German · Nature, Animals & Weather

"It's cold" in German: es ist kalt

es ist kalt

Say it: es ist kaltphrase/ɛs ɪst kalt/

It's cold in German is es ist kalt. For your body, say Mir ist kalt. Freezing weather can be eisig or unter null.

Morning bike ride

Zieh Handschuhe anes ist kalt.
Put gloves on — it's cold.
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How to pronounce es ist kalt

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es ist kalt

/ɛs ɪst kalt/

es ist kalt. Short a; clear t.

"It's cold" in German: quick reference

GermanEnglish
es ist kaltit's cold

Weather / room.

Mir ist kaltI feel cold

Body feeling.

Heute ist es kaltit's cold today

Today frame.

eiskaltice-cold

Very cold.

How to use es ist kalt in real life

  1. 1Morning bike ride

    Zieh Handschuhe anes ist kalt.

    Put gloves on — it's cold.

    Full phrase.

  2. 2Underheated flat

    In der Küche ist es kalt ohne Heizung.

    In the kitchen it's cold without heating.

    Es ist kalt word order.

  3. 3Lake swim dare

    Im April ist es kalt im Wasser.

    In April it's cold in the water.

    Water temperature.

Mistakes English speakers make with es ist kalt

Incorrect: Es ist cold.

Correct: Es ist kalt.

Use kalt, not English cold.

Incorrect: Ich bin kalt. (for feeling cold)

Correct: Mir ist kalt.

Body chill uses mir ist kalt; ich bin kalt can sound emotionally cold.

Good to know

Germans distinguish air cold (es ist kalt) from personal chill (mir ist kalt). Drafty windows and late spring can still earn a casual es ist kalt.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Waiting for a bus at night

  1. ChatPal

    Warum zitterst du?

    Why are you shivering?

  2. You

    Es ist kalt, und ich habe nur ein T-Shirt.

    It's cold, and I only have a T-shirt.

  3. ChatPal

    Stimmt, es ist kaltnimm meine Jacke.

    True, it's cold — take my jacket.

  4. You

    Danke, nur bis der Bus kommt.

    Thanks, just until the bus comes.

This is a sample. In ChatPal you have this conversation out loud and get feedback on what you say.

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"It's cold" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "It's cold" in German

How do you say it's cold?

Es ist kalt.

I feel cold?

Mir ist kalt.

Very cold?

Es ist eiskalt / eisig.

Ich bin kalt?

Usually sounds emotionally cold — prefer mir ist kalt.

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