Learn French: En raison de la canicule, j'ai chaud au point de délirer. - Because of the heatwave, I am hot to the point of being delirious.

En raison de la canicule, j'ai chaud au point de délirer.

Because of the heatwave, I am hot to the point of being delirious.

Breakdown of En raison de la canicule, j'ai chaud au point de délirer.

Questions & Answers about En raison de la canicule, j'ai chaud au point de délirer.

Why do we use the infinitive délirer here instead of conjugating it?

We use the preposition au point de (to the point of) followed directly by an infinitive because the subject of both actions is the same person. Since you are the one who is hot and you are the one being delirious, we can just use the infinitive délirer instead of adding a new clause.

Could I use à cause de instead of en raison de in this sentence?

Yes, à cause de la canicule would work perfectly here. En raison de is slightly more formal and neutral, often used for objective causes or official explanations, whereas à cause de focuses on a negative cause. Since a heatwave is an objective natural event, en raison de sounds very natural.

Why is it j'ai chaud and not je suis chaud?

In French, you use the verb avoir (to have) to describe physical sensations like being hot, cold, or hungry. If you translate literally and say je suis chaud, it is slang meaning you are highly motivated to participate in an activity, or in certain contexts, that you are sexually aroused!

Could I use à tel point de instead of au point de in this exact sentence?