请给我…
qǐng gěi wǒ…
Please give me…
How to say "I'm hungry" in Chinese
我饿了
wǒ è le
I'm hungry
Character breakdown
Grammar and structure
This is 我 (I) + 饿 (hungry) + 了 (particle indicating a change of state). 了 shows that you've become hungry.
Variations and politeness
我很饿
wǒ hěn è
I'm very hungry. — Adds 很 (hěn) to emphasize a stronger feeling of hunger.
我饿死了
wǒ è sǐ le
I'm starving. — More expressive and colloquial, literally 'I'm hungry to death'.
Mini dialogue
A
你想吃什么？
nǐ xiǎng chī shénme?
What do you want to eat?
B
我饿了。
wǒ è le.
I'm hungry.
A
我们去吃饭吧！
wǒmen qù chīfàn ba!
Let's go eat!
When to use it
Appropriate
- When you want to tell someone you're hungry in a casual setting.
- When you're asking for food or suggesting to eat.
- When you're with friends, family, or in informal situations.
Avoid when
- In very formal situations, such as a business meeting or with superiors; use a more polite phrase like 我有点饿 (wǒ yǒudiǎn è).
- When you want to say 'I was hungry' (past tense) – 了 here indicates a current change of state, not past tense.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I'm hungry' in Chinese?
You say 我饿了 (wǒ è le). It literally means 'I have become hungry'.
How do you pronounce 我饿了?
It's pronounced wǒ è le. The tones are: wǒ (3rd tone), è (4th tone), le (neutral tone).
When do you use 我饿了?
Use it in casual conversations when you want to say you're hungry, often to suggest getting food. It's not for formal situations.
More phrases for this situation
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