helada
/eh-LAH-dah/
frost
La helada covers the leaves in a thin layer of ice.
📝 In Action
La helada de anoche arruinó los cultivos de tomate.
B1Last night's frost ruined the tomato crops.
Se espera una fuerte helada para este fin de semana.
B1A heavy freeze is expected for this weekend.
💡 Grammar Points
Always Feminine
When talking about the weather event (frost), this word is always feminine: 'la helada'.
⭐ Usage Tips
Weather talk
Use 'helada' when you want to describe the actual ice crystals on the ground or the cold snap itself.
The water is helada, or ice-cold.
helada(adjective)
ice-cold
?temperature of a feminine object
,frozen
?solidified by cold
chilled
?very cold liquid
📝 In Action
Me gusta la cerveza bien helada.
A2I like my beer very ice-cold.
Tengo la mano helada por la nieve.
A1My hand is freezing cold because of the snow.
💡 Grammar Points
The 'Matching' Rule
This version of the word is only used for feminine things (like 'la sopa' or 'la mano'). For masculine things, use 'helado'.
❌ Common Pitfalls
Watch the ending
Mistake: "El refresco está helada."
Correction: El refresco está helado. (Since 'refresco' is a masculine word, the ending must change to -o).
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: helada
Question 1 of 2
How would you say 'the soup is ice-cold' in Spanish?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 'helada' the same as 'hielo'?
Not exactly. 'Hielo' is the physical substance of ice. 'Helada' refers to the event of freezing (frost) or is a word used to describe something as being very cold.
Can I use 'helada' to mean ice cream?
No. Even if the ice cream is for a girl, the food item 'ice cream' is always 'el helado' (masculine). 'Helada' only describes things or refers to frost.