Ways to say it
| Portuguese | IPA |
|---|---|
| faminto | /faˈmĩ.tu/ (Brazil) /fɐˈmĩ.tu/ (Portugal) |
| com fome | /kõ ˈfõ.mi/ (Brazil, word by word) |
| esfomeado | /is.fo.meˈa.du/ (Brazil) /es.fo.meˈa.du/ (Brazil) |
All these forms describe being affected by hunger or desiring food. While com fome is the standard way to express the physical sensation, faminto and esfomeado often imply a more extreme or ravenous state.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase com fome literally means "with hunger."
Which one should you use?
Com fome is the standard expression for the physical feeling of hunger. In contrast, faminto and esfomeado are typically used to imply that someone is extremely or ravenously hungry.
How does it change in a sentence?
The most common way to say "to be hungry" is to use the prepositional phrase com fome rather than a single adjective. If you use the adjective faminto, it must agree in gender with the subject: use faminto for masculine subjects and faminta for feminine subjects.
How do you pronounce it?
The word faminto is pronounced /faˈmĩ.tu/ and has 3 syllables, with the stress on the second syllable.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid saying estou fome, which translates to "I am hunger." Instead, use estou com fome to correctly say "I am with hunger."
Did you know?
- In some regions, esfomeado can be used as a mild insult to describe someone who is greedy or overly eager, rather than just physically hungry.
- In Brazil, fome is often used figuratively to describe an intense ambition or a 'hunger' for power and success.
- The word fome originates from the Proto-Indo-European root *dʰH-, which means 'to disappear'.
Examples in context
- Tom está com fome.Tom's hungry.This sentence shows how to use com fome to state that someone is hungry.Tatoeba #5498940 by ajdavidl, translation #2107541 by CK
- Eu fiquei com fome.I felt hungry.This sentence shows how to use com fome to describe a past state of feeling hungry.Tatoeba #411515 by brauliobezerra, translation #18154 by CK
- Você está com fome?Are you hungry?This sentence shows how to use com fome to ask a question about hunger.Tatoeba #1006405 by alexmarcelo, translation #434242 by lukaszpp
- 331 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Juliana and Rodrigo are walking home from a long day of hiking.
- JulianaEstou faminto depois dessa caminhada!I am starving after this hike!
- RodrigoEu também, vamos comer algo agora.Me too, let's eat something now.
- JulianaVocê quer pedir uma pizza?Do you want to order a pizza?
- RodrigoSim, porque eu estou faminto!Yes, because I am starving!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hungry” translations and entries faminto, esfomeado, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (com, fome) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries com, esfomeado, faminto, fome, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
