How to Say "I Am Hungry" and "I Am Thirsty" in Spanish (and Ask Others)
Learn to express hunger and thirst in Latin American Spanish using tener, ask others politely, and avoid the common mistake of using ser or estar with these states.
By MarcusFood & cafés · Yapr Learn
In Spanish, you do not say "I am hungry" with the verb "to be." Instead, you use tener (to have): tengo hambre literally means "I have hunger." This lesson teaches you to express your own hunger and thirst, ask other people about theirs, and answer yes or no. These phrases describe how you feel inside, not what you want to order. That difference matters: tengo hambre tells someone your internal state, while quiero una hamburguesa asks for a specific item. Keep the two separate, and you will sound natural from the start.
By the end, you can…
- say that I am hungry or thirsty using tengo hambre and tengo sed.
- ask another person whether they are hungry or thirsty and understand a yes or no answer.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
Tengo hambre.
I am hungry.
TEN-goh AHM-breh
The standard way to state your own hunger. Literally "I have hunger." Use it anywhere, formal or casual.
Tengo sed.
I am thirsty.
TEN-goh sed
The standard way to state your own thirst. The d in sed is soft, almost like the th in "the."
¿Tienes hambre?
Are you hungry? (informal singular)
TYEH-nehs AHM-breh
Use with one person you know well: a friend, family member, or someone your age.
¿Tiene sed?
Are you thirsty? (formal singular)
TYEH-neh sed
Use with one person you address politely: an older person, a stranger, or someone in a service role.
No, gracias.
No, thank you.
noh GRAH-syahs
A polite refusal. In much of Latin America the final s is soft or dropped: no, gracia.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The pattern is tener + hambre or tener + sed. Conjugate tener for the person: tengo hambre (I am hungry), tienes hambre (you are hungry, informal), tiene hambre (you are hungry, formal; he or she is hungry), tenemos hambre (we are hungry). The noun hambre is feminine, so if you add an adjective, use mucha: tengo mucha hambre means "I am very hungry." For thirst, sed is also feminine: tengo mucha sed. Notice that the verb changes, not the noun.
When to use it
Use these phrases to describe an internal feeling, not to request food. Tengo hambre simply reports your state. If you want to order, you would say something like Quiero un café (I want a coffee) or ¿Me trae una sopa? (Could you bring me a soup?). Also, do not use estar with these nouns. Estoy hambre is not correct. You can say estoy cansado (I am tired) with estar, but hunger and thirst belong with tener. To ask a group, use ¿Tienen hambre? (Do you all have hunger?).
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
¿Tienes hambre?
Are you hungry?TYEH-nehs AHM-brehSí, tengo mucha hambre. ¿Y tú?
Yes, I am very hungry. And you?see, TEN-goh MOO-chah AHM-breh. ee tooTambién tengo hambre. ¿Tienes sed?
I am hungry too. Are you thirsty?tahm-BYEHN TEN-goh AHM-breh. TYEH-nehs sedNo, gracias. No tengo sed.
No, thank you. I am not thirsty.noh GRAH-syahs. noh TEN-goh sedA little context goes a long way
In Latin American Spanish, tengo hambre and tengo sed are neutral and safe in nearly any setting. A host may offer food or drink after you say them, and accepting with sí, gracias is normal. In some regions, people soften the final s in tienes and gracias, so you may hear ¿Tiene hambre? or no, gracia. That is a regional pronunciation, not a grammar error.
One thing to watch for
Saying Estoy hambre or Soy hambre to mean "I am hungry."
Try this instead: Use tener: Tengo hambre. The verb estar describes temporary conditions like estoy cansado (I am tired), but hunger and thirst are expressed with tener plus the noun. Say Tengo sed for "I am thirsty," not Estoy sed.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you say "I am thirsty" in Spanish?
Show a sample answer
Tengo sed.
Tener plus the feminine noun sed expresses thirst. Estoy sed is not used.
2You want to politely ask an older stranger if they are hungry. Which form do you use?
Show a sample answer
¿Tiene hambre?
The formal singular tiene matches usted. With a friend you would say ¿Tienes hambre?
3Someone says No, gracias. No tengo sed. What did they tell you?
Show a sample answer
They are not thirsty, and they declined politely.
No tengo sed means "I do not have thirst," and no, gracias is a polite refusal. They might still be hungry, so you could ask ¿Tienes hambre?
Use tengo hambre and tengo sed for your own feelings, and switch the verb to ask others: ¿Tienes hambre? or ¿Tiene sed? Never use ser or estar with hambre or sed.
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