mér er kalt

Being Cold or Warm (Mér Er Kalt)

Level 2

Mér er kalt means I'm cold. The person is in the dative, and the adjective is always neuter: kalt, heitt, hlýtt, illt.

How It Works

The pattern. dative person + er + neuter adjective:

  • Mér er kalt (I'm cold)
  • Mér er heitt (I'm hot)
  • Mér er hlýtt (I'm warm)
  • Er þér kalt? (Are you cold?)
  • Okkur var kalt (We were cold)

The verb is always er, even for okkur or þeim. In the past it is var.

The adjective does not agree. Usually an adjective after vera agrees with the subject (adjective agreement). Here there is no nominative subject, so the adjective is always in the neuter singular: kalt, never kaldur or köld.

Pain. Use illt í + the body part in the dative: Honum er illt í maganum (He has a stomach ache). Mér er illt í höfðinu (I have a headache).

Feeling or weather? Mér er kalt is about how you feel. Það er kalt is about the weather: the air is cold. Ég er kaldur describes you yourself, for example how you feel to the touch, not the feeling of being cold.

The same shape appears in mér er sama (I don't mind). For how you feel in general, use mér líður.

Examples (6)

  1. Mér er kalt.

    I'm cold.

    Word by Word: To-me is cold.

  2. Er þér heitt?

    Are you hot?

    Word by Word: Is to-you hot?

  3. Honum er illt í maganum.

    He has a stomach ache.

    Word by Word: To-him is ill in the-stomach.

  4. Okkur var svo kalt úti.

    We were so cold outside.

    Word by Word: To-us was so cold outside.

    var is the past of er. It does not change for okkur.

  5. Nú er mér hlýtt.

    Now I'm warm.

    Word by Word: Now is to-me warm.

    When nú comes first, er comes second and mér follows it.

  6. Mér er illt í höfðinu.

    I have a headache.

    Word by Word: To-me is ill in the-head.

Common Mistakes

  • Using a nominative subject, as in English "I am cold".

    Ég er kalt.
    Mér er kalt.

    The person who feels cold is in the dative: mér, þér, honum, henni.

  • Making the adjective agree with the person.

    Mér er köld.
    Mér er kalt.

    There is no nominative subject for the adjective to agree with, so it is always neuter: kalt, heitt, hlýtt, illt.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

mér er kaltLevel 2Being Cold or Warm (Mér Er Kalt)

Learn This First

mér er kalt builds on oblique subjects and adjectives.

Words in This Pattern

veravarmér