Breakdown of Mir ist heute kalt, deshalb ziehe ich einen dicken Pullover an.
sein
to be
ich
I
heute
today
deshalb
therefore
Questions & Answers about Mir ist heute kalt, deshalb ziehe ich einen dicken Pullover an.
Why is it “Mir ist kalt” and not “Ich bin kalt”?
In German, feeling cold is usually expressed with an impersonal construction:
- Mir ist kalt. = Literally: To me is cold. = I am (feeling) cold.
Here, “mir” is in the dative case and marks the experiencer of the feeling.
“Ich bin kalt” is grammatically possible but means something like:
- I am a cold (emotionally distant) person.
- or in some contexts, sounds odd / wrong for physical temperature.
So, to say you feel cold, use “Mir ist kalt.”, not “Ich bin kalt.”
What case is “mir” and why is it used here?
“Mir” is the dative form of “ich”.
- ich (I) → mir (to me, for me)
In sentences about physical states or sensations, German often uses the dative to show who is affected:
- Mir ist kalt. – I am cold.
- Mir ist schlecht. – I feel sick.
- Mir ist langweilig. – I am bored.
So “mir” shows who experiences the feeling of cold.
Where is the subject in “Mir ist heute kalt”?