How do you say cold in Italian?
Freddo
Use freddo to say cold in Italian. Don’t confuse cold with “caldo”, which is hot in English!
| Origin | From the Latin word frigĭdus, “cold” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈfreddo/ |
Freddo
Cold
Cold in Italian: Different forms
Like all other adjectives in Italian, freddo needs to match the gender (masculine or feminine) and the number (singular or plural) of the noun.
| Singular | Plural | |
| Masculine | Freddo | Freddi |
| Feminine | Fredda | Fredde |
Cold in Italian: Examples
Il vento freddo mi fa rabbrividire.
The cold wind makes me shiver.
L’acqua è troppo fredda per nuotare.
The water is too cold to swim in.
Ho le mani fredde.
My hands are cold.
Oggi fa freddo.
It’s cold today.
Cold in Italian: Related words
If something is very cold, you can use the adjective gelido, “freezing cold”.
| Singular | Plural | |
| Masculine | Gelido | Gelidi |
| Feminine | Gelida | Gelide |
For example, you can say…
Il vento gelido ha fatto cadere le foglie dagli alberi.
The icy wind made the leaves fall from the trees.
Hai i piedi gelidi! Scaldali vicino alla stufa.
Your feet are freezing cold! Warm them by the stove.
Fresco is another common way to translate cold in Italian. It literally means “fresh”.
| Singular | Plural | |
| Masculine | Fresco | Freschi |
| Feminine | Fresca | Fresche |
For example, you can say…
Oggi fa fresco qui in montagna.
It’s cool here in the mountains today.
La frutta fresca è sempre la scelta migliore.
Fresh fruit is always the best choice.
To translate “to be cold”, use the expression avere freddo, literally meaning “to have cold”.
Sono uscito senza giacca e ora ho freddo.
I went out without a jacket and now I’m cold.
Idioms with freddo in Italian
There is a number of common idioms featuring the word for cold in Italian. Some of them are…
- sudare freddo, to be in a cold sweat
- non fare né caldo né freddo, to make no difference
- a sangue freddo, cold-bloodedly
- a mente fredda, lucidly
- doccia fredda, wet blanket
For example, you can say…
Questo è un problema di cui dobbiamo discutere a mente fredda.
This is an issue we need to discuss lucidly.
Ho scambiato l’ombra per un ladro. Ho sudato freddo!
I mistook the shadow for a thief. I broke out in a cold sweat!
More free Italian resources
You might want to keep learning Italian online with these free Italian resources:
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