Ways to say it
| German | IPA |
|---|---|
| ich habe Hunger | /ɪç ˈhaːbə ˈhʊŋɐ/ (word by word) |
| ich bin hungrig |
If you want to say you are very hungry, you can say Ich habe großen Hunger or Ich habe einen riesigen Appetit (I have a huge appetite). For more extreme situations, you might use the hyperbolic expression Ich könnte eine ganze Kuh verschlingen (I could devour a whole cow) or the colloquial phrase Mir knurrt der Magen (My stomach is growling). If you are only slightly hungry, you can say Ich könnte eine Kleinigkeit essen (I could eat a little something).
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase ich habe Hunger literally translates to 'I have hunger'.
Which one should you use?
While ich bin hungrig is a grammatically correct way to say 'I am hungry', it sounds more formal or descriptive than the common ich habe Hunger.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Bavaria, you may hear the form I bin hungrig used to express hunger.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase ich habe Hunger, the word Hunger is a noun and must be capitalized. To change the subject to 'we', you must change both the pronoun and the verb to wir haben Hunger.
How do you pronounce it?
/ɪç ˈhaːbə ˈhʊŋɐ/
Did you know?
- To describe a stomach growling, Germans use the verb knurren, which is the same word used for a dog's growl.
- The German verb bin (am) has a complex history, originating from two different Proto-Indo-European sources that merged in the Germanic languages.
Examples in context
- Tom, ich habe Hunger.Tom, I'm hungry.This example shows how to address someone directly using ich habe Hunger.Tatoeba #2883853 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #2883444 by Hybrid
- Mama, ich habe Hunger.Mom, I'm hungry.This example shows how to address a mother using ich habe Hunger.Tatoeba #2764206 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #2764199 by CK
- Ich habe Hunger. Und du?I'm hungry. How about you?This example shows how to state you are hungry and then ask the other person using ich habe Hunger.Tatoeba #8888966 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #2354171 by Hybrid
- 37 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Laura and Maximilian are walking home from work.
- LauraMaximilian, ich habe Hunger.Maximilian, I'm hungry.
- MaximilianIch auch, Laura.Me too, Laura.
- LauraSollen wir etwas essen?Should we eat something?
- MaximilianJa, gerne.Yes, gladly.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “I'm hungry” translations and entries ich habe Hunger, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (ich, Habe, Hunger) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Hunger, bin, hungrig, ich, ich habe Hunger, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
