Learning French: Ça crame and other phrases for when the weather is too hot

With France experiencing a heatwave this weekend, we look at some French words and phrases to express feeling hot and sweaty.

How do you say 'it is hot' in French? 

To start with the basics, most people will know that in French you cannot say 'it is hot' to describe the temperature, but have to use the verb faire (to do or to make), as in: il fait chaud.

You can also say 'il fait beau' if you want to say that the weather is great.

But there are many other words you can use to diversify your language or to add extra emphasis to the fact that it is not just hot, but boiling.

For example, you can say ça crame or ça brûle, both of which mean it is burning, or burning hot.

If you are in a room that is particularly hot and stuffy or even outside when it is very humid, you could say: c’est étouffant.

There are also two very informal ways to describe when the sun is beating down, ça cogne and ça tape. Both these verbs mean ‘to hit’, with the ‘ça’ (it) referring to the sun. It is like the saying ‘the sun is hitting me’.

If you want to be a bit more metaphorical then you can say, c’est chaud comme un four, meaning it is as hot as an oven.

Read also: Learning French: Ça tape and nine other expressions for hot weather

How do you say 'I am sweating' in French?

High temperatures unfortunately mean a lot of sweating. There are many descriptive ways to say this in French and a lot of the expressions are linked to cooking.

For example, you can use the expression ‘cuire dans son jus’, meaning to cook in one’s juices. This expression can also be used if you have a fever.

The phrase, 'je suis en sueur' is another way of saying that you are sweating. A good way of remembering it is by connecting the similar sounding sueur to the English 'sewer', which is how you might be smelling after a long day in the sun.

'Je suis en nage' is another alternative, and refers to the idea of swimming in sweat.

Just like in English, you can also sweat like a pig in French, on sue comme un porc.  

'Transpirer à grosses gouttes' evokes the idea of 'sweating buckets'.

A little less orthodox is the expression ‘transpirer des carottes’ (to sweat carrots), although not everyone in France has heard this so you may get an odd look.

Read more: Avoir eu chaud and more French phrases with the word ‘hot’