我饿了
wǒ è le
Im hungry · trad. 我餓了
我饿了 (wǒ è le) is the most common and natural way to say "I'm hungry" in Mandarin Chinese. The particle 了 (le) is important here, indicating a change of state – you weren't hungry before, but now you are.
What does 我饿了 (wǒ è le) mean?
我饿了 (wǒ è le) means “im hungry” in English. Word for word, it breaks down as “I hungry (particle).”
When to use it
Neutral and appropriate for most situations. To express being "very hungry" or "starving," you can use stronger variations. If someone asks if you're hungry, you can simply reply 饿了 (è le) or 不饿 (bù è, "not hungry").
How to pronounce it
Sounds roughly like "waw UH luh." 我 (wǒ) is a third tone (falling-rising), 饿 (è) is a fourth tone (sharp falling), and 了 (le) is a light, neutral tone.
Other ways to say it
- 我有点饿wǒ yǒudiǎn èI'm a bit hungry
- 我好饿wǒ hǎo èI'm so hungry (casual, expressive)
- 我快饿死了wǒ kuài è sǐ leI'm starving / I'm almost dead from hunger
Examples
我饿了，我们去吃饭吧。
wǒ è le, wǒmen qù chīfàn ba.
I'm hungry, let's go eat.
你饿了吗？
nǐ è le ma?
Are you hungry?
我有点饿，想吃点东西。
wǒ yǒudiǎn è, xiǎng chī diǎn dōngxi.
I'm a bit hungry, I want to eat something.
Pro tip: The particle 了 (le) is crucial when expressing a current state of hunger. It signals a change from a previous state. Saying just 我饿 (wǒ è) without 了 (le) sounds incomplete or less natural for expressing a current feeling of hunger.
Related phrases
来 · Come我会说一点点 · I speak a little我会说英语 · I speak english
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