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How to Say ‘I'm starving.’ in Portuguese

Estou cheia de fome.

eesh-TOH SHAY-ah duh FOH-meh

[eesh-TOH SHAY-ah duh FOH-meh]

💬 Usage Tip: Literally "I'm full of hunger", and cheia matches the speaker: a man says cheio de fome. Works with other feelings too: cheia de sono "really sleepy".

Phrase Breakdown

Estou

[eesh-TOH]

I am

First-person singular of "estar," used for actions happening now.

Example

Estou preparado para novas conversas profissionais.

I am prepared for new professional conversations.

cheia de fome.

SHAY-ah duh FOH-meh

starving / really hungry.

A colloquial idiom, literally 'full of hunger'. A man would say 'cheio'.

Example

Os miúdos estão cheios de fome.

The kids are starving.

Words in this phrase

cheia

[SHAY-ah]

full (feminine)

Feminine form of 'cheio'; 'cheia de fome' is a casual way of saying very hungry.

Example

A sala está cheia de gente.

The room is full of people.

[duh]

A preposition meaning "of" or "for," depending on context.

Example

Falámos de carreira durante o intervalo.

We talked about career matters during the break.

fome

[FOH-meh]

hunger

Noun for the feeling of needing food; 'ter fome' means to be hungry.

Example

Tenho muita fome.

I'm very hungry.

Guides for Portuguese learners

The Portuguese You Actually Need in Your First Month in PortugalThe European Portuguese phrases for your first weeks in Portugal: paperwork, renting a flat, the bank, the health centre, cafés, trains and your new neighbours.

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