Log inSign up

Tengo calor en el coche.

Tengo calor en el coche.
I am hot in the car.
From Lesson 19:The verb tener (tengo, tienes)·Spanish (Spain)

Questions & Answers about Tengo calor en el coche.

Why does it say Tengo (I have) instead of a word for "I am"?
In English, you are hot, but in Spanish, you have heat. For physical sensations like feeling hot, cold, hungry, or thirsty, Spanish uses the verb tener (to have). So, Tengo calor literally means "I have heat."
Is calor an adjective like "hot" in English?
No, calor is a noun that means "heat." Because you are using the verb tener (to have), it must be followed by a noun, just like when you say "I have a car" (Tengo un coche).
Why isn't there a word for "I" at the beginning of the sentence?
In Spanish, the verb ending tells you who is doing the action. Because tengo specifically means "I have," you usually drop the pronoun yo (I) unless you want to add special emphasis.
Can I also use Tengo calor to say my coffee is hot or the weather is hot?
No, tener calor is only used for how a person or animal feels. To describe a hot object like a cup of coffee, you would use the adjective caliente, and for the weather, you would say hace calor (it makes heat).

Learn Tengo calor en el coche and more in Spanish

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning Spanish →