我饿了
Wǒ è le
In Chinese, "I am hungry" is expressed as 我饿了 (Wǒ è le).
This phrase is a statement used to express a physical need for food. You can also say 肚子饿了 to literally mean "my stomach is hungry", or use 我好饿啊！ to convey a higher degree of hunger, often accompanied by an exclamation.
Which one should you use?
我饿啦 is an informal version that adds a sense of familiarity and playfulness. For a much more extreme, colloquial expression, you can say 我饿死了, which translates to "I am starving" or "I'm hungry to death" by adding 死 (death) after the adjective.
How does it change in a sentence?
In Chinese, you do not need to use a verb like "to be" (是) to connect the subject to the adjective in this phrase.
How do you pronounce it?
Wǒ è le
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid saying 我是饿. English speakers often mistakenly try to use the verb 是 (to be) to say "I am hungry", but in Chinese, you should not use 是 before an adjective in this context.
Did you know?
- In many Chinese regions, instead of saying 'I am hungry', people ask 吃了吗? (Have you eaten?), which serves as a way to acknowledge someone's physical state or even as a greeting.
- The character 饿 is composed of the radical for 'food' 饣 and a phonetic component, visually linking the concept of hunger directly to the absence or presence of food.
- In very informal settings, people might use the term 馋 (chán) to describe a 'hunger' that is actually a craving for specific tasty foods.
Examples in context
- 我饿了！I am hungry.This sentence is useful for practicing the phrase 我饿了.Tatoeba #378886 by dreiundzwanzig, translation #409602 by CC
- 我饿了，我们去吃饭吧。Wǒ è le, wǒmen qù chīfàn ba.I am hungry, let's go eat.
- 现在我饿了，想吃点东西。Xiànzài wǒ è le, xiǎng chī diǎn dōngxī.I am hungry now and want to eat something.
Example conversation
A young couple is walking home in the afternoon.
- 梓涵 Zihan伟，我饿了。Wěi, wǒ è le.Wei, I am hungry.
- 伟 Wei我也饿了，去吃面条吗？Wǒ yě è le, qù chī miàntiáo ma?I am hungry too, shall we go eat noodles?
- 梓涵 Zihan好啊，走吧。Hǎo a, zǒu ba.Okay, let's go.
- 伟 Wei那家店的味道很不错。Nà jiā diàn de wèidào hěn bùcuò.The food at that shop is quite good.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
