Breakdown of Tengo frío en la montaña por la mañana.
yo
I
la mañana
the morning
en
on
tener
to have
la montaña
the mountain
por
in
el frío
the cold
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Questions & Answers about Tengo frío en la montaña por la mañana.
Why do we use tengo frío instead of estoy frío?
In Spanish, to express that you feel cold you say tener frío (literally “to have cold”). Estoy frío would sound like “I am a cold person” or “I’m cold-hearted,” not “I feel cold from the temperature.” Use tener + frío for personal sensations.
Is frío an adjective or a noun in tengo frío?
Here frío is a noun (“coldness”). The structure is tener + noun (e.g. tener hambre, tener sed, tener frío). English uses an adjective (“I am cold”), but Spanish uses a noun you “have.”
Why is it en la montaña and not a la montaña?
En la montaña indicates location (“in/on the mountain”). A la montaña would express motion toward the mountain (“to the mountain”). Since you’re describing where you feel cold, you need en.
Can I say en montaña without the article la?
No, Spanish generally requires the definite article before a singular countable noun in that context: en la montaña. Omitting it sounds unnatural unless it’s part of a special name or slogan.
Why do we say por la mañana? Could we use en la mañana?
Por la mañana is the standard way to refer to general time periods (morning, afternoon, evening). Some regions might hear en la mañana in informal speech, but por la mañana is far more common for “in the morning.”
Can I reorder the sentence to Por la mañana tengo frío en la montaña?
Yes. Spanish word order is flexible. Starting with por la mañana shifts emphasis to the time but keeps the same meaning: “In the morning, I’m cold on the mountain.”
Could I use hace frío instead of tengo frío here?
Absolutely. Hace frío en la montaña por la mañana means “It’s cold on the mountain in the morning,” describing the weather. Tengo frío expresses how you personally feel cold. Both are correct but focus on different perspectives.