5.6. Avoir faim et avoir soif

Saying Hungry and Thirsty

5.6.1. The Main Idea

In French, hunger and thirst use the verb avoir, meaning to have.

J’ai faim.	I am hungry.
J’ai soif.	I am thirsty.

Literally, French says:

J’ai faim.	I have hunger.
J’ai soif.	I have thirst.

5.6.2. The Auxiliary Verb

The verb used here is avoir, not être.

avoir faim	to be hungry
avoir soif	to be thirsty

Do not translate directly from English.

~~Je suis faim.~~	Don’t say this.
J’ai faim.	Say this. I am hungry.
~~Je suis soif.~~	Don’t say this.
J’ai soif.	Say this. I am thirsty.

5.6.3. Simple Questions

Tu as faim ?	Are you hungry?
Tu as soif ?	Are you thirsty?
Vous avez faim ?	Are you hungry? formal or plural
Vous avez soif ?	Are you thirsty? formal or plural

5.6.4. Simple Answers

Oui, j’ai faim.	Yes, I am hungry.
Oui, j’ai soif.	Yes, I am thirsty.
Non, je n’ai pas faim.	No, I am not hungry.
Non, je n’ai pas soif.	No, I am not thirsty.

5.6.5. Short Dialogue

A : Tu as faim ?	A: Are you hungry?
B : Oui, j’ai faim. Et toi ?	B: Yes, I am hungry. And you?
A : Moi, j’ai soif.	A: I am thirsty.
B : On va au café ?	B: Shall we go to the café?

5.6.6. Checkpoint

By the end of this section, you should understand that French uses avoir for hunger and thirst: j’ai faim and j’ai soif, not je suis faim or je suis soif.