tengo hambre
/ˌtenɡo ˈambɾe/
The Spanish phrase for "I'm hungry" is tengo hambre.
If you want to express a specific craving for a food, you can say tengo antojo de followed by the food, such as tengo antojo de pizza for "I'm craving pizza."
Meaning: I'm hungry (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "I have hunger."
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, you may hear Tengo hambre a reventar to mean "I'm famished to bursting" or Me estoy muriendo de hambre to mean "I'm dying of hunger."
How does it change in a sentence?
In Spanish, hunger is treated as a noun that one "has" using the verb tener rather than an adjective that one "is".
How do you pronounce it?
/ˌtenɡo ˈambɾe/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid saying soy hambriento. While this might be a literal translation of "I am hungry", it sounds unnatural in most everyday Spanish contexts compared to tengo hambre.
Did you know?
- The word hambre is grammatically feminine, even though it starts with a stressed 'a' sound, which often leads to the use of the masculine article el in the singular for phonetic reasons.
- The word hambre is a close relative of the English word 'famine', as both stem from the Latin 'fames'.
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, saying tengo hambre too frequently or too loudly can be seen as impatient or impolite, especially in formal settings.
Examples in context
- "Tengo hambre." "Yo también.""I'm hungry." "So am I."This example shows how to respond to someone saying they are hungry.Tatoeba #13488233 by Seael, translation #10091989 by CK
- Solo como cuando tengo hambre.I eat only when I'm hungry.This sentence shows how to express that eating is dependent on feeling hunger.Tatoeba #2828731 by marcelostockle, translation #2325157 by CK
- ¿Cuándo comemos? ¡Tengo hambre!When are we eating? I'm hungry!This example shows how to express hunger when asking about a meal.Tatoeba #2963 by Shishir, translation #2073 by brauliobezerra
- 14 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Daniel and María are walking home from work.
- DanielTengo hambre, ¿quieres comer algo?I'm hungry, do you want to eat something?
- MaríaSí, yo también tengo mucha hambre.Yes, I am very hungry too.
- DanielPodemos ir a un restaurante ahora.We can go to a restaurant now.
- MaríaPerfecto, me parece una buena idea.Perfect, that sounds like a good idea.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “I'm hungry” translations and entries tengo hambre, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hambre, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
