexpectedly cold, you can say '¡Qué frío!'.
It's an idiom meaning to be stunned or shocked into silence.
In Spain, '¡Qué rasca!' is very common slang for cold.
Spanish uses 'hacer' (to make) for weather because the weather is seen as an active force 'making' the conditions.
No, that's incorrect. Just say '¡Qué frío!' or '¡Cuánto frío!'.
Expressions liées
¡Qué calor!
contrastHow hot!
Hace frío
similarIt is cold
Tengo frío
similarI am cold
¡Qué fresco!
specialized formHow chilly/cool!
¡Qué helada!
builds onWhat a frost!
