Learn Portuguese (Portugal): Vocês têm frio?

Vocês têm frio?

Are you cold?

Breakdown of Vocês têm frio?

vocês

you (pl)

ter frio

to be cold (a person)

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Questions & Answers about Vocês têm frio?

Why does it use têm (have) instead of the verb to be?

In Portuguese, physical sensations like being cold, hot, hungry, or thirsty are expressed using the verb ter (to have). So, instead of saying "Are you cold?", you are literally asking "Do you have cold?".

Why does têm have a circumflex accent (the little hat) on it?

The accent tells you it is the plural form of the verb. Tem without the accent means "he/she/it has" or "you (singular) have". Têm with the accent is used for plural subjects like vocês (you all) or eles/elas (they).

Does vocês mean "you" plural or singular?

Vocês is the plural "you" (like "you all" or "you guys"). Even though it means "you", it always pairs with the "they" form of the verb, which is why we use têm here.

Could I say "Vocês estão frios" instead?

No, that would change the meaning entirely! If you use the verb estar (to be) with frio, it means something feels physically cold to the touch, like a glass of water. To say a person feels the cold, you must always use ter frio.