Variety is always important when you are speaking English and learning different ways to say “I’m hungry” is helpful because it’s fun and interesting. It’s especially important to learn idiomatic alternatives commonly used in Britain because it helps learners understand native speakers better and sound more natural when speaking English in everyday situations.
Here are some of our favourites:
“I’m starving”
Imagine you have been so busy at work that you haven’t eaten all day. That’s when you think, “I’m starving!”
This expression means you’re extremely hungry, like you could eat a whole pizza all by yourself. So, if you’re feeling super hungry, this phrase is perfect to use!
Another example could be a child who comes home from school and says “Hi mum. What’s for tea? I’m starving”!
(“To starve” literally means to be suffering or dying from hunger. So it is an exaggerated use of English but one that is very commonly used!)
“I’m ravenous”
Feeling even hungrier than “starving”? Then “ravenous” is the word for you! It means you are extremely hungry
Example
The kids had been playing on the beach all day but had forgotten to take their sandwiches with them so when they got back home, they were ravenous
“I’m peckish”
This is a great expression to say that you are hungry; a little hungry but not ‘starving’: “I just had a coffee this morning before I left home so now I’m feeling a little peckish”
We often use adverbs such as “bit” “little” “rather” before “peckish”
“I’m feeling rather peckish. I think I’ll have a snack”
“Are you feeling peckish?” “Yes, a bit”
“I could eat a horse”
This is a great idiom that is used to say that someone is extremely hungry and could eat a lot of food
It is often used in conjunction with the phrase “I’m so hungry…”
The phrase has been used for many years and probably comes from the fact that a horse is a large animal.
Example: “What’s for dinner? I could eat a horse”
Using these expressions will help you sound more natural and fluent when you are speaking English so why not give them a try. Remember practice makes perfect
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