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Quando ho la febbre, ho freddo.

Quando ho la febbre, ho freddo.
When I have a fever, I am cold.
From Lesson 24:Idiomatic avere (avere fame, avere anni)·Italian

Questions & Answers about Quando ho la febbre, ho freddo.

Why does it say ho freddo instead of sono freddo?
In English, we use the verb "to be" to describe how we feel, like "I am cold." In Italian, you use avere (to have) for many physical sensations. Ho freddo literally means "I have cold." If you said sono freddo, it would mean your personality is cold, or that you are physically cold to the touch!
Why is it la febbre ("the" fever) instead of una febbre ("a" fever)?
Italian often uses definite articles (like la meaning "the") for illnesses and physical conditions where English uses "a" or no article at all. So, you say ho la febbre (literally "I have the fever").
If a woman is speaking, does freddo change to fredda?
No, it stays exactly the same. In the phrase ho freddo, the word freddo is acting as a noun (meaning "coldness") that you "have". Since it is a noun, its ending is fixed and doesn't change to match the speaker's gender.
How do I pronounce ho?
The letter "h" is always completely silent in Italian. You pronounce ho exactly like the vowel sound in the English word "awe" or the letter "o" in "or".

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