Tengo calor.

to feel hot

Questions & Answers about Tengo calor.

Why is it tengo calor and not estoy calor?

In Spanish, many physical sensations are expressed with tener (to have), not estar (to be).

So Spanish says:

• Tengo calor = literally I have heat
• Tengo frío = I’m cold
• Tengo hambre = I’m hungry
• Tengo sed = I’m thirsty

So estoy calor is not correct.

Can I say estoy caliente for I’m hot?

Usually, no—not if you just mean you feel warm.

For a person, estoy caliente often means I’m sexually aroused, so learners should be very careful with it.

If you want to say you feel hot, use:

• Tengo calor

But caliente is fine for things:

• El café está caliente = The coffee is hot
• La sopa está caliente = The soup is hot

Why is there no word for a or the before calor?