tener hambre
/teneɾ ambɾe/from spelling rules
To be hungry in Spanish is tener hambre.
If you want to express a more formal tone, you can use Sentir hambre, which translates to 'to feel hunger'. For informal situations, you can use Tener ganas de comer, which focuses on the desire or craving for food.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, tener hambre means 'to have hunger'. It is composed of the verb tener (to have) and the noun hambre (hunger).
How does it change in a sentence?
To say 'I am hungry', use tengo hambre. To say 'you are hungry' (informal), use tienes hambre. To say 'they are hungry', use tienen hambre.
How do you pronounce it?
/teneɾ ambɾe/
Did you know?
- The phrase tener hambre can be intensified to tener un hambre de lobo, which means 'to have the hunger of a wolf'.
- The word hambre is a doublet of the English word 'fame' through their shared Latin roots.
- In some contexts, tener hambre can be used metaphorically to describe an intense ambition or 'hunger' for success.
Examples in context
- Los adolescentes siempre parecen tener hambre.Teenagers always seem to be hungry.This sentence shows how to use tener hambre when describing the behavior of teenagers.Tatoeba #13531767 by Seael, translation #12339232 by CK
- Tengo hambre, ¿podríamos ir a almorzar?I am hungry, could we go for lunch?
- Estoy experimentando una sensación de hambre bastante intensaI am experiencing a rather intense feeling of hunger
- Tengo muchísima hambre, ¿vamos a comer algo?I am really hungry, shall we grab something to eat?
- Estoy hambriento/a, podríamos pedir algo para llevarI am starving, could we order takeout?
- Ya empiezo a tener hambre.I am starting to feel hungry now.
Example conversation
Daniel and María are walking home from school.
- DanielMaría, ¿tienes hambre?María, are you hungry?
- MaríaSí, empiezo a tener hambre.Yes, I'm starting to be hungry.
- DanielVamos a comer algo rápido.Let's go eat something quickly.
- MaríaMe parece una idea perfecta.That sounds like a perfect idea.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hambre, tener, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
