It's cold
Use this to say 'I am cold.' It describes your personal feeling, not the weather outside. The literal translation is 'I have cold.'
Use this when a specific object, food, or drink is cold to the touch. For example, 'The coffee is cold.'
A stronger way to say it's cold, meaning 'It's freezing.' You can use this for weather or for an object.
Put on a jacket. It's very cold today!
Can you close the window, please? I'm cold.
The water in the pool is very cold.
Don't go out without gloves, it's freezing outside.
'Hace frío' is the standard, universal phrase understood everywhere.
It's common to hear the informal expression 'Hace un friazo,' which means 'It's super cold.'
People often exclaim '¡Qué frío!' (How cold!). You will also hear 'Está haciendo frío' frequently.
A very common informal phrase is 'Hace un frío de locos,' which translates to 'It's crazy cold.'
An informal but common expression is 'Hace un frío peludo' (literally 'hairy cold'), which means it's intensely cold.
'Hace frío' is standard. A common colloquialism is 'Hace un frío que pela,' which means 'It's so cold it peels you.'
Saying 'Es frío' for the weather. — Use 'Hace frío.' In Spanish, the verb 'hacer' (to make/do) is used for most general weather descriptions. 'Es frío' (using 'ser') describes a permanent characteristic, like 'El hielo es frío' (Ice is cold).
Saying 'Estoy frío' to mean 'I feel cold.' — Always use 'Tengo frío.' Spanish uses the verb 'tener' (to have) for many physical sensations (hunger, thirst, cold). 'Estoy frío' means your body is literally cold to the touch, which can sound strange or even alarming.
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