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How to Say ‘I'm hungry, let's eat!’ in French

J'ai la dalle, on bouffe !

zhem ay lah DAHL ohn boof

[zhem ay lah DAHL ohn boof]

Phrase Breakdown

J'ai la dalle,

zhem ay lah DAHL

I'm starving,

Slang for being very hungry. Pause briefly at the comma.

Example

J'ai la dalle, pas toi ?

I'm starving, aren't you?

Words in this phrase

J'

[zhem]

I (contracted form of « je »)

« Je » becomes « J’ » before a vowel: « J’aime » = “I like/I love”. Very frequent for opinions about anime.

Example

J' aime ce studio d’animation.

I like this animation studio.

ai

[ay]

have (1st person singular)

« ai » is « avoir » conjugated for « je ». It’s the auxiliary used in the passé composé: « j’ai commencé » = “I started / I have started”.

Example

J’ ai regardé la bande-annonce.

I watched the trailer.

la

[lah]

the

A definite article preceding a noun.

Example

La porte est ouverte.

The door is open.

dalle

[DAHL]

hunger

Used in 'avoir la dalle' = to be starving; literally a slab.

Example

Tu as la dalle ?

Are you starving?

on bouffe !

ohn boof

let's eat!

'Bouffer' is slang for 'to eat'. Here 'on' means 'we/let's'. Pronounced 'ohn boof'.

Example

C'est prêt, on bouffe !

It's ready, let's eat!

Words in this phrase

on

[ohn]

we / one

Very common subject pronoun meaning 'we' in everyday French, or 'one' more generally.

Example

On peut parler du prix calmement.

We can talk about the price calmly.

bouffe

[boof]

eat (slang)

From the verb 'bouffer', a very common informal way to say 'to eat', often implying eating heartily.

Example

Tu viens bouffer chez moi ce soir ?

Are you coming to eat at my place tonight?

Related guides

Common French Phrases You'll Use Every Day (with Native Audio)The common French phrases and expressions people actually use every day: greetings, polite essentials, reactions and casual slang, with meanings and native audio.Ordering in French: Cafés, Bakeries and Restaurants (with Menu Vocabulary)How to order in French at a café, a bakery and a restaurant: the phrases, the questions staff ask, and the menu and food vocabulary to understand the answers.

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