אני רעב
Ani ra'ev
The Hebrew phrase for "I am hungry" is אני רעב (Ani ra'ev).
This phrase is used to express a physical need or desire for food. If you want to express hunger for a specific type of food, you can say אני רעב לפיצה to mean "I am hungry for pizza."
How does it change in a sentence?
The word רעב is an adjective meaning "hungry" that agrees in gender with the subject. The default form אני רעב is used when the speaker is male. If the speaker is female, the phrase must change to the feminine form אני רעבה.
How do you pronounce it?
Ani ra'ev
Did you know?
- Israelis frequently use the phrase מתה מרעב to mean 'dying of hunger' even when they are only mildly hungry. This hyperbolic style is a common feature of modern spoken Hebrew.
- The word רעב functions as both a personal state of being 'hungry' and as a noun meaning 'famine'. This allows the same word to describe a simple craving and a national catastrophe.
- In Hebrew, the word for 'hungry' רעב shares a root with words for 'desire'. This means the physical sensation of hunger is linguistically linked to the general act of wanting something.
Examples in context
- אני אוכלת פירות כי אני רעבה.I eat fruits because I am hungry.This sentence shows how to use the phrase when eating fruit.Tatoeba #1992535 by Eldad, translation #1992368 by Sharaf78
- אני רעב כי לא אכלתי ארוחת בוקר.I am hungry because I did not have breakfast.This sentence uses the phrase to explain why you are hungry after missing breakfast.Tatoeba #6037791 by fekundulo, translation #460070 by saasmath
- אני רעבה כי לא אכלתי ארוחת צהריים.I am hungry because I did not eat lunch.This sentence uses the phrase to explain why you are hungry after missing lunch.Tatoeba #2074506 by nava, translation #259470 by CK
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Noam and Noa are walking home from a long hike.
- נועם Noamאני רעב מאוד.ani ra'ev me'od.I am very hungry.
- נועה Noaגם אני רעבה.gam ani re'eva.I am hungry too.
- נועם Noamבואי נלך לאכול משהו.bo'i nelakh le'ekhol mashehu.Let's go eat something.
- נועה Noaרעיון מצוין.ra'ayon metzuyan.Great idea.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries אני, רעב, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
