How to Describe Hot, Cold, Warm and Cool Weather in German with Degree Expressions
Learn to say how hot or cold it is in German using temperature words and degree expressions like 'Es ist eiskalt' and 'Es ist ziemlich warm'.
By TheaFirst conversations · Yapr Learn
German has several everyday ways to say how hot or cold it feels, and they are not all built the same way. Some are single adjectives, such as warm or kalt. Others are fixed phrases, such as 'Es ist mir zu heiß' (It's too hot for me). This lesson teaches the core temperature words, the degree words that make them stronger or weaker, and the grammar you need to build your own sentences. You will also learn which expressions are standard everywhere and which are more common in the south or in Austria.
By the end, you can…
- name the four basic temperature words in German: heiß, warm, kühl and kalt.
- make a temperature word stronger or weaker with words like sehr, ziemlich and ein bisschen.
- say how the weather feels to me using 'Es ist mir zu ...'.
- understand and use common fixed expressions such as 'Es ist eiskalt' and 'Es ist schwül'.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
Es ist heute sehr kalt.
It is very cold today.
es ist HOY-tuh zair KALT
A neutral, standard sentence for cold weather anywhere in the German-speaking area.
Es ist eiskalt.
It is freezing cold.
es ist ICE-kalt
Stronger than 'sehr kalt'. Literally 'ice-cold', used for genuinely freezing weather.
Es ist ziemlich warm.
It is quite warm.
es ist TSEEM-likh VARM
'Ziemlich' softens the statement. It means 'quite' or 'fairly', not 'extremely'.
Es ist mir zu heiß.
It is too hot for me.
es ist meer tsoo HICE
The dative 'mir' shows personal feeling. Use this when you are complaining about heat.
Es ist angenehm kühl.
It is pleasantly cool.
es ist AN-guh-naym KUEL
'Kühl' is mild coolness, often positive. It is not as cold as 'kalt'.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The basic pattern is 'Es ist' plus a temperature word: 'Es ist warm.' To add degree, put a degree word before the adjective: 'Es ist sehr warm' (very warm), 'Es ist ziemlich warm' (quite warm), 'Es ist ein bisschen warm' (a bit warm). To say how it feels to you, add the dative pronoun 'mir': 'Es ist mir zu kalt' means 'It is too cold for me'. The word 'zu' before the adjective means 'too' in the sense of 'excessively'. Compare 'Es ist kalt' (It is cold) with 'Es ist mir zu kalt' (It is too cold for me).
When to use it
Use 'heiß' for high heat, 'warm' for pleasant or mild heat, 'kühl' for mild cold, and 'kalt' for real cold. 'Eiskalt' is stronger than 'kalt' and works in everyday speech: 'Heute ist es eiskalt.' Use 'Es ist mir zu ...' when you personally feel uncomfortable: 'Es ist mir zu heiß' or 'Es ist mir zu kalt.' In southern Germany, Austria and Switzerland, you may also hear 'Es ist warm' with a regional pronunciation, and in Austria 'Es ist heiß' is common in summer. Standard written German uses the same words across all countries.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
Wie ist das Wetter heute?
How is the weather today?vee ist das VET-uh HOY-tuhEs ist ziemlich kalt, aber nicht eiskalt.
It is quite cold, but not freezing cold.es ist TSEEM-likh KALT, AH-buh nisht ICE-kaltMir ist es zu kalt. Ich brauche eine Jacke.
It is too cold for me. I need a jacket.meer ist es tsoo KALT. ikh BROW-khuh EYE-nuh YAH-kuhJa, und morgen wird es noch kühler.
Yes, and tomorrow it will get even cooler.yah, unt MOR-gun veert es nokh KUE-luhA little context goes a long way
In German, 'Mir ist kalt' (literally 'To me it is cold') is a very common way to say 'I am cold'. It uses the dative pronoun, not 'Ich bin kalt', which would sound odd or even unfriendly. The same pattern works with 'Mir ist warm' and 'Mir ist heiß'. Use 'Es ist ...' for the general weather and 'Mir ist ...' for your own feeling.
One thing to watch for
Saying 'Ich bin heiß' to mean 'I am hot'.
Try this instead: 'Ich bin heiß' can sound strange or have an unintended meaning in German. For weather or personal temperature, say 'Mir ist heiß' or 'Es ist heiß'. For example: 'Mir ist heiß, ich brauche Wasser.' If you mean the weather, say 'Es ist heiß heute.'
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you say 'It is freezing cold today' in German?
Show a sample answer
Es ist heute eiskalt.
'Eiskalt' is the strong, natural expression for freezing cold. 'Es ist heute sehr kalt' is also correct but less intense.
2Which word means 'quite' and softens an adjective in 'Es ist ziemlich warm'?
Show a sample answer
ziemlich
'Ziemlich' means 'quite' or 'fairly'. It makes the statement less absolute. 'Sehr' would make it stronger, not softer.
3How do you say 'It is too hot for me' in German?
Show a sample answer
Es ist mir zu heiß.
This uses the dative 'mir' and 'zu' before the adjective. 'Mir ist es zu heiß' is also correct and very common.
Use 'Es ist' plus a temperature word for the weather, and 'Mir ist' plus a temperature word for how you feel. Add 'sehr', 'ziemlich' or 'ein bisschen' to adjust the degree, and use 'zu' to say something is too hot or too cold for you.
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