😳❗

How to Say ‘That was close!’ in French

J'ai eu chaud !

zhay ay ew shoh

[zhay ay ew shoh]

💬 Usage Tip: Word for word this is "I had hot", but it means you had a scare. It has nothing to do with temperature.

Phrase Breakdown

[zhay]

Pronoun used by the speaker to refer to himself or herself.

Example

J'aime les bonbons.

I like candies.

[ay]

have

Form of 'avoir' used with past participles to make the past tense.

Example

J'ai beaucoup appris grâce à notre discussion.

I learned a lot thanks to our discussion.

[ew]

had

Past participle of 'avoir'; in 'avoir eu chaud' it means to have had a close call (literally 'been hot').

Example

Nous avons eu peur.

We were scared.

chaud

[shoh]

hot (close call)

Adjective meaning hot; in the expression 'avoir eu chaud' it means to have narrowly escaped.

Example

Il fait chaud aujourd'hui.

It's hot today.

Guides for French learners

Ordering in French: Cafés, Bakeries and Restaurants (with Menu Vocabulary)How to order in French at a café, a bakery and a restaurant: the phrases, the questions staff ask, and the menu and food vocabulary to understand the answers.Hello in French: Greetings, Good Evening and How to Answer "How Are You?"How to say hello in French, when to switch to good evening, how to ask how are you and what to answer, with tu vs vous and native audio.

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