How to Describe Hot and Cold Weather in Spanish with Degree Expressions
Learn to say how hot, cold, warm, or cool it is in Latin American Spanish using hacer plus degree words like mucho, poco, and -ísimo.
By TheaFirst conversations · Yapr Learn
English often uses one word for temperature: It's hot, It's freezing, It's warm. Spanish usually builds these ideas with the verb hacer (to make/do) plus a temperature word, and it can add degree expressions to show how extreme the temperature feels. In this lesson you will learn to say It's very hot, It's a little cold, It's freezing, and similar phrases for everyday weather talk in Latin American Spanish.
By the end, you can…
- describe hot, cold, warm, and cool weather using hacer plus a temperature word
- add degree expressions like mucho, poco, and -ísimo to show how extreme the temperature feels
- ask and answer simple questions about the temperature in a short conversation
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
Hace mucho calor hoy.
It's very hot today.
AH-seh MOO-choh kah-LOR oy
The most common way to say it is very hot. Hace is the weather verb; calor is the noun for heat. Mucho before a weather noun means 'a lot of', so hace mucho calor is literally 'it makes a lot of heat'.
Hace frío.
It's cold.
AH-seh FREE-oh
A simple statement of cold weather. Use it when you just want to say it's cold, without saying how cold.
Está helado hoy.
It's freezing today.
es-TAH eh-LAH-doh oy
Literally 'it's frozen/icy'. Use it for very cold weather or for something very cold to the touch, stronger than hace frío. In some regions you may also hear hace un frío que pela.
Hace un poco de calor.
It's a little warm.
AH-seh oon POH-koh deh kah-LOR
Use un poco de to soften the temperature. This means a little hot or a bit warm, not extremely hot.
Hace fresquito.
It's nice and cool.
AH-seh fres-KEE-toh
Fresquito is a friendly, slightly affectionate way to say cool. Common in Mexico and Central America; in other regions people may say hace fresco.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The basic pattern is hace + temperature noun. Hace calor means it's hot, hace frío means it's cold, hace fresco means it's cool. To add degree, put mucho before calor or frío: hace mucho calor, hace mucho frío. For a smaller amount, use un poco de: hace un poco de calor. You can also use the suffix -ísimo on an adjective, as in está calentísimo (it's very hot) or está friísimo (it's very cold), though these are stronger and more emphatic than mucho. Note that -ísimo attaches to adjectives, not to the weather nouns calor or frío, so you say hace mucho calor rather than hace calorísimo.
When to use it
Use hace calor or hace frío for general weather. Use está helado when you want to say it's freezing, and está caliente or está caluroso when it feels hot. Hace fresco is a mild, pleasant cool. If you are talking about a room or an object rather than the weather, use estar: la sopa está caliente (the soup is hot), el aire está frío (the air is cold). For weather, hacer is the usual choice in Latin American Spanish.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
¿Cómo está el clima hoy?
How's the weather today?KOH-moh es-TAH el KLEE-mah oyHace mucho calor. Estamos a treinta y cinco grados.
It's very hot. We're at thirty-five degrees.AH-seh MOO-choh kah-LOR. es-TAH-mos ah treen-tah ee SEEN-koh GRAH-dohs¡Uf! Yo prefiero el frío. ¿Y mañana?
Ugh! I prefer the cold. And tomorrow?oof. YOH preh-FYEH-roh el FREE-oh. ee mah-NYAH-nahMañana va a hacer fresco, como veinte grados.
Tomorrow it's going to be cool, around twenty degrees.mah-NYAH-nah bah ah ah-SEHR FRES-koh, KOH-moh BEHN-teh GRAH-dohsA little context goes a long way
In Latin American Spanish, weather talk often includes the actual temperature in degrees Celsius, not Fahrenheit. Saying Estamos a treinta grados is normal and understood as Celsius. In casual conversation, people may use diminutives like fresquito or calientito to sound friendly, especially in Mexico and Central America. In the Southern Cone, you may hear hace un frío bárbaro for extremely cold weather.
One thing to watch for
Saying Es calor or Es frío to mean It's hot or It's cold.
Try this instead: Use Hace calor and Hace frío for weather. Es calor is not natural in this context. For example, say Hace frío hoy, not Es frío hoy. Use estar for objects or rooms: la sopa está caliente.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How would you say It's very cold today in Spanish?
Show a sample answer
Hace mucho frío hoy.
Hace is the weather verb, mucho adds degree, and frío means cold. You could also say Está helado hoy for freezing, but hace mucho frío is the standard very cold expression.
2What does Hace un poco de calor mean?
Show a sample answer
It's a little warm.
Un poco de softens the temperature, so it means a little hot or a bit warm. It is not the same as hace mucho calor, which means very hot.
3Which phrase would you use for a pleasant, mild cool day?
Show a sample answer
Hace fresco.
Hace fresco means it's cool in a mild, pleasant way. Hace frío would be colder, and está helado would be freezing. In some regions, hace fresquito is also fine.
For weather in Latin American Spanish, start with hace plus calor, frío, or fresco, then add mucho or un poco de to show how hot or cold it feels. Use está helado for freezing, and remember that degrees are usually Celsius.
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