faim
/fɛ̃/feminine
The English phrase hunger is translated into French as faim.
faim is a feminine noun referring to the need for food. To express the state of being hungry, you use the verbal phrase avoir faim (to have hunger). There are several ways to describe different levels of hunger: avoir la fringale describes a strong desire to eat, and the idiom une faim de loup describes being extremely hungry, similar to 'starving' in English. In colloquial settings, you might hear avoir la dalle to mean having a strong hunger.
Meaning: need for food (noun)
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
In French, you express the state of being hungry by saying you 'have hunger' (avoir faim) rather than 'being hungry'.
How do you pronounce it?
/fɛ̃/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use the verb 'être' (to be) instead of 'avoir' (to have) to express hunger.
Did you know?
- The Proto-Indo-European root of faim actually means 'to disappear', a poetic reference to how hunger makes one's strength or physical presence fade away.
- The French word faim is a phonetic twin of the word fin, meaning 'end'. Because they sound identical, French speakers often use wordplay to link the 'end' of a meal with the onset of faim.
- French uses the verb donner (to give) when saying a smell or sight 'gives' hunger, whereas English would use 'makes' one hungry.
Examples in context
- Je meurs de faim.I'm dying of hunger.This sentence is useful for expressing that you are dying of hunger using faim.Tatoeba #4872789 by gillux, translation #707144 by papabear
- Il meurt de faim.He's dying of hunger.This sentence is useful for expressing that he is dying of hunger using faim.Tatoeba #8676769 by Julien_PDC, translation #10144383 by ddnktr
- J'ai une faim de loup.I feel the hunger of a 1000 devils.This sentence shows the idiom une faim de loup used to describe an intense hunger.Tatoeba #437657 by chtof, translation #3464897 by sciberc
- J'ai faimI'm hungry
- Je ressens une grande faimI feel great hunger
- J'ai une faim dévoranteI have a ravenous hunger
- Je suis affamé(e)I am famished
- 59 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hugo and Emma are walking home from school.
- HugoTu as faim ?Are you hungry?
- EmmaOui, j'ai très faim !Yes, I'm very hungry!
- HugoOn peut manger un sandwich.We can eat a sandwich.
- EmmaC'est une bonne idée, Emma.That is a good idea, Emma.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hunger” translations and entries faim, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries faim, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
