caliente
/ka-lyen-te/
hot
Caliente means hot, often referring to the temperature of objects, liquids, or food.
📝 In Action
Cuidado, el plato está muy caliente.
A1Be careful, the plate is very hot.
Me gusta tomar un chocolate caliente en invierno.
A1I like to drink hot chocolate in the winter.
El agua de la ducha está perfectamente caliente.
A2The shower water is perfectly warm.
💡 Grammar Points
Adjective That Doesn't Change
'Caliente' is a handy adjective because it stays the same whether you're talking about something masculine ('el café caliente') or feminine ('la sopa caliente').
Use 'Estar', Not 'Ser'
To describe the temperature of something, which is a temporary state, you'll almost always use the verb 'estar'. For example, 'La pizza está caliente' (The pizza is hot).
❌ Common Pitfalls
Saying How YOU Feel
Mistake: "Estoy caliente."
Correction: Tengo calor. (I feel hot). Be very careful! Saying 'estoy caliente' means 'I'm sexually aroused'. To talk about your body feeling hot because of the weather, always use 'Tengo calor'.
When used to describe a person, caliente can mean sexually aroused.
caliente(Adjective)
horny
?sexually aroused
passionate
?describes a person's nature
,angry
?worked up, furious
📝 In Action
Es una persona de sangre caliente, se enoja con facilidad.
B2He's a hot-blooded person, he gets angry easily.
El entrenador se puso caliente con el árbitro por la mala decisión.
B2The coach got angry with the referee for the bad call.
En la película, el personaje principal es un amante muy caliente y apasionado.
C1In the movie, the main character is a very hot and passionate lover.
⭐ Usage Tips
Context is Everything
This meaning of 'caliente' is highly dependent on the situation. Among friends, it can be a joke, but in other contexts, it can be offensive or too direct. Pay close attention to how native speakers use it before trying it yourself.
Caliente can also describe a tense or heated situation or atmosphere.
caliente(Adjective)
tense
?a situation or atmosphere
heated
?an argument or debate
,hot
?a controversial topic
📝 In Action
La cosa se está poniendo caliente en la oficina por los despidos.
B2Things are getting tense at the office because of the layoffs.
La inmigración es un tema caliente en la política actual.
B2Immigration is a hot topic in politics right now.
Tuvieron una discusión muy caliente sobre dinero.
B1They had a very heated argument about money.
⭐ Usage Tips
Sound Like a Native
Using 'caliente' to describe a situation is a great way to show a deeper understanding of Spanish. It works very much like 'hot' or 'heated' in English for topics and arguments.
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: caliente
Question 1 of 2
A friend touches a cup of coffee and pulls their hand back. What would they most likely say?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between 'caliente' and 'caluroso'?
'Caliente' is a general word for 'hot' that you can use for almost anything—soup, a car engine, water. 'Caluroso' is special because it's almost always used to describe the weather. You'd say 'un día caluroso' (a hot day), but not 'una sopa calurosa'.
Can I say 'El sol es caliente'?
Yes, you can, because the sun being hot is an inherent, defining characteristic. However, it's much more common for people to talk about the effect of the sun, saying things like 'Hoy hace mucho calor' (It's very hot today) or 'El sol calienta mucho' (The sun heats a lot).