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How to Say "starving" in Spanish

English → Spanish

hambriento

/ahm-bree-EN-toh//amˈbɾjen.to/

AdjectiveA2General
Use 'hambriento' when you want to describe someone as being very hungry, similar to 'famished' or 'ravenous', but without implying an immediate threat to life.
A sad brown bear cub sitting in a meadow, holding its stomach and looking hungry, with a red apple just out of reach.

Examples

El niño estaba muy hambriento después de jugar todo el día.

The boy was very hungry after playing all day.

Las perras hambrientas buscaron comida en la basura.

The hungry female dogs looked for food in the trash.

Si estás hambrienta, podemos pedir una pizza.

If you (female) are hungry, we can order a pizza.

Gender and Number Match

As an adjective, 'hambriento' must change its ending to match the noun it describes. Use '-a' for feminine nouns (hambrienta), '-os' for masculine plural (hambrientos), and '-as' for feminine plural (hambrientas).

Using 'Ser' instead of 'Estar'

Mistake: “Soy hambriento.”

Correction: Estoy hambriento. Hunger is a temporary state, so you must use the verb 'estar' (to be temporarily) instead of 'ser' (to be permanently).

muriendo

moo-ree-EN-doh/muˈɾjen̪.do/

GerundB1Informal
Use 'muriendo de hambre' (dying of hunger) for a hyperbolic, emphatic expression to convey that you are extremely, desperately hungry, often used humorously or to dramatize the situation.
A very thin, small brown rabbit sitting weakly on dry, cracked earth in a barren landscape, looking distressed and desperately needing food, illustrating starvation.

Examples

Llevo horas sin comer, ¡estoy muriendo de hambre!

I haven't eaten for hours, I'm starving (dying of hunger)!

Con esa película, estábamos muriendo de la risa.

With that movie, we were dying of laughter.

Distinguishing 'hambriento' from 'muriendo de hambre'

Learners often confuse these by using the literal 'muriendo' (dying) for any strong hunger. Remember, 'muriendo de hambre' is a dramatic, informal exaggeration, while 'hambriento' is a straightforward adjective for being very hungry.

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