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There are three sentences which makes me confused.

I think one of them is used to say you don't feel good or you literally are sick.

Other one is used to imply that the temperature in the room where you stay is probably lower than average so you are shivering.But you are not ill, if you turn the heater up, you will feel perfectly ok.

But which is one which or are they interchangeable so we need extra explanation what we want to imply?

I am cold

I feel cold

I got cold

And are there other phrases that can be used for these situations that we can be more clear on what we want to imply?

For example I heard

I am chilly

But I am not sure in which mean can it be used?

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    'I got cold' really means 'it was cold & I felt the cold' but it could be possibly used very colloquially as an ellipsis for 'I have [got] a cold' i.e. I am ill. Context would be the only way to tell which. All the others are 'I feel the temperature'. The standard differentiation would be between 'cold' (temperature of room) & 'a cold' (runny nose). You get a cold, have a cold, or catch a cold; you can't be one, only 'acquire' one.
    – DoneWithThis.
    Feb 8, 2015 at 12:34
  • Agree with @Tetsujin - If you're trying to refer to the illness associated with a runny nose, sneezing, or coughing, you need to use an article: I have a cold; she probably gave me the cold, because she had a cold last week.
    – J.R. ♦
    Feb 8, 2015 at 12:58
  • @Tetsujin Thank you for good answer..I got it. So I can say that "I got cold" could have two meanings sometimes but when we say "I got A cold" it is definitely means that "you are sick and have probably runny nose"..And I would like to ask another related question that to my ears it seems it is ok to use "I got a cold" or "I have a cold" or " I caught a cold" if you are sick right now, but "I had a cold" it seems you were sick but not anymore? Am I right? And I do not think people say "I get a cold" mostly but people can say " you can get a cold if you don't wear your socks in winter" right?
    – Mrt
    Feb 8, 2015 at 13:22
  • @Tetsujin or do people use present perfect tense to make the distinguish. Would it be colloquial if I say " I have had a cold I can't come to work today" or " I have got/gotten a cold I can't come to work today" or " I have caught a cold I can't come to work today ? " to imply I am sick currently?
    – Mrt
    Feb 8, 2015 at 13:26
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    I think you've pretty much got the idea, Murat. Grammatically, you can treat a cold like a cat;) You can have a cat; you had a cat; you plan on getting a cat, etc etc etc. If you're fast enough you can even catch a cat.
    – DoneWithThis.
    Feb 8, 2015 at 14:49

1 Answer 1

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  • I am cold: My temperature is low
  • I have a cold: I am sick
  • I've got a cold: I am sick
  • I got a cold: I became sick
  • I got cold: My temperature became low
  • I had gotten cold: My temperature had become low

Whenever versions of the verb "to be" such as "is" or "am" is used, then it implies that the person's temperature is in question. If the verb "to have" is used, then it implies that the person has some affliction, disease or some condition. The exception is "I got cold" because "got" in this context means "became". The lack of "a" before cold shows that it is an adjective, and not a noun, however.

So "I am chilly" would mean that the person's temperature is low. If the person said "I have a chilly" then they would have a chili pepper in all likelihood

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    Thank you for your answer.I got it.When it comes to "I am chilly" I think I wrote it down wrongly I can understand now.Actually I meant "I am chill" which is likely to mean that "I am cold"..I can edit my question if you edit you answer if you think it is necassary
    – Mrt
    Feb 10, 2015 at 16:23

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