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How to say "I'm cold"

by guyjohnston, April 12, 2008

Messages: 16

Language: English

guyjohnston (User's profile) April 12, 2008, 10:49:11 PM

Hi, what's the most common way of saying "I'm cold" in Esperanto, as in "I feel cold"? Can you say "mi estas malvarma", or would that mean you feel cold to someone else who touches you?

RiotNrrd (User's profile) April 12, 2008, 11:00:30 PM

I believe the customary way is "Mi estas malvarme".

Removed by the author for being incorrect.

Pentamontaro (User's profile) April 13, 2008, 12:24:21 AM

Mi estas malvarme, or Mi fartas malvarme.

erinja (User's profile) April 13, 2008, 2:42:12 AM

I would definitely not say "mi estas malvarme".

I would say "Mi sentas min malvarma"
That construction is common. For example, there's a shirt (and poster) that say "Kia vi sentas vin hodiaŭ?" with faces showing feelings, with Esperanto labels.

I would definitely hesitate to say "Mi estas malvarma" unless my skin actually feels cold. When you say "I'm cold" in English, it doesn't mean that your body is actually cold; it means that you *feel* cold. In my opinion, the Esperanto translation of the phrase should reflect that.

In contrast, if you are hungry or tired, you *are* actually hungry or tired, objectively. Therefore you would say "Mi estas malsata" or "Mi estas laca"; you wouldn't be saying "mi sentas min malsata".

Taciturn_ (User's profile) April 13, 2008, 5:56:06 AM

Terurĉjo:I'm cold = Al mi estas malvarme.
It's cold = Estas malvarme = Malvarmas.
Since Esperanto is quite french n russian in many ways , so this Terurcjo`s suggestion seemes very reseanable to me.I would never say "me estas malvarma",as it would mean that my body is cold , not that i feel cold.
So:
Mi estas malvarma - my body`s cold.
Al mi estas malvarme,al mi malvarmas - i feel cold
OR just:
mi sentas malvarmon.

RiotNrrd (User's profile) April 13, 2008, 6:36:51 AM

At the start of chapter 6 of Teach Yourself Esperanto, they say that it is usual to say "Estas (mal)varme al mi" (their actual example is about how to say "I am warm", but it works in the other direction the same way).

I remembered incorrectly.

sergejm (User's profile) April 13, 2008, 8:51:41 AM

When you are ill (kiam vi estas malsana), mesure you temperature (mezuru vian temperaturon), and you know that your body is hot (via korpo estas varmega = vi estas varmega), but you lose warm (vi perdas varmon) and so you are cold (al vi estas malvarme).

Kat (User's profile) May 1, 2008, 9:40:53 AM

In German, one says "mir ist kalt" (to me, it is cold). If you say "ich bin kalt", it's more of a statement about your personality (and "ich bin heiss", well, whoo boy! ; ) ).

I think that Esperanto is similar. "Mi estas varma" would probably mean something...well, it wouldn't mean that you find it hot. ; ) "Al mi estas varme" sounds right, in that vein (and also "al mi estas malvarme").

ora knabo (User's profile) May 1, 2008, 1:17:53 PM

Kiam mi estis en Italio dum e-renkonto, plejmulte da tempo mi estis kun homoj kiuj aĝas kiel mi, kaj kiuj ne plu estas komencantoj pri eo (ni ĉiuj estis pli-malpli en la sama nivelo de lingvoscio). Tie estis malvarme kaj ni ne sciis kiel diri tion. Do ni interkonsentis kaj uzis "mi frostiĝas" lango.gif . Kaj tio sufiĉis por esti komprenita de ĉiuj.

- Sed nun mi elpensis ion alian. Ĉu estus bone diri: "Mi fartas malvarme."?

erinja (User's profile) May 1, 2008, 3:05:08 PM

Hi

You can post in any language to this forum, but since it is the English forum, please include an English translation. We have a lot of beginners here and we want to ensure they can understand everything.

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