Ways to say it
| French | IPA |
|---|---|
| affamé | /a.fa.me/ |
| avoir faim | /a.vwaʁ fɛ̃/ |
To express being affected by hunger or desirous of food, you can use several expressions. If you want to be formal, you can use Éprouver de la faim, which translates to "to experience hunger". For informal ways to say you are extremely hungry, you can use Avoir une faim de loup (to have the hunger of a wolf) or Crever de faim (to die of hunger).
What does it mean word for word?
In the verbal phrase avoir faim, the word faim literally means "hunger".
Which one should you use?
While affamé is an adjective, the most common way to express the state of being hungry is using the verbal phrase avoir faim. Note that affamé is much stronger than the English "hungry" and is better translated as "starving" or "famished".
How do you pronounce it?
affamé is pronounced /a.fa.me/ and has 3 syllables.
Did you know?
- The expression avoir une faim de loup suggests a wolf's appetite, but in some contexts, simply saying j'ai la dalle is the most common slang for being hungry.
- The word faim shares a root with the Proto-Indo-European word for 'to disappear'.
- In French, the word faim is a homophone of fin, which means 'end'.
Examples in context
- Tom a l'air affamé.Tom looks hungry.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use the adjective affamé.Tatoeba #9405562 by Micsmithel, translation #2237257 by CK
- Il admit avoir faim.He admitted he was hungry.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use the phrase avoir faim.Tatoeba #9533690 by sacredceltic, translation #7403920 by CH
- Ziri doit avoir faim.Ziri must be hungry.Tatoeba #12476929 by always, translation #11449310 by Amastan
- Je vais prendre mon déjeuner maintenant. J'ai faim.I am going to have lunch now. I am hungry.
- Après le long voyage, il commence à éprouver de la faim.After the long journey, he starts to feel hungry.
- En travaillant tard, elle commence à ressentir la faim.While working late, she begins to feel hungry.
- Après le match de football, j'ai la dalle. Allons manger une pizza!After the soccer game, I'm hungry. Let's go grab a pizza!
- Je n'ai rien mangé depuis le matin, j'ai une faim de loup!I haven't eaten anything since morning, I am extremely hungry!
- Je n'ai rien mangé de toute la journée, je crève de faim!I haven't eaten anything all day, I'm starving!
- 71 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel and Chloé arrive home after a long day of hiking.
- GabrielJe suis affamé après cette marche !I am starving after this walk!
- ChloéMoi aussi, je veux manger tout de suite.Me too, I want to eat right now.
- GabrielEst-ce que tu as quelque chose de prêt ?Do you have something ready?
- ChloéOui, Gabriel, je vais préparer des sandwichs.Yes, Gabriel, I will prepare some sandwiches.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hungry” translations and entries affamé, avoir faim, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries avoir, faim, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
