Ways to say it
| Italian | IPA |
|---|---|
| affamato | /af.faˈma.to/ |
| avere fame | /aˈve.re ˈfa.me/ |
The word hungry can be expressed as an adjective or as an idiomatic phrase. The adjective affamato describes someone who is affected by hunger or desirous of food. However, the most common way to express being hungry in Italian is using the idiom avere fame, which means to have hunger.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase avere fame literally translates to to have hunger.
Which one should you use?
The adjective affamato often carries a stronger connotation of being famished or starving compared to the more neutral and common avere fame.
How does it change in a sentence?
When using the idiomatic expression avere fame, you must conjugate the verb avere (to have) to match the subject, such as ho fame for I am hungry. As an adjective, affamato must agree in gender and number with the person being described: use affamata for a female, affamati for a group of males or a mixed group and affamate for a group of females.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation of affamato is /af.faˈma.to/. It has 4 syllables and the stress is on the 3rd syllable.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid saying sono fame by trying to translate I am hungry literally. In Italian, you must use the verb avere (to have) to say ho fame instead of the verb essere (to be).
Did you know?
- The word fame is a 'false friend' for English speakers because it looks like 'fame' but has nothing to do with celebrity or renown.
- The expression avere fame is part of a larger pattern where physical sensations like thirst avere sete or fear avere paura are also treated as things you 'have'.
- The root of fame likely comes from a Proto-Indo-European word meaning 'to disappear', describing how strength or spirit fades when one is hungry.
Examples in context
- È un po' affamato.He is a bit hungry.This sentence shows how to use affamato to describe a male subject.Tatoeba #11626345 by Guybrush88, translation #7350891 by Eccles17
- Tom non è affamato.Tom isn't hungry.This sentence shows how to use affamato in a negative context.Tatoeba #4247400 by Guybrush88, translation #2549240 by CK
- Il cane è affamato.The dog is hungry.This sentence shows how to use affamato to describe an animal.Tatoeba #6685231 by dnnywld, translation #6684285 by Hybrid
- Ho fame, potremmo andare a mangiare una pizza?I'm hungry, could we go grab a pizza?
- Ho una fame da lupi! Possiamo trovare qualcosa da mangiare?I'm as hungry as a wolf! Can we find something to eat?
- Ho un buco allo stomaco, dobbiamo assolutamente fermarci a mangiare qualcosa!I have a hole in my stomach, we absolutely need to stop and eat something!
- 466 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lorenzo and Sofia are walking home from a long day of sightseeing.
- LorenzoSono davvero affamato dopo questa passeggiata.I am really hungry after this walk.
- SofiaAnch'io, dove vogliamo andare a mangiare?Me too, where do we want to go eat?
- LorenzoC'è una pizzeria proprio qui vicino.There is a pizzeria right nearby.
- SofiaOttimo, sono troppo affamata per aspettare!Great, I am too hungry to wait!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hungry” translations and entries affamato, avere fame, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries avere, fame, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
